Why Crumbl Cookies Can't Survive

[@ModernMBA]

Use the code MBA at nordpass.com/MBA to get a free 3-month NordPass Business trial. No credit card required. 🍪 COOKIE GOOD (Ross & Melanie) cookiegood.com instagram.com/cookiegoodla/ 2448 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403 🍪 BAKESOMENOISE (Ren & Caroline) www.bakesomenoise.com instagram.com/bakesomenoise/ 3822 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026

[@1ballad]

Now you have to make a documentary on VPN Services and how they're a scam.

[@timopint1125]

hahahahah nord vpn couldnt even secure its user data hahahahhaha

[@lynseyluvsatwink9800]

This Cookie Good guy is terrific. He's built a strong business through passion and hard work. He was torn when the finance guy wanted to help his business grow, but finance people don't want "your" business to grow, they want "their" business to grow with none of the hard work.

[@lauracraig8110]

Yep. I think he's in the best spot - franchising and PE just leads to stripping everything from your business and removing the charm.

[@JustinDoesntLookAt]

Insane how every Modern MBA episode is a reminder that Private Equity and Investors have destroyed everything we know and love forever

[@tarpar9190]

Murica, amirite?

[@Samichski]

@@tarpar9190 home of the diabetis, land of the fat

[@chillaxer8273]

​@tarpar9190 this is a problem in every country? But yeah America sure started this milking-business mindset

[@ScatPack123]

This is such a simpleton comment. Look for one second at all the companies which have been helped a lot by private equity and investors. You’re only looking at the bad results and parrot that to the world in a comment

[@xandradice]

there's no accountability for private equity ​@@ScatPack123

[@DirtyDan892]

I love private equity. I love extracting from beloved brands, every remaining ounce of value and good will.

[@brodriguezwav783]

Unironically based

[@poochyenarulez]

well, the alternative is bankruptcy. No brand is selling to PE that is doing well financially.

[@VinceroAlpha]

@ Really have you look at every single brand small and big, gone over the financials or are you just being melodramatic?

[@poochyenarulez]

@@VinceroAlpha You can look for yourself. Every time a PE buys a company, its after the company recently announced financial struggles. Why would a company even want to sell if its doing well?

[@SaturninePlaces]

@@poochyenarulez money

[@commanderz]

19:53 I love that the Cookie Good guy coined his own term for being business-minded: “lizardy”. 😂

[@sarahwatts7152]

Plus I love that the captions clarified it just in case. Idk about anyone else, but even a casual scrape wit sci fi over the years makes that term immediately crystal clear 🦎🦎

[@colemc18]

Cookies are one of the easiest (and satisfying) desserts to make at home. You can exist but not really thrive long term just doing the classics. So you have to go indulgent and make overly expensive cookies that are extremely caloric. At the end of the day, these are never more than pricey gimmicks that don't build long term customers. Dessert is extremely fad based and any shop in this space has a ceiling because its one of the easiest things for people to cut out of their lives.

[@aeroslythe6881]

these points are really grounded and good

[@gildedpeahen876]

yeah when i saw that crumbl franchising fees and initial buy in was as much as popeyes and burger king, i had to laugh. like you said, cutting out 800 calorie absurdly flavored 5 dollar cookies is pretty easy to do. versus people will always want fried chicken and burgers, especially from well established names. crumbl is a joke and corporate knows exactly what theyre doing. i just hope the franchisees see its short term as well.

[@pavelow235]

You can do anything at home, you can also read a book and not watch KZbin videos.

[@filiaaut]

I could try to make my own croissants at home, but it will be a pain in the ass, take a few days, I'll end up with at least 6 of them when I live on my own, which won't be as good as is for a few hours, and if I want to revive the ones I couldn't eat in time, I'll need more ingredients and prep work to turn them into almond croissants (which are delicious, but even more calorie dense). Or I can walk 10mn to a bakery where someone qualified makes dozens of them every day, I can buy just one, which will potentially be cheaper than buying all the ingredients for my very small batch, and won't have to gorge myself for three days. Some pastries require more know-how, efforts, time and material/supplies than others, and bakeries have survived for decades selling bread and pastries to people who can't do it as well. These shops predate social media, don't rely exclusively on trends, and survive by selling a majority of relatively low profit, staple goods, and a minority of high profit pleasure food, because their regulars want to indulge every once in a while. i​@@pavelow235

