Crumbl Cookies is opening a Long Beach location—but has the hype died?

Crumbl Cookies, the massive Utah-based cookie chain that has opened over 1,000 locations since 2017, is finally coming to Long Beach. The new location will be next to Trader Joe’s in the Marketplace complex at the southeast corner of Pacific Coast Highway and 2nd Street.

But has the hype surrounding the viral cookie corporation died out?

Firstly, what is Crumbl Cookie?

Crumbl Cookies is, at its origins, a family affair. Cousin pair Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley have led the company since 2017, the former being its CEO and the latter being its COO. But they began with a simple challenge to themselves: To create what they think is the best chocolate chip cookie possible. After many trials and errors, the pair arrived at a dough recipe they shared with the world—and since, have amassed tens of millions of followers who want the pair’s iconic pink box and a part of the fastest-growing dessert chain in American history.

Now a billion-dollar company, they’ve become an example of the power of social media. Even the New York Timesultimately headlines with the concept that it isn’t even about Crumbl’s greatness in cookie quality but the fact that people want to share they got their cookies. And the numbers do not lie: They have over five million followers on Instagram and some 80 million-plus likes on TikTok. To put that into perspective, that’s more than Taco Bell and Starbucks combined.

But how can a cookie company keep so many folks captivated? By altering the menu weekly, foodie-centric influencers and pages reshare those menus infinitum, as this week’s menu proves. And, of course, they only leave one cookie regularly on the menu: their original chocolate chip cookie.

Why Crumbl Cookie could finally be facing a downhill in terms of popularity

Breaking down the numbers is essential, especially in Crumbl Cookie’s case. In its first three years, the chain amassed 100 stores—impressive. By 2024, 1,038 locations had made Crumbl a name in every U.S. state, and it debuted in Canada this year. 

However, the situation is not as sweet’n’sparkly as it seems. According to the Franchise Times, data from 571 stores revealed a significant decline in annual sales. Each store’s sales plummeted by 37% to $1.16M, a sharp drop from 2022’s $ 1.8 M, indicating a challenging period for the chain. 

In addition, Crumbl permanently closed seven stores last year—one in Utah, one in Georgia, one in Florida, and four in California—for the first time since the pandemic. And it also opted to cut down on staff significantly in October of 2023.

To further dive into what could be perceived as a corporate mess, Mashed’s Chloe James has a thorough breakdown of everything from Crumbl’s current lawsuit for sneakily up-charging customers to its decline in quality and social media presence.

That said, it is still likely Crumbl will be wildly popular here

Despite dropping numbers, Crumbl Cookie is still wildly popular. According to the Ottawa Citizen’s leading food writer just this past week, the chain’s Ottawa debut has had a continual line out the door for weeks since its opening. Copycat recipes are seemingly endless when it comes to home baking sites. And each store averaging a million-plus in sales across a thousand-plus locations is nothing to raise a nose to.

That said, let us not forget about local options—like Foodologie in Belmont Shore or the absolutely stellar chocolate chip tahini cookies from Ammatolí or the upcoming Sans and Wolves bakeshop or…