Joel Libava
Here’s my Crumbl Cookies Franchise Review.
The Crumbl Cookies Franchise
Crumbl® Cookies has quickly become one of the most sought-after dessert franchise businesses in the United States. From its humble beginnings as a small bakery, Crumbl Cookies has now expanded to multiple locations across the country, attracting long lines of customers eager to taste its delicious, fresh-baked treats.
Business-wise, they’ve been franchising since 2018 and are headquartered in Orem, Utah. As of this writing, they have 600+ franchises open.
How Much Does A Crumbl Cookie Franchise Cost? Initial Investment And Ongoing Fees
Your cost to buy one Crumbl Cookies franchise will range from $227,666 to $567,833.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
Minimum liquidity required: $150,000
Ongoing Monthly Fees
Royalties: 8%
Marketing Fee: 2%
What Makes Crumbl® Cookies Unique? High-Quality Ingredients and Their Baking Process
At the heart of Crumbl Cookies’ success is its commitment to using only the finest, freshest ingredients in its baking. The company sources its flour, sugar, and other key ingredients from trusted suppliers, ensuring that each and every cookie is made with the highest quality ingredients.
Additionally, Crumbl Cookies uses a unique baking process that combines both time and temperature in order to produce a cookie that is both crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. This unique baking process, combined with the company’s use of premium ingredients, helps to set Crumbl Cookies apart from its competitors and provides a truly unforgettable taste experience for customers.
Finally, Crumbl’s menu boasts over 200 unique flavors, and the selection changes on a weekly basis. According to their website, doing that encourages customers to return to try new flavors.
Interestingly enough, as I was writing this, someone in my family just asked me “what are their cookies of the week?” That’s a good sign that their marketing works.
Strategic Marketing and Branding
Part of Crumbl Cookies’ success can be attributed, in part, to its effective social media marketing and branding strategies.
The company has leveraged social media and influencer marketing to reach a wider audience and build its reputation as a go-to destination for delicious cookies. Look at their massive follower counts:
- Instagram: 2.1M followers
- TikTok: 5.6M followers
- Twitter: 531K followers
- YouTube: 774K subscribers
Role Of The Franchisee In The Operation Of The Business
Crumbl Cookie franchisees are expected to be actively involved in the business. To a point.
That’s because according to Item 15 of the Crumbl FDD, “Your primary owner must personally participate in the direct operation and supervision of the franchise business on a full-time basis for at least the first 60 days of operation. Thereafter, we require on premises supervision by your primary owner or your designated manager who must be certified by us to manage your franchise business. You primary owner must work sufficient hours to operate your franchise business or supervise your manager so that your franchise business is operating at maximum capacity and efficiency.”
Finally, the icing on the cake cookie comes directly from their franchise website.
“This isn’t a side hustle. We’re looking for owners who are prepared to put the apron on. If you aren’t ready to be in your area and in your store for an extended amount of time – this might not be for you.”
So don’t plan on being an absentee owner, because it won’t fly.
The Franchise King’s Review Of Crumbl Cookies: Things You May Have Missed
Did you know that Crumbl has an internal social network with a franchisee-only platform to monitor unit sales, ticket times and more?
Which makes sense, because from what I’ve read, it seems like the founders of Crumbl are definitely pro-technology, and continue to discover ways for franchisees to use emerging technologies for maximum benefit.
The other thing I saw was a bit troubling.
In Item #6 of the FDD, listed under “Other Fees,” franchisees can get nicked for a lot of stuff. To me, it’s excessive and unnecessary.
Bluntly, except for the intellectual property part, the fines franchisees can get hit with worry me.
In one case, a simple, “Franchisees are expected to maintain a clean, healthy environment for their customers and employees” would probably do.
In any event, here are your potential fines if you don’t comply.
System Non-Compliance Fines
- Store uncleanliness ($250)
- Failing to provide documentation ($250)
- Unauthorized use/disclosure of trademark, brand materials, intellectual property, confidential information ($1,000)
- Unauthorized use of product/supplier ($1,000) Gulp!