[@pavelow235]

@@filiaaut Point was you can make that argument for everything. Everybody loves to rag on crazy ideas like paying another human to move your furniture, paying others to grill a burger, paying others to cut your hair....etc, etc, etc,.....point was the original comment comes off as elitist and rude. All employment is "gimmicky" for some others. I think Nickel mining is "gimmicky" because I don't drive Tesla electric cars....but somebody pays those miners and respects their employment.

[@guttsu]

Your channel has made such great and well researched videos, love your work. This is just a little thanks for it.

[@ModernMBA]

Thank you very much for the support!

[@lmajeed1]

Agreed, great content that not many other channels are making at this quality level.

[@paulbo9033]

Guy 22:00 didnt realise he just gave a private equity company the greatest research they could ever get for their own FMCG franchises in the space. They were never going to take on his risk and help him expand from 1 store.

[@Mr.ToadJanfu]

I don't think gourmet cookies count as FMCG, doubt you could translate the model to FMCG. I also doubt given the information we were given on Cookie Goods margins that any private equity firm would move into the space based on their model especially given how competitive the market already is (at the tail end of a trend). I think the reason private equity pulled out is obvious, the business is ultra low margin in a high margin space. Even Crumbl have better margins despite consistent decline.

[@JamesBond-dl7oc]

the $100m+ company surely just came to the same conclusion the well-researched youtube video came to

[@leoym1803]

@@JamesBond-dl7oc $100m+ companies are just 3-5 people at the top making decisions. They're not as infallible as you think. Just look at Google, Adobe, MSFT and their massive declines in quality lately. Spyware, software that constantly breaks, search that's not searching, etc.

[@Mrnovanova]

Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. He definitely got played IMO.

[@Producer765]

Eating a Crumbl cookie was the first time I knew what a calorie bomb felt like. I felt so sluggish afterwards since I didn't know how calorie dense they were.

[@gregoryturk1275]

Only one? I ate 21 before getting sick

[@rosylagoon3600]

@@gregoryturk1275💀💀

[@Pete_xp]

​@@gregoryturk1275 mannnn.....WHAT 😂

[@troylee4196]

I ate a bite of one and got a headache, those things shoud be illegal

[@monroe7532]

@@troylee4196yeah, there comes a moment where sugar just becomes too much, like it starts to taste gross and you immediately feel the calories, like there definitely should be a limit to how much sugar can be put into some foods

[@SaMiChi]

Crumbl is the definition of all looks no substance. The taste is overly sweet, the texture is too doughy and cake like, and it always seems undercooked. Terrible cookies.

[@UJ-nt5oo]

agree. its cookies for ig "models" to post on insta (and to mention their spicy link in bio) but not to eat for the average job.

[@spicy_xinger]

the cookies literally break apart half the time you try to pick them up. might as well just eat a slice of cake with an actual fork at that point

[@floweyfangirl69420]

im pretty sure they underbake them bc people like underbaked more than overbaked ones and if they don't sell all of them at once they could sort of "rebake" them and sell as fresh cookies

[@jugo1944]

I prefer an undercooked cookie, but I'm also not going to eat an 800 calorie cookie, I'm almost 40

[@tati9867]

They're gross. Midnight and Levain are SUPERIOR but don't get as much hype. So strange.

[@samr3140]

i for one miss frozen yogurt

[@Phoca_Vitulina]

froyo was so good and so healthy? like dang was so sad when suddenly there were no more places :(

[@gildedpeahen876]

yes and the shops introduced boba and mochi long before the boba tea trend. I used to get a vanilla with all sorts of fruity boba and mochi and it was soooooo good. I miss it too.

[@Scigeotech]

@@gildedpeahen876 Boba, bubble tea and mochi existed before the frozen yogurt trend. I'm Asian and grew up with boba.

