Brand Shoutouts
What operators need to know about unit economics, performance variance, the 2023 AUV collapse, and what a $251,706 average net profit means when the median is $77,359.
By Justin K. Sellers · 20 min read · March 14, 2026
When your average unit volume drops from $1.8 million to $1.16 million in twelve months, most brands slow expansion.
Crumbl opened 281 new locations that same year.
That's a 37% revenue decline per store while adding nearly one new bakery every single day. Seven stores closed in 2023 — Crumbl's first closures ever. Another 12 shuttered in 2024.
But here's what the 2025 FDD shows: 2024 AUVs recovered to $1.4 million — up 17% from 2023's low. Average net profit more than doubled to $251,706.
Translation: some locations are generating serious returns. Others are not. The gap between top and bottom performers is widening.
In our view, that's the real story. Not whether Crumbl survives — but whether your location would land in the 43% generating above-average profits, or the 57% that aren't.
That's the whole analysis.
[FAQ_SECTION]
Jason McGowan (CEO) did not come from the food industry.
He grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, where his father ran a shuttle service to the Calgary airport. He left school after eighth grade and built a career in technology — including work on Ancestry.com projects. Data-driven. Systems-focused.
Sawyer Hemsley (Chief Brand Officer, formerly COO) was a marketing student at Utah State University when the idea came together. He grew up in Preston, Idaho, with a family tradition of warm cookies every Sunday straight from the oven.
McGowan had married Whitney, whose cousin was Hemsley. McGowan had previously invested in one of Hemsley's earlier startups — it failed completely. He lost the money. But both described themselves as having "entrepreneurial DNA," and after evaluating dozens of ideas, they chose cookies. With zero baking experience between them.
The A/B Test That Built the Brand:They couldn't agree on chocolate chips — semi-sweet or milk chocolate. So they went outside local stores and asked strangers to taste-test both.
Milk chocolate won.
September 2017: The first Crumbl opened in Logan, Utah, while Hemsley was still finishing his senior year at Utah State.
Opening night was chaos. Not all required permits were in place. Lines out the door. Deliveries stacking up. They called friends and family to help fulfill orders.
Hemsley's mother Laurie recalled:
"We were sitting around the table having Sunday dinner when he just said, 'We're going to open a cookie shop.' And everyone reacted with, 'That's the dumbest thing. It will never go. Blah, blah, blah.' And he was like, 'Yeah. Well, I'm going to do it.'" — Laurie Hemsley
The second location in Orem focused on delivery — demand exploded. They noticed family members wanted in. That was the franchising lightbulb.
First franchise partners: Sawyer's parents, Laurie and Lance Hemsley. The first wave was close family and friends.By 2020: 90 locations.
By 2022: They hired Graciela Chadwick — former Chick-fil-A and KPMG executive — as COO.
Then the cracks appeared.
Six classic flavors are always on the menu. Four rotating flavors change every Monday.
Crumbl announces the new lineup every Sunday at 8 PM via social media. The new lineup goes live Monday morning.
The library: over 250 different cookie flavors in rotation.
What This Means for Operators:Every single week, your team learns new recipes. Every single week, you order new ingredients. Every single week, you manage new inventory requirements. Every single week, customers expect perfect execution on flavors your staff may be making for the first time.
Hemsley calls it "cookie theater." The weekly drop model borrows from the fashion industry's limited-time release strategy.
The 2024 Brand Expansion:Crumbl rebranded — dropping "Cookies" from the name.
The menu expanded to include cakes, pies, brownies, cheesecakes, cinnamon squares, and mini cookies (Mondays only, starting April 2024).
The Food Institute's analysis was direct:
"They added capital expenditures, they added size, they added labor hours, and they just kept destroying the model." — The Food Institute
Translation: more equipment, more labor, more complexity — while AUVs were already in decline.
- 2017: 1 location (Logan, Utah) - 2018: Franchising begins - 2020: 90 locations - 2021: 326 locations - 2022: 689 locations (doubled in one year) - 2023: 968 locations (+281 stores) - 2024: 1,059 locations (+81 stores — slowest growth since 2020) - March 2026: 1,105+ stores
Current Footprint:- 1,105+ locations worldwide - All 50 U.S. states + Canada (2 countries currently) - Plans for Australia, UAE - 1M+ desserts sold every day
February 2024: The 1,000th store opened in Burbank, California.
