Crumbl Cookies

Last updated
Crumbl, LLC
Crumbl
Company type Private
Industry Bakery Franchising
FoundedSeptember 29, 2017;8 years ago (2017-09-29) in Logan, Utah, U.S.
Founders
  • Sawyer Hemsley
  • Jason McGowan
Headquarters,
United States [1]
Number of locations
1,071 stores (2024) [2]
Areas served
United States
Canada
Key people
  • Jason McGowan, CEO
  • Sawyer Hemsley, CBO
  • Graciela Chadwick, COO
Website crumblcookies.com

Crumbl (previously branded as Crumbl Cookies), stylized as crumbl, is an American multinational franchise chain of bakeries headquartered in Lindon, Utah, that specializes in cookies and other desserts.

Contents

History

Crumbl was founded by cousins Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan in 2017 while Hemsley attended Utah State University in Logan, Utah. [3] [4] The duo utilized A/B testing methods to come up with their milk chocolate chip cookie recipe. [5] [6] By 2020 the company had 90 locations. [7]

Crumbl hired Graciela Chadwick, a former Chick-fil-A and KPMG executive, as chief operating officer in 2022. [7] The company rebranded with a new logo, color scheme, and visual identity in 2023, when it had a 37% year over year drop in sales, laid off 10% corporate employees including Chadwick, and scaled back expansion plans. Seven stores closed in 2023 and fourteen in 2024. [8] [7] [9] The company reported having 1,071 stores in December 2024. [10] [2]

Bloomberg estimated their 2024 sales at $1.2 billion and profit around $91 million. The average store annual net profit was over $250,000, but the median store profit was under $80,000. [11] [7] [12]

In early 2025 the company was exploring a sale with a valuation near $2 billion, facilitated by North Point Mergers & Acquisitions. [13] In May 2025 the company sold a stake to TSG Consumer Partners, and received $500 million in loans from Blackstone Inc. and Golub Capital. [11] [7]

The company isn't open on Sunday, nor do they serve coffee or use it as an ingredient. [7]

Products

A four-pack of cookies from Crumbl Crumbl Cookies 2022-01-29 06-43-46 (cropped).jpg
A four-pack of cookies from Crumbl

Crumbl has a weekly rotating menu of six different cookie flavors, pulled from its library of over 200 different flavors. [14]

Crumbl has taken action in a few cases where it alleged its business was being infringed upon. Crumbl sued both Crave Cookies and Dirty Dough in 2022. [15] [16] The suit against Crave ended in a peaceful dismissal with both sides agreeing to drop claims in July 2023, while the dispute with Dirty Dough, involving trade secret theft allegations, resulted in a settlement in late 2023, where Dirty Dough agreed to return stolen info, though specific terms remain confidential and Crumbl's broader injunctions against Dirty Dough's franchising were denied. [17] [18] Separately, in 2024, unofficial Crumbl pop-up stores appeared in Australia, United Kingdom, and Mexico, [19] [20] [21] but instead of pursuing legal action, the company announced it would speed up plans to open legitimate stores in those countries. [21] [22] [23]

With its growth, the company has encountered some operational issues and challenges. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor fined 11 of its franchises a total of $57,854 for violations, [24] [25] for assigning underage employees to shifts that exceeded the permitted hours and to tasks involving "potentially dangerous ovens and machinery". [25] The parent company issued an apology and committed to taking corrective actions. [26] [27] In 2024, animal welfare organizations called on Crumbl to end its use of battery cage eggs, which company leaders responded they had no intention of doing. [28] [29] As a result, protests continued into 2025. [30] The company later switched from shelled eggs to bagged eggs. [7]

In 2025, Warner Music Group sued Crumbl for $24 million alleging copyright infringement for use of their music catalog in Crumbl social media posts. [31]