[@gildedpeahen876]

@ in america it's a trend. no one knew what boba was ten years ago. in fact, there was a drink called orbitz in the 90s that was essentially a boba-esque soda and it failed because ppl found the texture strange. i always laugh bc orbitz walked so boba could run all the trends discussed in this video are american based, i def respect that boba is a big culture in asia, but as americans do, we've made it an overpriced trend

[@Scigeotech]

@@gildedpeahen876 What? I grew up in America and I knew what boba was more than ten years ago. If you had gone to any East Asian-American community a decade ago, you would've still seen a bubble tea shop here or there. I know you're probably not Asian but you have to remember that America is a massive country, and there are many cultures within it. Also, boba was invented before Orbitz.

[@Pinkpeonysss]

Next trend is going to be large, chunky supersized chocolate bars with all sorts of toppings and fillings

[@raquelfantoni2812]

With the cacao prices jumping so much, I’m not sure

[@tikifreaky5204]

I’m already seeing this 😅

[@wiley-harris-anderson]

And Hershey is going to try to hop on the trend and immediately make it lame

[@kaputt_jay3873]

that sounds pretty good ngl

[@matchc0635]

Mars are gonna be so thrilled about this

[@No.Lola777]

The treat of getting a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie at the mall in the 90s is a core memory.

[@alanc4091]

Them and the Auntie Anne's pretzels made the whole mall smell good.

[@pavelow235]

Well then it defeats the premise of this video claiming that cookies are a fad....

[@ZZ-tp4ny]

@pavelow735 It’s almost as if that’s a ridiculous oversimplification of the actual premise.

[@taryndancer29]

In the 2000s for me but yes! Loved the M and M cookies.

[@FlutterSwag]

auntie anne's always makes made me smile

[@Tutkanator]

That NordPass pitch was a stretch.

[@winnershandbook1069]

Lmao. When he started talking about data i immediately knew where this was going.

[@picklesun4440]

No hate on the Bake Some Noise guy because I respect the hustle--but, isn't capitalizing on scarcity and stoking FOMO the antithesis of, "authenticity"? If the product is good, it should speak for itself. Stoking FOMO by selling products through drops is literally what a cash-grab is and isn't seeing things long term.

[@hotmess9640]

Yep dude said some bullshit and is a horrible salesman. I hope they have degrees

[@hayaglamazonluxe]

I agree. Having a password on the website is part of FOMO as well.

[@thejflores1219]

Yea he definitely wasn’t authentic and seemed “lizardly”

[@CrimVulgar]

The transition from "we were trying to create a brand-centric cookie company" to "I think people see authenticity" felt like a comedy edit.

[@atyj1]

I kinda was on board with his "we've only got a few flavours" take, but the seasonal drops threw me way off - what, so the same few flavours on rotation?

[@_CoachW]

I honestly wondered about how this business model could be in any way sustainable over the long run. Especially with other chains like donuts, ice cream already taking hits. Thanks for the break down.

[@aimeec.6886]

We literally just talked about this last week.

[@baxoutthebox5682]

Famous Amos was on an early season of Shark Tank pitching another snack brand. He made next to nothing on his business in spite of its massive popularity for years. The sharks seemed very surprised by that, I know I was. Ultimately, he made a really bad deal selling his stake in the business. Now he can’t pool enough to even start a new business. Just a sad story.

[@yourfuturewaifu9061]

I think the poor guy did recently too

[@ronque23]

Your channel is so unique in how you talk to real small businesses. I really enjoy hearing their stories and seeing what works and what doesn’t for them.

[@RussellNicholas-k5c]

Can you do the economics of daycare next!

[@Phoca_Vitulina]

second this! i used to work in daycare and the business is actually pretty complicated..

[@ellisholden7247]

That’s going to depress me I think…

[@JamesR1986]

The problem with the desert model is that deserts are enticing as they are bad for you. You can't have a "regular" customer that eats 800 calorie cookies because you are going to quite literally going to kill that customer.

[@nickmarshall8583]

In America, with an 800-calorie cookie you're targeting people on a diet.

[@sauceinmyface9302]

I mean they can eat a lot of cookies before they die. But the trendy consumer that they're attracting can't afford to go there that frequently, either in budget or in their diet

[@mangos2888]

Yeah, but not before passing the habit to their kid(s)

[@Matzes]

Cigarette companies are very successful.

