Cookie Craze Alert: Crumbl Expands with New Stores, TikTok Hype & $2B Sale Talk

Big Expansion: Crumbl plans nearly 100 new stores in 2025, including its first Maryland Eastern Shore location in Salisbury’s Commons mall ^[1]. Real-estate filings show a 2,300-ft² space leased there, with build-out underway and a target opening in November – “just in time for holiday cookie cravings” ^[2].
Social-Media Buzz: The brand’s weekly rotating flavors and TikTok-driven marketing continue to fuel growth. Every Monday Crumbl drops a new lineup of cookies, creating a “cult-like following” ^[3], and even Crumbl’s co-founder says customers “absolutely love” the unique rotating menu ^[4].
Store Count & Valuation: As of Oct. 2025 Crumbl operates roughly 1,070 locations in North America ^[5]. The owners are reportedly exploring a sale that could value the chain near $2 billion ^[6], underscoring investor interest in the fast-growing cookie franchise.
Legal & Labor Scrutiny: Growth hasn’t come without challenges. In June 2025 a proposed class-action suit (Soboleski v. Crumbl) accused Crumbl of sending unsolicited marketing texts to numbers on the National Do-Not-Call registry ^[7]. And a recent U.S. Department of Labor investigation found multiple Crumbl franchisees in six states violated child-labor laws – dozens of 14–15 year-olds worked excessive hours or in hazardous roles ^[8].
Public Reaction: Fans generally rave about the pink-box cookies and seasonal flavors, but local controversies have emerged. A mid-2025 TikTok video by an Alabama salon owner went viral after a new franchise allegedly threatened legal action over free gift cards. (The situation was later resolved with a corporate apology.) Such incidents highlight the PR pitfalls of rapid expansion. Nonetheless, industry observers note Crumbl’s strong performance (stores averaged about $1.3–$1.4M in sales in 2024) and social-media savvy as reasons to stay bullish on the brand ^[9].

Crumbl’s latest moves: Real-estate news on Oct. 21, 2025 reports that franchisees have leased Salisbury’s Commons shopping center for the chain’s first Eastern Shore bakery ^[10]. The 2,300‑sq‑ft corner unit (near Ulta and Best Buy) is under construction, with an opening aimed for late 2025 ^[11]. SVN Miller broker Kelly Jeter – who helped negotiate the deal – praised Crumbl’s “changing menu” and “viral flavors,” saying the new store will be “a welcome addition to the Salisbury community” ^[12]. (The site will open alongside a 7 Brew drive-thru café, marking a new sweet-and-coffee combo for the area.)

Flavor & marketing: Crumbl’s product strategy remains social-media‑first. Each week the chain rolls out a fresh set of cookie flavors (often seasonal specialties like pumpkin, caramel apple or Maple Biscuit), announced via TikTok and Instagram. These announcements spark “unboxing” videos and taste‑test clips by unpaid influencers, helping to drive foot traffic. As FoodChain Magazine observes, this scarcity‑driven model has “created a cult-like following” ^[13]. Co‑founder Jason McGowan told Fox Business that Crumbl’s rotating menu has customers “absolutely loving” every drop ^[14].

Performance & rumors: Business analysts say the approach is paying off. Crumbl’s own data show explosive same-store sales gains and high average revenue per unit (about $1.35M per store in 2024, roughly +17% year‑over‑year). Industry reports in Jan 2025 revealed the Utah-based chain (founded 2017) now has roughly 1,071 outlets across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico ^[15]. The story also noted Crumbl is working with bankers to explore a sale that could fetch nearly $2 billion for the company ^[16] – a reflection of how much private equity is chasing hot franchise concepts.

Controversies: Crumbl’s image hasn’t been entirely smooth. On the legal front, a TCPA class-action suit filed in mid-2025 alleges the company sent marketing texts to a number on the national Do-Not-Call list ^[17]. (The plaintiff, a serial TCPA litigator, says the texts were unsolicited promotional offers.) Beyond that, a Labor Dept. audit last year found 11 Crumbl franchise operations had broken child-labor rules in six states, affecting a total of 46 teenagers (some working past legal hours or on ovens) ^[18]. Crumbl’s corporate response has been to emphasize stricter franchise compliance.

On social media, minor flare-ups have also grabbed headlines. For example, in June 2025 an Alabama salon owner publicly posted a nearly 10-minute TikTok complaining about a new Crumbl franchise. She had dropped off 100 gift cards to the store to use in-store, only to be contacted by someone claiming to be the “owner of Crumbl” accusing her of profiting off their customers. (“We were not trying to profit off the company – we were just literally supporting you guys,” she protested on the video ^[19].) The saga ended with Crumbl’s corporate office apologizing and clarifying no legal action would be taken.

Outlook: Despite such hiccups, analysts say Crumbl’s underlying momentum is strong. Its tech-driven model (app loyalty, data analytics, social hype) has driven unit growth and sales to levels that investors love. With the holiday season approaching, the new Salisbury store and others coming online will be an early test of market saturation. For now, Crumbl appears poised to keep riding the TikTok wave: its pink boxes of cookies look set to appear in even more communities by year’s end.

Sources: Public reports and interviews from tech and food‐industry press and newswires ^[20] ^[21] ^[22] ^[23], including TechStock² (ts2.tech), FoodChain Magazine, Reuters, and local business outlets. These sources cite Crumbl’s expansion plans, market valuation, legal filings, and comments from company founders and analysts.

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