CEO Jason McGowan told QSR Magazine in 2023:
"We don't think it's going to be perfect. We think there may be a mistake on a store location or that sort of thing." — Jason McGowan, QSR Magazine (2023)
In our view, that's an honest acknowledgment that overexpansion happened — and that 2024's 81-unit pace represents a deliberate course correction.
Franchise vs. Corporate Split Analysis:Crumbl operates almost entirely as a franchise system. The company has maintained a minimal corporate footprint — the Logan, Utah flagship and a handful of test or development locations — while expanding overwhelmingly through franchised units. Of the 1,105+ locations in operation as of March 2026, the vast majority are franchised.
In our view, the franchise-heavy structure is both the system's greatest scaling asset and its greatest execution liability. With 1,000+ independently operated locations, Crumbl cannot centrally control how every batch of cookies is baked or how every weekly recipe launch is executed. The FDD data shows exactly what that means in practice: a $77,359 median net profit vs. a $251,706 average means that franchisee execution quality is producing a wide distribution of outcomes within the same brand. The top operators are generating $600,554 net profit. The worst locations are generating negative returns. That spread is the franchise execution problem made visible by unusually transparent FDD disclosures. Prospective brand partners should not ask "what does the average franchisee make?" — they should ask "what does it take to be in the 43% that beat the average?" The answer to that question is what determines whether this is the right opportunity for a specific operator's capability set.
- Total Investment: $816,066–$1,442,533 - Franchise Fee: $50,000 - Royalty: 4% of gross sales - Marketing Fee: 2% of gross sales - Minimum Net Worth: $500,000 - Minimum Liquidity: $200,000
Real estate and improvements represent $350,000–$700,000 of the total investment range.
Financial Performance — Year-Over-Year:| Year | Reporting Locations | Avg Revenue | Avg Net Profit | |------|---------------------|-------------|----------------| | 2022 | 324 stores | $1,840,000 | $298,319 | | 2023 | 571 stores | $1,157,000 | $122,955 | | 2024 | 858 stores | $1,400,000 | $251,706 |
Sources: 2023, 2024, and 2025 FDDs, Items 19.
The 2023 Collapse:From 2022 to 2023, average revenue dropped 37%. Average net profit dropped 59%. That's not a dip. That's a crater.
What Recovery Looks Like (2024):Average revenue recovered to $1.4M — still 24% below the 2022 peak. Average profit recovered to $251,706 — still 16% below 2022.
But median profit dropped to $77,359 — suggesting the average is pulled upward by high performers.
Critical gap: 43% of locations exceeded the $251,706 average profit. That means 57% fell below. The spread between average ($251,706) and median ($77,359) shows substantial performance variance across the system.
Estimated Payback Period:QSR Research Hub analysis estimates simple payback at 3.2–5.7 years, derived from 2025 FDD Item 7 investment range ($816,066–$1,442,533) divided by Item 19 average net profit of $251,706 (FY2024). At the mid-range investment ($1.13M), simple payback is approximately 4.5 years. That calculation assumes you hit average performance — which only 43% of locations achieve.
| Brand | Investment | AUV | |-------|------------|-----| | Crumbl | $816K–$1.44M | $1.4M (2024) | | Chip City | Not disclosed | ~$850K | | Crave Cookies | Not disclosed | $855,964 (2022, 1 location) | | Schmackary's | Not disclosed | $2.37M (2023, NYC flagship) | | Insomnia Cookies | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Crumbl's 2024 AUV ($1.4M) exceeds direct cookie competitors. But Schmackary's Manhattan flagship reports $2.37M — nearly 70% higher. That figure represents a single flagship location in Manhattan — not a multi-location system average and not a comparable market to most Crumbl franchise territories.
The broader question: Can cookie concepts sustain these AUVs outside high-density urban markets? That answer varies significantly by location in Crumbl's own FDD data.
Market Saturation:The cookie category added multiple competitors from 2020 to 2023. Enlightened Hospitality Investments (Danny Meyer's firm) put $10M into Chip City in 2022. Dirty Dough and Insomnia Cookies are competing for the same customer base.
The Crumbl differentiator was supposed to be the social media presence and weekly rotation model. Then social engagement began declining from peak levels.
If you're interested in bringing this concept to your market, connect directly with their franchise development team.
Visit Franchise PageReviews sourced from 2024–2025 customer feedback across multiple platforms and markets.