[@hotmess9640]

@@mangos2888damn this just gave me a reality check.

[@PutTheCookieDown]

And that's how the cookie crumbles.

[@spicemasterii6775]

*crumbls 😂

[@Meganec3810]

Lol I see what you did there

[@Phoca_Vitulina]

I hope Cookie Good and Bake Some Noise both succeed

[@boowiebear]

Cookie Good will be in business as long as they focus on the product and customer and long after this cookie trend. What a great business and owner.

[@mushethecowboycook9353]

Quickest way to get rid of a chain is to sell out to private equity or some local yokels who pays too much for your company then drive it into the ground (they thought they knew everything). I did the latter and walked away happy with full pockets.

[@serioserkanalname499]

Just looking at how the cookies crumble makes me uneasy, you can see the amount of sugar in every ingredient to the point that its like breaking apart crusty honey. And people are surprised when their body literally never gets to turn the insulin down and suddenly they're resistant to it and have the beetus.

[@Fellolkek]

You should check out how much sugar is in 1 serving of soda or orange juice.

[@miaomiaou_]

Honestly the look of their cookies disgusts me. The base looks pale and undercooked, then it’s coated in a mound of frosting, bleh. It’s just too much! I’d rather have Mrs. Fields or Insomnia, they just look better.

[@ashleyshim2078]

​@miaomiaou_ The last crumb is also really good too!!^^

[@chillaxer8273]

It looks good imo but then again I'm not a cookie expert

[@pavelow235]

This comment reeks of throwing stones from a glass house..... Almost certainly there's something you do that I laugh and laugh about, namely you probably waste too much time like I do commenting on KZbin videos, terrible use of a human's time

[@Jonnybeeh]

Can we bring back the Fro-Yo trend?

[@biblia843]

No. It’s all low fat crap filled with sugar. Just get an ice cream. At least ice cream has some fat to dampen the blood sugar spike.

[@Ruth-os4mi]

Crumbl doesn't sell cookies. It sells icing sugar - at an enormous premium.

[@tati9867]

Crumbl cookies are nasty. Crazy that people are more obsessed with them instead of Levain or Midnight cookies which are actually good and taste like real cookies.

[@Gavo172]

Wait is Crumbl Just pulling a Quiznos 2.0

[@LionelWatson-ji1bf]

Their chocolate chip cookie is one of the worst cookies you'll ever eat.

[@Gavo172]

@LionelWatson-ji1bf I think I've only been once, and honestly no matter how good the cookies are the prices just make my eyes bleed so I can't do it

[@Ruth-os4mi]

​@@LionelWatson-ji1bfThey don't sell cookies per se. They sell icing sugar.

[@ashleyshim2078]

​@@LionelWatson-ji1bf😮😮😂😂😂

[@CharliMorganMusic]

I haven't thought about Quiznos in like 10 years

[@daniel8181]

"Why Crumbl Cookies Can't Survive" Is it the fact that the cookies are 7 dollars a piece?

[@lilysgram5886]

$4

[@nicogreco7855]

Charging premium prices without a premium product

[@gildedpeahen876]

@@nicogreco7855 this is an overall trend! the beauty space is full of this too. unproven brands that are new to the scene with middling at best product quality charge a luxury+ price. and because of virality and clout chasing, a certain segment sees high price as a status symbol without caring about the base level quality of a product. I think this is the deal with crumbl. its expensive, so its a social media flex to have a 50 dollar box of these abominations.

[@daniel8181]

@@lilysgram5886 Dunno where youre at, but they are 6 dollars and change here.

[@daniel8181]

@@nicogreco7855 I literally told my wife after we each took a bite "I wish I spent the 7 dollars on a cookie cake from the grocer."

[@Pablo-t6q7h]

bro really created a season cookie drop from his kitchen and it work! i got to respect the hustle.

[@rue6914]

Crumbl owes its success to the rise of social media. People care about food looking pretty more than its flavor

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

guy opened a FroYo place by me, it got a little success and he opened another place in a store. I asked him how he planned to make it in the winter when no one will be buying FroYo. He didn't last. He closed the satellite location w/in a few months and the main store not long after.

