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Case study · Crumbl Cookies

How two cousins turned one cookie shop in Logan, Utah into more than 1,000 stores

TL;DR

Cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley opened Crumbl in Logan, Utah in 2017 with one product: a large milk chocolate chip cookie. They tested recipes on strangers, focused on single-store profit, then used a weekly rotating menu to keep customers returning. The lesson: a narrow product plus a reason to come back every week can scale through franchising.

How it started

Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley came up with the cookie idea while brainstorming their next venture after Embr, a clothing brand Hemsley launched in college. Both had fond childhood memories of baking and eating cookies. Neither had formal baking experience.

They first planned to buy dough from a third party but found it ordinary, so they went through hundreds of batches to develop their own recipe. To choose between milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips, they took both cookies to gas stations and grocery store parking lots and asked people which they preferred. Milk chocolate won.

They opened in Logan, Utah in 2017, in a building that was due to be demolished in roughly six months. The milk chocolate chip cookie was the only item on the menu at launch.

How they got the first customers

The first customers were people in Logan, a college town. Hemsley was still studying at Utah State University when the store opened. The founders reportedly became profitable within the first month by concentrating on the economics of a single store rather than on fast expansion.

They added variety carefully. An early specialty flavor, Midnight Mint, was served from 12 to 2 a.m. A second location in Orem focused on delivery.

What drove growth

Franchising came next. Sawyer’s parents were the first franchise partners, and later outlets went to family and close acquaintances. The founders wanted to avoid taking on debt.

By 2018 the store offered 11 flavors, which sold out within hours, and sourcing ingredients was getting harder. The founders switched to a weekly rotating menu as an operational fix, and it also gave customers a reason to come back every week to see what was new. The company later began using a set of classic flavors plus rotating ones.

Crumbl had about 1,071 stores as of 2024, according to Wikipedia, and has been widely reported as viral on social media. Store counts and performance have changed since then, so treat any single count as a snapshot.

Lessons you can copy

  1. 1Start with one hero productOne milk chocolate chip cookie let the founders perfect a single recipe and keep operations simple.
  2. 2Test taste preferences with strangersThey asked people in parking lots which cookie they liked. A few dozen real answers beat guessing.
  3. 3Make one store profitable before opening a secondThey focused on single-store economics. Franchisees and lenders will want to see that one unit works.
  4. 4Give customers a reason to return weeklyThe rotating menu started as a fix for supply problems but also created repeat visits. Look for operational constraints that double as marketing.
  5. 5Franchise to people you trust firstThe first partners were family and close acquaintances. A small circle of trusted operators makes early mistakes cheaper.

Frequently asked questions

Where did Crumbl start?

Crumbl opened its first store in Logan, Utah in 2017, founded by cousins Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan.

Why does Crumbl change its menu every week?

According to Utah Business, the rotating menu began as an operational fix when too many flavors were selling out and ingredients were hard to source. It also gave customers a reason to return.

Can a small founder copy the Crumbl model?

You can copy the approach: one hero product, taste tests with real customers, and proving single-store profit before expanding. Check cottage food and licensing rules in your area first.

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