THE GOOD On product quality when executed correctly:"The Tres Leches Cake... The ratio of whipped cream to cake was immaculate. I loved how they sprinkled cinnamon on the top to give it a little flavor. When I got the cookie, it was nice and cold which made everything nicely compact and got all the flavors in one bite." — Customer review, West Springfield, 2025
"First visit to Crumbl. As soon as I walked in, I was hit with the overwhelming smell of freshly baked cookies. The store was full of vibrant pink decorations, all cookie-themed, and the staff were all friendly and helpful. I got the cookies quickly, and the whole experience was very easy and pleasant." — Customer review, 2025
On the weekly rotation concept:"I love Crumbl cookies and the workers are always the sweetest. 5 stars from me!" — Trustpilot, 2025
Pattern: When Crumbl delivers product at the correct temperature and preparation standard, customer satisfaction is high and repeat intent is strong. The weekly rotation works when execution is consistent. THE CHALLENGING On execution inconsistency:"The rotating menu where things are always interesting and changing." — Employee review
"Some cookies unfortunately taste like…nothing. Crumbl likes to underbake their cookies, but sometimes this is taken to the extreme and fans have reported receiving cookies that were raw in the middle." — Elle Makes Dessert analysis, April 2025
On sweetness and finishing rate:"Cookies were the same! How do you sell disgusting under cooked cookie for $25.00?? I mean I heard Crumbl Cookies weren't that good.. but I wanted to try for myself and let it be known what people say is true." — PissedConsumer review
"Many Crumbl Cookies customers have reported that the cookies and baked goods are just too sweet to finish, with excessive frosting and toppings that overpower any actual flavor of the cookie." — Chowhound analysis, October 2025
Pattern: Execution inconsistency is the documented challenge at scale. The reviews that are negative cluster around the same issue: underbaking and excessive sweetness. These are not brand problems — they are franchise execution problems. At 1,000+ locations with weekly recipe changes, execution variance is structurally difficult to eliminate. The weekly rotation model that drives repeat visits also creates a consistent training challenge: staff making a recipe for the first or second time."I personally thought it was excessively sweet. Cloying, in fact. I could only eat a few bites before I felt ill. Let's just say this box of four cookies lasted a looooong time!" — Trustpilot customer review, December 2025
Every Sunday at 8 PM, Crumbl generates social media content across thousands of accounts without a paid media requirement. Over 250 flavors means customers are never out of reasons to return. The repeat-visit driver is structural, not promotional.
2. The 2024 AUV recovery is in the FDD — not a sales pitch.Average revenue climbed from $1.16M to $1.4M. Average net profit more than doubled from $122,955 to $251,706. Item 19 disclosures, not marketing claims.
3. Top performers are generating serious returns.$600,554 net profit at the highest-performing location in 2024. The model works at the right location with the right operator.
4. Brand recognition walks in before the customer does.All 50 states. Canada. International expansion underway. Crumbl franchisees don't build awareness — they inherit it.
What They Need To Nail As They Scale: 1. Execution consistency at weekly recipe scale.Underbaking and sweetness complaints cluster around the same root cause: franchises running new recipes without adequate training time before customer-facing launch. The weekly rotation creates genuine marketing value and genuine execution risk simultaneously. In our view, this is not a brand problem that corporate can solve centrally — it is a franchisee training problem that must be solved location by location. Operators evaluating Crumbl should audit their own training infrastructure against the weekly recipe change cadence before committing to an agreement.
2. The median-to-average profit gap.$77,359 median vs. $251,706 average is a 67% gap. 57% of locations fall below the average. If you underwrite this deal on the average, you need to understand that most locations don't hit the average.
3. Menu expansion must justify its complexity cost.The addition of cakes, pies, brownies, and cheesecakes added equipment, labor, and training complexity. Whether those items improved unit economics or compressed margins is not yet disclosed in available FDD data.
4. Payback math requires above-average performance.Mid-range investment ($1.13M) at average net profit ($251,706) implies a 4.5-year simple payback. That assumes hitting average. Only 43% of the system does.
5. Social media engagement must sustain the weekly drop.The Crumbl marketing model is structurally dependent on customers sharing weekly drops across social media. If TikTok engagement continues declining from peak virality — or if the novelty of weekly rotations becomes background noise in a competitive social landscape — the organic marketing flywheel slows, and the concept relies on the product alone to drive traffic. That product needs to be consistently excellent.