[@farah_lynn]

I was a big Crumbl fan for a few years but quality has always been super inconsistent between stores and as they've expanded their flavor lineups are less intriguing. Despite all of this, they are trying to come out with other desserts which have an added fee and they've come out with family size versions of cakes and pies (because what they already had wasn't insanely calorie/sugar dense enough). Their milk chocolate chip has always been god awful and even when it comes to some of their other flavors, I'd much rather go to Levain or Insomnia if I have to go with a cookie chain - of course local is always best!

[@ModernMBA]

You hit the nail on the head. Because Crumbl's business is now based on selling supplies and collecting royalties, they have less financial incentive than ever to procure ingredients and push on product like they did when they were first starting out. It's much easier and more profitable to squeeze generic, wholesale, mass-produced, premade fillings out of a bag onto the cookies (less opportunity for stores to mess up, less perishability, more rebates / kickbacks from suppliers = more money in the pocket, even if the end result is inferior). Crumbl's Thanksgiving lineup is the most obvious offender as the Chocolate Silk, Apple, Cookies & Cream are made from the exact same ingredients in those frozen, cheap, supermarket thaw-and-serve pies - the kind that most Crumbl customers would ironically thumb their noses at.

[@AlGoYoSu]

​@@ModernMBAI agree, and all valid points. That being said, the chocolate silk and cookies & cream pies were great.

[@iTzDritte]

Where my guys going through “some kind of logarithm” at? 17:51 😂 For real though, I hope all the best for this guy. I’m gonna try his cookies next time I’m in town!

[@BrodyMulligan]

“There are some people who start businesses to start a business.” 😂😂😂😂 Amazing 😅

[@littlekirby6]

that's how I know he's the real deal, homie just wanted to bake some cookies and never heard of algorithms in his life

[@thegs7320]

@@littlekirby6 Algorithm? Didn't he invent the internet or something?

[@JamilaJibril-e8h]

​@@thegs7320woah lame ...

[@TyanaAlexandra]

The children do not know what _logarithm_ means 😭 I feel old

[@Magic_Ice]

They were giving out free cookies at a campus i was at and everyone i know who ate one felt sick later

[@LiveType]

Eating that much sugar with zero fiber is EXTREMELY bad for you. I make my own cookies and they are just barely sweet as I find that much sugar nauseating.

[@scrooglemcdoogle]

I've had Crumbl twice, both times I felt like I ate a brick and wanted to die. Actually the worst baked good I've has the displeasure of ingesting, I'd put them lower than 3 AM gas station donuts.

[@ImGonnaFudgeThatFish]

Crumbl INTENTIONALLY underbakes their cookies. Every cookie from them I've ever had (three) has been raw in the middle. It is shocking how the reviews for these locations are near five stars; these people have no idea what a good cookie is like

[@tm-te9mh]

crumbl underbakes their cookies btw, I'm not sure how this is even allowed or how they haven't been shut down at this point.

[@brookeswapp5871]

Thank you! I live in Utah so the several types I've attempted to eat these, I always complain they're undercooked. Like I bake cookies myself, I'm not dumb, those cookies are raw!

[@Reczack]

I love the interview segments. They give a unique and practical perspective that no amount of reading could cover.

[@Kingfatmon]

The guy at Cookie Good seems to want more out of his cookies business, but I hope he recognizes that he is a success case and celebrates that. The food business is unforgiving and unprofitable, with long-term success a rarity. He has driven his business to millions in revenue by innovation and hard work. But, I can completely understand why his business is unscalable to the franchisee business model. Also, it wouldn't align well with his values - the franchisee model is less about the cookies and innovation as it is about streamlining processes and collecting from franchise owners. Regardless, the mom & pop shop style doesn't need to constantly grow. He has found success in his small pocket in LA - and, that's damn impressive in itself.

[@shligadaba]

Actually, the trend setter was Insomnia Cookies and they're doing just fine. Since 2003.

[@chuck9693]

Didn’t the 2010’s also have the rainbow food trend that cause stomach aches

[@gildedpeahen876]

Unicorn everything lol. forgot about that

[@JK8]

4:00

[@victorbaird8220]

You are so beautiful 😍 😊

[@placebomandingo2095]

Upvote this comment!

