---
title: Crumbl Cookies — TikTok-Powered Franchise Scaled to 1,000+ Locations | RGM® Case Study
url: https://realgrowthmatters.com/learn/case-studies/crumbl-cookies-tiktok-franchise/
updated: 2026-06-10
source_html: https://realgrowthmatters.com/learn/case-studies/crumbl-cookies-tiktok-franchise/
---

# Crumbl Cookies: tiktok-powered franchise scaled to 1,000+ locations

Crumbl Cookies used weekly menu rotations and TikTok-driven brand marketing to scale a cookie franchise from 1 to 1,000+ locations in under 6 years.

**Founded:** 2017

**Vertical:** Franchise / Food / QSR / Social

**Primary channels:** TikTok + Weekly Menu Drops + Aggressive Franchising

## The founding and history

Crumbl Cookies was founded in 2017 by cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley in Logan, Utah. The single founding location grew rapidly into a franchise model. The defining product/marketing mechanic: a weekly-rotating menu of 4 cookies (plus the always-available original chocolate chip), with new flavors announced each Sunday night via social media.[[1]](#cite-1)

The weekly drop mechanic created multiple compounding effects: **habit-forming customer behavior** (customers visited each week to try new flavors before they rotated out), **continuous content cadence** (52 new menu reveals per year generated continuous TikTok and Instagram content), and **FOMO scarcity** (flavors only available for one week create urgency).

## The playbook executed

Crumbl's TikTok presence became enormous — 10M+ followers, hundreds of millions of weekly views. The content was a mix of: **official Crumbl content** (menu reveals, behind-the-scenes baking, locations), **customer-generated content** (taste tests, reviews, rankings), and **creator content** (food creators ranking weekly flavors, mukbang-style consumption videos).[[2]](#cite-2)

The franchise model scaled aggressively — from 1 location in 2017 to 1,000+ locations by 2024. Franchisees benefited from the centralized weekly menu, the existing TikTok-driven demand, and the operational systems Crumbl built for store operations. The franchise economics worked because new locations entered markets where Crumbl already had social-media demand awaiting them.

## The results

Crumbl has navigated the late-2024 / 2025 franchise saturation challenges (multiple locations in the same metros competing for the same customers, slower same-store sales growth) but remains one of the fastest-growing food franchises in US history.[[3]](#cite-3)

1,000+Locations as of 2024

10M+TikTok followers

Weekly rotationDefining menu mechanic

Family franchiseFounder family operating model

## What this case study teaches

- **Weekly menu rotations create habit + content cadence + scarcity simultaneously** — operationally complex but structurally compounding.
- **TikTok content is structural for QSR brands** — food content performs unusually well on TikTok.
- **Franchise scaling leverages social-media demand** — new locations open into pre-existing TikTok awareness.
- **FOMO scarcity drives urgency** — weekly availability windows create purchase pressure.
- **Family-operated franchise systems can scale fast** — Crumbl's family operating model navigated the rapid growth.

## Related concepts and channels

For franchise-specific marketing, see our [franchising advertising thinking](/learn/areas-served/california/best-franchising-advertising-agency/). For TikTok marketing strategy, see [TikTok Ads overview](/learn/channels/tiktok-ads-overview/). For Stanley's adjacent TikTok-driven brand resurgence, see [Stanley case study](/learn/case-studies/stanley-tumbler-tiktok-resurgence/).

## Sources

1. [1][Crumbl Cookies, official brand history.](https://crumblcookies.com)
2. [2]Forbes coverage of Crumbl's TikTok strategy.
3. [3]Restaurant Business Magazine coverage of Crumbl franchise growth.

### Related guides and concepts

- [TikTok Ads overview](/learn/channels/tiktok-ads-overview/)
- [TikTok Ads deep dive](/learn/channels/tiktok-ads-deep-dive/)
- [Stanley case study](/learn/case-studies/stanley-tumbler-tiktok-resurgence/)
- [Chipotle GuacDance case study](/learn/case-studies/chipotle-guacdance-tiktok/)
- [Influencer marketing deep dive](/learn/channels/influencer-marketing-deep-dive/)
- [Local services playbook](/learn/strategy/local-services-playbook/)
- [Brand positioning](/learn/concepts/brand-positioning/)
- [Liquid Death case study](/learn/case-studies/liquid-death/)