[LOCKIN] Crumbl's Item 19 discloses an average net profit of $251,706 — but the median is $77,359. Those two numbers tell very different stories: 57% of locations fall below the average, and the spread between them is $174,347 per year. If you underwrite a $816K–$1.44M investment on the $251,706 average, you are betting on top-half performance in a system where the majority of operators do not achieve it. Before signing, ask the franchise development team for the Item 19 performance breakdown by location age and market type. Ask specifically: What is the profit range for locations open 3–5 years in markets similar to mine? The AUV recovery is real — but the distribution matters more than the average for your specific pro forma. [/LOCKIN]
McGowan's background is unusual for a billion-dollar food chain founder: he grew up in Alberta, left school after eighth grade, built a career in technology, and launched Crumbl in 2017 with his cousin Sawyer Hemsley in Logan, Utah with no prior restaurant experience. In our view, the unconventional background is not a weakness — it is precisely what produced the "cookie theater" model. Someone who grew up inside the restaurant industry would have built an operationally efficient cookie shop. McGowan built a social media content machine that bakes cookies. The two outcomes are different products, and only one of them scaled to 1,000+ locations.
Sawyer Hemsley — Co-FounderHemsley is the operational co-founder whose supply chain and logistics work enabled the 2020-2023 hyper-growth period. The cousin dynamic between McGowan and Hemsley has historically provided the brand with stable co-founder alignment — one founder focused on brand, marketing, and culture; the other focused on operations and scaling infrastructure.
The IP Litigation Chapter:In 2022-2023, Crumbl filed intellectual property lawsuits against multiple cookie competitors, including Crave Cookies, Do-Rite Donuts, and other brands. The litigation was widely criticized in the food industry and created a brief reputational headwind. The strategy was ultimately scaled back. In our view, the IP litigation period is a useful data point for franchise operators: it shows a brand willing to protect its market position aggressively, which is good; it also shows a brand leadership team that will make decisions that prioritize corporate interests over industry goodwill, which prospective franchisees should understand before committing.
Leadership Assessment:In our view, the McGowan-Hemsley founding team built something genuinely rare in the QSR space: a viral content engine masquerading as a cookie brand. That's not a criticism — it's an accurate description of how 1,000+ locations with $1.4M average AUV were built without the infrastructure of a legacy franchisor. The challenge for 2025-2026 is whether the brand's leadership can transition from growth-mode execution (where the strategy is "open more stores and the social engagement follows") to mature-system execution (where the strategy must address a 57% below-average performance distribution and declining social engagement metrics from peak levels). That transition requires different management thinking than the one that produced the original growth.
- ✅ 3+ years QSR experience (weekly recipe changes require operational systems) - ✅ Multi-unit experience (single operators without training infrastructure struggle with weekly complexity) - ✅ High-traffic suburban market with strong social media demographics - ✅ Existing labor management systems and training documentation capability - ✅ Capital to sustain 12-18 months at below-average performance while building location brand awareness
If You're an Experienced Multi-Unit Operator:The math on Crumbl works if you operate in the 43% that beat average. The $600,554 net profit achieved by the top performers in 2024 represents a 43-52% cash-on-cash return on a mid-range investment — exceptional by any QSR benchmark. But hitting that level requires: location selection in a high-traffic demographic corridor, labor management that can handle weekly recipe training without quality degradation, and operator attention to execution quality on every single weekly launch. This is not a passive investment.
- ❌ First-time restaurant operator (weekly complexity requires experienced kitchen management) - ❌ Solo operator without systematic training documentation - ❌ Markets where investment tops $1.4M without proportional traffic to support it - ❌ Operators who need stable menu operations to run at their staffing model
In our view, not recommended for single-unit operators or anyone without proven labor management infrastructure.