[@blinkingbat7447]

I don't get the Bake Some Noise one. They only make basic flavours, it's 4 dollar per cookie and it started out during the pandemic. Couldn't people just buy some ready to bake dough and just bake that. Don't they have ovens in LA?

[@Matthew-li7we]

I agree, but what they did was the hyped up their cookies, created scarcity, and since we humans aint too logical, that was enough.

[@MrSpenceSTAR]

Have you been to LA? They probably do have ovens but the food culture is so strong that everyone eats out anyway. There is no shortage of great restaurants and they are all packed every night.

[@miaomiaou_]

Looks like good marketing to me, good logo, cool packaging :) their cookies look yummy too.

[@joevasanu7459]

Because people who buy mediocre looking cookies for $4 are generally too busy or too lazy to stop in the grocery store and pop them in the oven.

[@Nassifeh]

I can make muffins pretty easily, too, but when I get a muffin at a coffee shop it's usually because I just wanted the one muffin. If you have kids or whatever then the cookie dough is probably a no-brainer, but it feels silly when you just wanted enough for one person.

[@MONET8iAM]

Insomnia Cookies is actually really old, but they have been capitalizing off of the recent success of Crumbl. I had my first Insomnia Cookie probably about 15 years ago in Manhattan

[@Marbeary]

Cookie good guy has more longevity base on how he handles his business. Crumbl might be big now but the bigger they are the harder the fall. I would rather have a cookie with a mindset with the cookie good guy about flavors we like as a kid.

[@birdo623]

Dippin Dots crossing their fingers🤞🏼 "The ice cream of the future" back in 2004🤣🤣🤣

[@will.davlin]

Funnel cake is needed

[@Kadmanx]

Definitely an underserved market

[@mangos2888]

Thank you to the businesses that come on your channel.

[@Mannsy83]

A guy even imported these and made a pop up store and people still lined up for them here in Australia

[@ggpl8117]

i would rather have over a dozen smaller cookies than one huge cookie

[@Pandabrah_D]

31:10 Rent, whether residential or commercial, is such a shitty cost. There's so little incentive for the landlord to actually charge a reasonable price, and more often or not, it feels like the price is only dictated by whatever speculative investment the landlord is pursuing.

[@Apollyon07]

I don't understand who is actually buying cookies from these places... They charge like $4 for a mediocre cookie slathered in random toppings... How did this trend ever catch on?

[@gildedpeahen876]

right at least donuts and cupcakes take a little skill to make and need to be a bit more of a cohesive idea. a big gob of undercooked dough with frosting and random shit on top is just not appetizing.

[@PinkAgaricus]

I feel like they were trying to make cakies (cakes [frosting amount and the thickness of the cookie] + cookies [method of delivery]) which aren't the best thing. Yea, the frosting thing only works well with any form of cake.

[@pavelow235]

Same way the trend of wasting time and commenting on KZbin caught on, humans just don't seem to be good at time management

[@jljordan1]

My boyfriend 🤮

[@jugo1944]

I think people are struggling w inflation, but still want to go out, so something that is still only 4 dollars, no matter how worthless, are appealing

[@jasmine-rose18]

I’d rather buy from cookie good than bake some noise lol

[@Confessingjesuschrist]

Seems like becoming a franchise owner is a terrible trap. The fees would probably be better used to make your own version of the same thing.

[@lobstereleven4610]

I've had Crumbl Cookies twice and both times it gave me explosive diarrhea...I hope they go bankrupt lol

[@Chrytin]

Skill issue

[@Kikerikiki]

Because they are baked by idiots who don’t know what soap is

[@cece121234]

They were under baked or had raw dough in the center?

[@chuck9693]

Probably food poisoning. Maybe you left it out too long?

