Ever since 2020, cookie reviews from Crumbl Cookies have been taking over social media. Crumbl Cookies gained mass popularity from its “Flavors of the Week,” a rotating menu of six different cookie flavors every week, along with the cookies’ oversized portions. From 2017 to today, Crumbl has made around 200 different cookie flavors with over 800 locations in the U.S. According to Crumbl Cookies themselves, they say how they sell about a million cookies daily. According to crumblcookies.com, the business has only skyrocketed since its opening in 2017. However, 2024 has been the only year in its history where its AUV (accumulated unit value) went down. Honest opinions on Crumbl are circulating in the media, even mentioning potentially better cookie brands. One business that is starting to take over Crumbl is Insomnia Cookies. Insomnia Cookies reviews have been gaining interest from Crumbl’s customers. Is Crumbl Cookies about to be overtaken?
Crumbl Cookies originated in Utah in 2017 by two cousins: Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley. Their first test on making a perfect cookie started with a basic chocolate chip cookie. After they perfected their recipe, they opened up their first location in Logan, Utah. Jason and Sawyer decided they would make their kitchen with an open view so customers could see the process of making their cookies. They then introduced different flavors, such as Chilled Sugar and Oatmeal Chip. Other cookie ideas started to come to mind with the new concept of a rotating weekly menu. This concept was favored by content creators on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Creators on those apps would post videos on the new weekly flavors almost every week. Crumbl was gaining so much popularity, it grew to have the title of the fastest-growing cookie business in history. The reviewing trend never seemed to end. Everyone was loving Crumbl Cookies.
Unfortunately, some criticisms of Crumbl started to surface on the Internet. Claims were made that the cookies were overly sweet and dangerous to people’s health. Some of these allegations were not wrong. The cookie was found to contain an excessive amount of calories. The range of calories could go from 200 to thousands for only a single cookie. Other studies were done on the cookies, and it was concluded that the amount of sugar was equal to or greater than the recommended daily intake. It is shown by the American Heart Association that, “Men should consume no more than nine teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day. Women should consume no more than six teaspoons (25
grams or 100 calories) per day.” Crumbl then responded to these comments by saying that if there are concerns about the sugar and calories, “Only eat a quarter of the cookie,” which followed their personalized cookie cutter. Most Crumbl customers own this special Crumbl cutter which can be bought in-store or online. This cutter divides the cookie into quarters for easy sharing. Despite the recommended portion by Crumbl, most consumers do not follow that suggestion, since the small portion does not satisfy their cravings. Even only a quarter of a cookie contains a high level of unhealthy ingredients, such as saturated fat. Crumbl then started to make other creations other than cookies.
They started to make Tres Leches cakes, such as strawberry, Biscof , and much more. Leading from that, they made lemon cake, chocolate cake, and strawberry cake. Crumbl even came out with banana and pumpkin bread. It seems that Crumbl Cookie is trying to find new things to make in order to stay relevant. However, what is going to happen when they run out of ideas? Parker Robinson, grade 11, claims that he thinks that, “Crumbl is starting to get boring.” Although, he says how he still enjoys getting Crumbl regularly.
Throughout Crumbl’s success, they have gradually gained some competition, such as Insomnia Cookies. Insomnia Cookies was invented by Jared Barnett and Seth Berkowitzt at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. Instead of sleeping, they would deliver cookies to other students at night. This resulted in the name Insomnia Cookies. Insomnia Cookies has over 200 locations across the U.S. They not only sell cookies but also milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches, and cookie cakes. Unlike Crumbl, Insomnia tends to keep its flavors less extreme, streamlining its menu. Insomnia gives more of a traditional taste than Crumbl. If someone is going for more of a home-baked cookie, then Insomnia is the better option. They are less sweet and easier to eat because of the cookies’ smaller sizes. Insomnia was succeeding in business until around 2023, when there was a case going around regarding its customer service. According to The Daily Record, “A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit filed by a
delivery driver who accused his employer, Insomnia Cookies LLC, of violating state and federal labor laws. Plaintiff Joseph Lee accepted a settlement offer of $12,000.
Insomnia also will pay $9,000 to cover Lee’s attorney fees, according to court documents. Lee, who worked at Insomnia at 1333 Mount Hope Avenue. from March 2019 to March 2022, filed the lawsuit on June 14, 2023. He is represented by Queens attorney John Troy.” So, similar to Crumbl, Insomnia was dealing with quite some backlash.
Additionally, Crumbl seemed to show how they won the “cookie race” by collaborating with movies and celebrities. When the singer and actress Oliva Rodrigo collaborated with Crumbl, they branded it so the cookie would go into locations to follow her tour dates, which meant that whatever state Oliva Rodrigo was touring in, her Crumbl Cookie flavor would only be available in that state. This method gained massive anticipation from her fans for when the cookie would come to their city. From this collaboration, many content creators got inspired to continue doing their Crumbl Cookie reviews. Following that, on the week of September 1 to September 7, Crumbl collaborated with the new movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. This new movie is the second movie of the iconic 80s film Beetlejuice. This new movie contains famous actresses such as Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega. Recently, Crumbl collaborated with Philadelphia Cream Cheese to make a raspberry cheesecake. According to Crumblcookie.com, “This is a true, classic vanilla cheesecake” Although Insomnia has done collaborations, they can’t seem to hit the same level as Crumbl in terms of marketing.
Crumbl Cookies has been one of the fastest-growing businesses in history. Even though competition is starting to arise in their career, they will never really “lose” their customers or their audience. Insomnia Cookies is starting to gain popularity again. However, they will never take down what Crumbl Cookies has done, considering how Crumbl grew in popularity seven years ago and is still trending, while Insomnia Cookies has just started to regain some popularity after 21 years.