- $1.4M 2024 average unit revenue — up 17% from 2023 - Average net profit of $251,706 — more than doubled year-over-year - Top performers generating $600,554 net profit - Brand recognition across all 50 states — no awareness-building required - Weekly rotation model creates structural repeat visits without promotions
The Challenge:- 57% of locations fall below average profit — median net profit is $77,359 - Weekly menu changes create recurring training and inventory complexity - Investment range tops at $1.44M — high end requires strong site performance to justify - AUV recovery ($1.4M) still 24% below 2022 peak ($1.84M)
This deep dive draws on independently sourced information:
- Financial Data: FDD Item 19 disclosures (2023, 2024, and 2025 FDDs), FDD Item 7 investment breakdowns, third-party franchise analysis - Customer Reviews: Verified reviews 2024–2025 from locations across multiple states and platforms including Trustpilot, PissedConsumer, and Google Reviews - Leadership Information: Company press releases, QSR Magazine, Franchise Times, Restaurant Business - Competitive Data: Published AUV data from competitor FDDs, industry reporting, and market analysis - Operator Perspectives: Published franchise qualification criteria, FDD Items 5 and 6 disclosures, industry analyst commentary
We never ask brands for permission before publishing. Our job is independent analysis, not marketing material.
Sponsors get placement, not editorial control. We write what the research shows.
The FDD discloses system averages and ranges but not a location-by-location breakdown. Performance by market density, geography, or real estate type is not disclosed in available data.
We don't know how the menu expansion affected unit-level margins.The addition of cakes, pies, brownies, and cheesecakes in 2024 added equipment and labor complexity. Whether this improved or compressed net profit relative to the cookie-only model is not disclosed in available FDD data.
We don't know franchisee satisfaction or renewal rates.No published franchisee survey results are available. Item 19 discloses revenue and profit distributions but not operator satisfaction, renewal rates, or system attrition.
We don't know how 2025 performance will compare.The most recent complete FDD data reflects 2024 operating performance. Current conditions — consumer sentiment, cookie category saturation, and commodity costs — are shifting. The 2026 FDD will contain the next complete data point.
For a high-brand-awareness franchise with a contrasting unit economics profile, our Five Guys franchise deep dive covers a concept with 40 years of operating history, a no-freezer commitment that shapes its entire cost structure, and a recently reopened franchise program.
This article was produced independently. The brand profiled did not participate in, review, or approve this research prior to publication. All claims are sourced from publicly available materials and cited accordingly.
QSR Research Hub is an independent publication. We receive no compensation from any brand featured in our Brand Shoutouts.
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Subscribe to QSR Research Hub1. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2024. Item 19 (2023 operating data: 571 reporting locations; average revenue $1,157,000; average net profit $122,955; highest revenue $4,000,000; highest net profit $600,554; lowest net profit −$241,554; 281 net new locations opened that year; 7 first-ever closures).
2. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2024. Item 19. Highest net profit disclosure: $600,554.
3. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2025. Item 19 (2024 operating data: 858 reporting locations; average revenue $1,400,000; average net profit $251,706; median net profit $77,359; 43% above average; 57% below average).
4. Crumbl Cookies. System milestones — 90 locations by 2020, 326 in 2021, 1,059 in 2024. FDD disclosures and brand materials.
5. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise website — store count (1,105), footprint (50 states, 2 countries), "1M+ desserts sold every day," brand history, and system overview. Accessed March 2026. https://crumblcookies.com/franchising
6. McGowan, Jason. RETHINK Retail Podcast. "Jason McGowan, Co-Founder of Crumbl Cookies." Host Gabriella Bock. Covers: Lethbridge, Alberta origin story; Sunday cookie rule; Ancestry.com projection (10M–40M people share McGowan ancestry); Alberta upbringing; father's shuttle service; eighth grade education; technology career; prior failed startup with Hemsley; "entrepreneurial DNA"; cousin relationship via wife Whitney; founding story. https://rethink.industries/podcast/jason-mcgowan-co-founder-of-crumbl-cookies/
7. Hemsley, Sawyer. Utah State Magazine. "A Craving: Building A Bakery Empire." March 2022. Covers: USU marketing student project origin; Preston, Idaho origin; Sunday cookie rule; taste testing outside local stores; milk chocolate chip cookie; first Logan, Utah location (September 2017); opening night chaos; fashion limited-edition drop strategy. https://utahstatemagazine.usu.edu/business/a-craving-building-a-bakery-empire/ [Citation covers all USU Magazine references in this article]t; Chief Brand Officer role. https://utahstatemagazine.usu.edu/business/a-craving-building-a-bakery-empire/ | USU Aggie Made. "Crumbl." Utah State University. https://www.usu.edu/aggiemade/members/crumbl
8. Crumbl Cookies. Weekly menu rotation — 6 classic flavors, 4 rotating, Sunday 8 PM announcement, Monday launch. Brand website. Accessed March 2026. https://crumblcookies.com
9. Crumbl Cookies. "Over 250 flavors" in rotation library. Brand materials. Accessed March 2026.
10. Crumbl Cookies. Rebrand (dropped "Cookies"); menu expansion to cakes, pies, brownies, cheesecakes, cinnamon squares; mini cookies launched April 2024. Brand materials and press releases. 2024.