[@tm-te9mh]

crumbl intentionally undercooks their cookies, do a youtube/google search it's a well known thing and I'm surprised they haven't been shut down

[@badwithnames5180]

bro those cookies look TERRIBLE what

[@hotmess9640]

They taste horrible too

[@K3end0]

Theres a cool differentiation occurring in the UK's market. See, we had cookie and dessert places, i.e. the classic Baskin Robins in the town centre selling cookies and Ice cream, but overall they went on a decline until the last few years (i reckon the "dip" was 2012 and its been up from there). Why? The influx of Asian migrants into the country, notably Muslims, can't drink alcohol and therefore a market for a different sort of "hang out" place started to rise in popularity, Dessert places. Lots are still single-location independent, a few are multi-location franchises (my local one is called Kaspa's but I also know of a massive chain called Creams. They are a really clever business design since they aren't tied to just one type of dessert. They chop and change their menu as trends come and go. Artisan Pastry's become a thing? They sell croissants. Cookies? They make them fresh. They distribute some basic equipment and already have supply chains ready supplying most ingredients, all while keeping a "core" set of desserts that will always sell well (Sundaes, Crepes, Waffles etc.). And while it was an "asian" thing for at least a few years, they quite easily integrated themselves into your average, nicer British highstreet as if they were always there and to such an extent people are shocked when I explain basically all these companies were founded by the Asian community. I guess it goes to show that, if you want to start a business, your objective is never to chase trends. It is to find a niche in a culture and stick yourself into it to such an extent no one will ever remember there was a time you werent around.

[@adawong6467]

lizard brain cracked me up lol

[@117johnpar]

"Its impossible to not see thousands of these videos of people in their cars gorging themselves on cookies for people on social media" This is all news to me. Confectionary social media seems to be pretty self contained.

[@inferno7289]

as an Eastern European, I've never heard of crumbl cookies before the Sydney fiasco

[@HonorableSienna]

1. The cookies aren’t that good - that’s all

[@Fourtune1]

That and not everyone eats desserts on the regular. Lots of people are eating healthier now.

[@beccadotelpy]

Thank you! They're not good cookies.

[@haydenciardi4022]

Love the documentary videos! Keep up the fantastic work 🫶

[@LGM2000x]

These things are disgusting. I can't comprehend how anyone actually enjoys them unless you're just a pure junk food addict.

[@LapNgo-h9u]

I've had their stuff several times (I didn't buy - company got it for us). It's good, but it's nearly impossible to mess up cookies, just by their nature. Fill any food with sugar and you'd have to be pretty terrible to mess it up. I NEVER would have bought their product because of insane prices and they all were TOO SWEET! I'm Asian and our desserts have about 20-25% of the sugar in Crumbl products. The fondant sugar cookie was so huge I gave it to the custodian. These type places can thrive in a normal economy, but with inflation runnin' wild, it's a much tougher sell. Everyone, do yourself a favor and just buy some fruit and eat it as dessert. You'll feel better about yourself.

[@buhumon123]

great episode as always. Ever thought about doing an episode about golf or spa/resorts?

[@hunterchen9]

This is an amazing channel, thank you for the good work!

[@rachel_sj]

My spouse is a former pastry chef, has never had a Crumbl Cookie (honestly, I haven’t either) and doesn’t understand the hype around them. He also seemed confused and perplexed when I mentioned how they make their cookies with box cake mix and how dry and unappetizing the cookies tend to be (not to mention how expensive and calorie dense they are too).

[@TravellerZasha]

I think the hype was the marketing and tiktoks word of mouth. with how often Crumbl changes flavors it fits with the overconsumption trend of Tiktok. I had then once and they were mid at best. Very chewy and super sweet to a sickening level imo.

[@yayinternets]

They just taste like sugar. If you don’t eat processed food and sugar all of the time, you wouldn’t like these either. Sugar is very addicting; I’m sure they get regular customers from people who eat lots of processed stuff. But to me they just taste like sugar.

[@fabsmaster5309]

Some of the flavors are amazing imo. Most of them have 50% more sugar than I prefer.

[@rachel_sj]

@@TravellerZasha To me, their marketing and business strategy is similar to that of an ice cream shop, where switching out flavors based on the seasons or a certain holiday is more of the norm.

