Crumbl has been a massive success in the food space using a model that's not like anything used by any other chain. You can argue that the cookie company competes with Starbucks (SBUX) -) in the snacks/baked goods part of its business, but it's doing so in a very unique way.
While the coffee chain serves an expansive menu with literally dozens of choices and hundreds, even thousands, of customizations possible, Crumbl has a very limited menu. The cookie chain offers a unique rotating offering where most of its choices change each week.
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Fans can always get the chain's milk chocolate chip cookie -- it's a permanent item -- but the rest of the menu rotates. That's something the chain took a while to figure out.
"The frequency and timing of Crumbl’s rotating menu evolved over the course of a year until its iconic four-flavor weekly rotation was officially established in December 2018," the company shares on its website. "Since then, new flavors are added frequently, often weekly, in addition to current recipes being updated and improved."
It's a formula that has proven incredibly popular as the privately-held chain has been growing quickly. The chain now has over 800 bakeries in 49 states and it has begun its international expansion by opening two stores in Canada.
So far, the Crumbl recipe has led to nothing but success, but the chain is making what appears to be an intentional mistake in how it markets the calorie count of its cookies.
Image source: Shutterstock
What the Crumbl Experience Is Like
While certain states may require different calorie disclosures, Crumbl makes an effort to make its cookies look healthier than they are. When you walk into one of its bakeries (or look at its website), the chain shows a calorie count that's per serving, not per cookie.
That calorie count is followed on the website with an asterisk which is explained at the bottom of the page.
"Calorie counts are per serving. Serving size varies based on product," the company shared on its website.
Generally, the calorie count presented on the wall -- a large menu board when you enter the store -- shows the calories for a quarter of a cookie. That's intentionally misleading given that few people eat a piece of a cookie.
Yes, these are somewhat large cookies, and sharing them is possible, but cookies are generally a food that people eat in their entirety. Were these slices of cake or pie, the "per serving" part might be assumed, but many Crumbl fans almost certainly see the numbers on the menu board and think that's the calorie total for an entire cookie.
When you scroll the Crumbl homepage and come to the list of cookies being offered, this is how it's presented:
Milk Chocolate Chip
The classic -- you can't go wrong. Thick, soft, and packed with milk chocolate chips.
180 cal*
Yes, there's an asterisk, but it would be easy to add the words "per serving" or even share the calorie count for the full Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie (720) which it does share on its nutrition page.
Crumbl did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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