- Unauthorized Packaging ($1,000)
- Poor product quality ($250)
- Failure to meet deadlines for new equipment, products, processes, etc. ($250)
- Hygiene/Dress code violation ($250)
- Health or safety violation ($250)
- Miscellaneous noncompliance ($250)
Wait. Hygiene? Like bad breath? Unkempt hair? That’s ridiculous.
One more thing.
The founders of this cookie franchise is (right now) suing competitors who are supposedly infringing on their trademarks and cookie designs.
That’s pretty unusual for a young franchisor, and it means the company is spending a lot of money on lawyers. Could that hurt their financials? Could it potentially hinder investments that can help Crumbl Cookie franchisees make more money? Maybe. Time will tell.
How Much Does A Crumbl Cookie Franchise Owner Make? Franchisee Profits
Crumbl provides Financial Performance Representations (FPR’s) in Item #19 of their FDD.
I won’t state the numbers here, as it’s always best to contact existing franchisees to get the current numbers. Plus the numbers don’t matter much if it ends up that the franchise isn’t right for you.
As a matter of fact, I don’t care if the franchisor discloses franchisee sales and earnings figures or not. Why?
Because they’re averages, and most aspiring franchisees look at the higher earnings numbers, anyway. Then they use them to make a buying decision, and end up being disappointed that they didn’t hit the high-end of the earnings spectrum. Don’t do that!
Instead, call a lot of franchisees and ask them about earnings, break-even times, and other things that are important to you.
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Crumble Cookies Franchise Review From The Franchise King
Is Crumbl a good franchise to own?
From a consumer standpoint, the product is on the expensive side. But I have tasted their cookies. They’re darn good.
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And whether you’re a fan of classic chocolate chip cookies or are looking to try something new, there is no denying that Crumbl Cookies is a must-visit destination for anyone in search of delicious, freshly-baked treats.
But in a high-inflation environment, are enough consumers going to buy them enough times?
On the franchise buyer side, Crumbl is an expensive franchise business opportunity.
With an investment in the $500,000 range, it’s critical for you to find out how many years it’s going to take to get your potential $500k investment back, along with how much profit you can expect to make.
Said another way, how many cookies will you need to sell to break even and start making money?
The best way to get that answer, along with all the facts you need, is to talk to their franchisees.
That means, at minimum, you need to have extensive conversations (by phone) with 12-15 of them. And you need to visit (and spend the day) with at least one franchisee.
With that in mind, if you’d like to get specific, proven research tips and techniques you can use right away to get the facts you need about any franchise you’re interested in, grab my Franchise Research Guide right now. I Guarantee you’ll become a smarter, better informed franchise buyer!
Finally, don’t even think of buying a Crumbl Cookies franchise because “Everybody likes cookies.” It’s not the right reason.
Instead, you need to base your buying decision on the business fundamentals of the company, along with your chances of being successful as a franchisee.
What I’m Hearing
I frequent several places online you probably don’t.
Some of these places (which I freely share in my Franchise Research Guide), feature commentary from consumers and sometimes even franchisees who own or have owned the franchise at one time or another.
In the case of Crumble Cookies, it’s mostly consumers who are commenting about the brand.
The general consensus is “the cookies used to be better,” and “management seems to be more focused on adding locations rather than perfecting their products.”
Of course those are opinions.
But you can certainly bring those topics up when you talk to franchisees. See what they say.
The Verdict
As to becoming the owner of a Crumbl Cookies franchise, I’m not all the way there.
It’s a large investment, and you need to sell an awful lot of cookies…like all the time, to have a decent chance at profitable franchise business ownership.
My Rating: 3 Crowns
Note: never base your yes or no decision on the purchase of a franchise solely on a franchise review. Instead, you need to base your decision on the facts you’ve found, your budget, and your determination to succeed as the owner of the most powerful business system ever created; franchising.
Read More Franchise Reviews From The Franchise King
(Image of the delicious-looking Crumble Cookie on top of this review comes courtesy of the Crumbl Facebook Page.)