11. hallieiseating. TikTok video review — Crumbl yellow sheet cake, 43,000 likes. 2025. https://www.tiktok.com/@hallieiseating
12. The Food Institute. Analysis of Crumbl menu expansion and operational complexity. "They added capital expenditures, they added size, they added labor hours, and they just kept destroying the model." 2024. https://www.foodinstitute.com (paywalled — available to Food Institute members).
13. Crumbl Cookies. 326 locations in 2021; 689 locations in 2022. FDD disclosures.
14. Crumbl Cookies. 2025 location count and international expansion (Australia, UAE). Brand materials. Accessed March 2026.
15. Crumbl Cookies. All 50 U.S. states footprint. Brand materials. Accessed March 2026.
16. Crumbl Cookies. Canada operations (10+ locations). Brand materials. Accessed March 2026.
17. QSR Magazine. Jason McGowan on 1,000th Crumbl location (Burbank, CA, February 2024) and growth strategy. "We don't think it's going to be perfect. We think there may be a mistake on a store location or that sort of thing." 2023. https://www.qsrmagazine.com
18. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2025. Item 7 (Total initial investment: $816,066–$1,442,533; real estate and improvements: $350,000–$700,000).
19. QSR Research Hub analysis. Estimated payback period using 2025 FDD inputs: Item 7 investment range $816,066–$1,442,533 (Source 23); Item 19 average net profit $251,706, FY2024 (Source 3). Low-end: $816,066 ÷ $251,706 = 3.2 years; Mid-range: $1,130,300 ÷ $251,706 = 4.5 years; High-end: $1,442,533 ÷ $251,706 = 5.7 years. Assumes average system performance; 57% of reporting locations fall below the average.
20. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2025. Item 5 (Franchise fee: $50,000).
21. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2025. Item 6 (Ongoing fees: royalty 4% of gross sales; marketing contribution 2% of gross sales).
22. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2025. Item 7 breakdown (real estate and improvements: $350,000–$700,000 of total investment range).
23. Crumbl Cookies. Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). 2024. Item 19 (571 locations reporting; 59% of system with complete data).
24. Franchise Times. "Crumbl Reports AUV Decline, Closes 7 Stores in 2023." April 17, 2024. Source for: Chip City AUV ~$850K, Crave Cookies FDD-reported revenue $855,964 (2022, Salt Lake City location), Schmackary's 2023 flagship Manhattan sales $2.37M, cookie category competitive context. https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/crumbl-reports-auv-decline-closes-7-stores-in-2023/article_4d03f48e-f753-11ee-8425-eb47d2ba8986.html — Enlightened Hospitality $10M Chip City investment additionally confirmed: Restaurant Business Online. "Chip City gets $10M from Danny Meyer's Enlightened Hospitality Investments." Jonathan Maze. October 20, 2022. https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/chip-city-gets-10m-danny-meyers-enlightened-hospitality-investments; and QSR Magazine. "Danny Meyer's Growth Fund Invests $10M in Chip City Cookies." October 2022. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/growth/danny-meyers-growth-fund-invests-10m-chip-city-cookies/
25. Google Reviews. Crumbl Cookies — West Springfield, MA. Customer reviews, 2025. https://maps.google.com
26. Trustpilot. Crumbl Cookie Customer Reviews. 2024–2025. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/crumbl.com
27. Glassdoor. Crumbl Cookie Employee Reviews. "The rotating menu where things are always interesting and changing." 2024–2025. https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Crumbl-Cookies-Reviews-E3559395.htm
28. Elle Makes Dessert. Analysis of Crumbl underbaking complaints. "Some cookies unfortunately taste like…nothing." April 2025. PissedConsumer review cited in same analysis.
29. Chowhound. "Many Crumbl Cookies customers have reported that the cookies and baked goods are just too sweet to finish, with excessive frosting and toppings that overpower any actual flavor of the cookie." October 2025. https://www.chowhound.com