See also

References

  1. "Where is Crumbl Cookies's Headquarters? Main Office Location and Global Offices". Clay. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Our Story". crumblcookies.com. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  3. "The Untold Truth Of Crumbl Cookies". Mashed. 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  4. Simmons, Necia (March 19, 2019). "Hemsley cooks up franchise". The Preston Citizen. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  5. Michaels, Laura (October 27, 2021). "Inside the Craze at Fast-growing Franchise Crumbl Cookies". Franchise Times. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  6. Zsiray, John (September 20, 2017). "Cookie bakery, delivery service to open in Logan". The Herald Journal . Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Adam Chandler (12 December 2025). "The Cracks in Crumbl's Cookie Empire Are Showing". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  8. ALLEN, JENNIFER (15 December 2025). "How the cookie crumbles: The rise and fall of Crumbl Cookies". Post Register. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  9. Maze, Jonathan (2023-11-29). "Crumbl is ditching cookies—in its logo". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  10. Day, Andrea (July 7, 2021). "A cookie company is taking TikTok by storm - and business is booming". CNBC . Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Will Kubzansky, Dylan Sloan, Olivia Fishlow, Crystal Tse (18 June 2025). "Wall Street Wants In on Crumbl's Oversized Sugary Cookies". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 15 December 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Kline, Daniel (17 December 2025). "Popular cafe chain, Starbucks rival, closes dozens of locations". TheStreet. Retrieved 17 December 2025. Revenue and profit metrics show mixed trends: From 2022 to 2023, average store revenue dropped from roughly $1.84M to about $1.16M, though sales rebounded later to around $1.35M in 2024, according to Food Drink Life.
  13. Abigail Summerville (13 January 2025). "Bakery franchise chain Crumbl explores $2 billion sale, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  14. Luckoff, Kaitlyn. "I Wish These 2 Crumbl Cookie Flavors Were on the Menu EVERY Week (They're So Good!)". Dorm Therapy. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  15. Asay, Ashtyn (2022-07-22). "Crumbl stands by decision to sue cookie competitors". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  16. Lavery, Tréa (2022-07-21). "Cookie wars: Crumbl Cookies claims whistleblower told them smaller cookie companies Crave and Dirty Dough stole their recipes". The Republican . Archived from the original on 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  17. Porter, Melanie. "Lawsuit dismissed between Crumbl, Crave in Utah cookie wars". Fox News. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  18. Kelso, Alicia. "Crumbl Cookies declares victory in trade secret case; rival Dirty Dough happy with preliminary injunction denial". NRN. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  19. "Pop-up store organisers respond to TikTok criticism over US cookie disappointment". ABC News . 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  20. Ritchie, Hannah (2024-10-04). "How a stale A$17.50 cookie sparked a social media storm". BBC News . Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  21. 1 2 Kim, Whizy (2024-12-09). "Crumbl's massive empire was never about the cookies". Vox. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  22. Barrett, Jonathan (2024-10-09). "Crumbl Cookies to open in Australia after viral unofficial pop-up at Bondi Beach turned stale". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  23. Melvin, Simone. "How Crumbl Cookies Devoured America". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
  24. Eyermann, Delaney (December 22, 2022). "11 Crumbl Cookies' franchises violate child labor regulations". WRAL News . Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  25. 1 2 "Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations". DOL. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  26. Bojórquez, Kim (January 4, 2023). "Crumbl Cookies franchises fined for violating child labor regulations". Axios Salt Lake City.
  27. "Crumbl Cookies violated child labor laws in 6 states, feds say". FOX13 News Seattle & Western Washington . December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  28. Price, Carlysle (2024-11-14). "Crumbl Cookies uses caged eggs, planned protests hope to change that". KSLTV.com. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  29. Smiley, Sarah (12 November 2024). "North Carolina Animal Advocates United members protest outside Crumbl Cookies". Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  30. Milon, Andy (1 March 2025). "Rights Activists Protest as Crowd Queues at Crumbl Cookies Opening". Jersey City Times. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  31. Schneider, Marc (2025-04-24). "Warner Music Accuses Crumbl of Baking 159 Songs Into Social Posts Without Permission" . Billboard. Retrieved 2025-04-29.