[@pavelow235]

I for one can't understand the hype of people who actually buy desserts after a meal at a restaurant.... Deserts are so much easier than complex cooking

[@Gavo172]

Still in the early parts of the video but I'm wondering what sort of factor social media virality and novelty that spurs that might change the equation. I can't see it being permanent but I can definitely see it being something that has kept them going huge nationally where other brands failed

[@TheMelvinWei]

I had a boss who bought us a box of these every once in a while. She must have picked the best because I'm feeling sick just looking at the $hit in this video.

[@miaomiaou_]

Literally same, why are crumbl cookies so sickening to look at 🫣

[@stuffz4040]

This channel should follow slime ships next. It’s been surreal watching a common, make at home, kids toy get a new aesthetic for all ages and insane markup.

[@elinat2414]

Does anyone from Australia and UK remember Doughnut time? It was a chain of the most indulgent cake-like doughnuts you've ever seen. For a brief spell in about 2016 they were everywhere here in Sydney. But the issue, is that it's hard for these overindulgent desserts to get repeat customers consistently. People try it once and maybe go a few times a year on special occasions. Doughnut time expanded so fast and was gone just as quickly. Recently, they made a modest comeback with two outlets plus selling their wares in a local major supermarket chain (Coles). I think if Crumbl doesn't play it smart and focused purely on expansion, they won't last.

[@jonsmith6331]

Your "Originals" series really elevates your channel. Many other channels with similar topics now have scripts that sounds AI generated. Real interviews and research elevates the content immensely.

[@SaturninePlaces]

$5 for a single Easy-Bake Oven cookie? Who could have guessed...

[@OfficialCANVAS]

$2,50 per bite is criminal

[@homurseempsone154]

@@OfficialCANVAS Nobody is eating them in two bites, its more like 8. Although they fall apart with the first bite so you're better off just tearing pieces off

[@mattmcfly2165]

I've never bought a franchise cookie before, much less off of tiktok...who are these people?

[@Timothy-y7e]

800 calories?! Whoa! Nearly half your daily calories in a single cookie? Is that in a box or in a cookie? That's wild! Its the obesity epidemic in one brand. Yikes!

[@daytonasixty-eight1354]

Every time I've had one of these fancy cookies from these cookie places, I've felt like shit afterwards.

[@sparkywilson1405]

20:00 to talk up business world people, call them conquerors, warriors, say you wish you had one of your own, and then calling them lizard people is a vibe lol

[@WrenchNinja]

Love how this pops up as soon as I tried it for the first time lol

[@RealityCheck1993]

"Lizardy" will now be a core part of my vocabulary.

[@LifeAdviceSite]

Such a great video. ❤ I’m wistful for the nostalgia of Mrs. Fields and Famous Amos, depressed by how much corporate squeezes their franchisees at Crumbl, revived by the wholesome passion of Cookie Good, and invigorated by the genius in the name Bake Some Noise. What a roller coaster of emotions. 😂

[@thedrunkweddingphotographer]

28:34 Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's wrong with society. Homeless guy walking by as you hype up your $32 dollar cookies.

[@hotmess9640]

So dystopian

[@chillaxer8273]

I don't understand. It's the cookie guys responsibility to solve homelessness?

[@xandradice]

​@chillaxer8273 no, it's that we are more focused on profit than people.

[@chillaxer8273]

@@xandradice what if that guy had expensive cookies to pay of his debt? Perspective is what we need in the world rn 💀

[@thedrunkweddingphotographer]

@@xandradice 💯

[@nicholasgutierrez9940]

You can't compete with a company that sells its soul to get millions in funding. The end goal, like the guy says, is to make a business to have a business. They want to end up being rich so they cut corners. Small business owners can't or can't do it as well. Small places can expand into empires, like Panda Express, but it takes someone who is focused on stewardship. Like putting your profits into investments or back into the company. Lots of small businesses don't do that.

[@rsac43]

Amazing video upload pace. Excellent work

[@nathanaelhart8487]

The problem is the price. For a box of 4 it’s like $15-$20. It has to die because once the hype dies no one will keep crumble in their everyday/every week routine.

[@fearsomefawkes6724]

I think the only cookie shop company I already need about was Mrs Field's. Glad to be outside of whatever bubble pushes dessert fads.

[@anonymousdogg1559]

The world’s nastiest and rawest garbage cookies. Just make your own cookies at home for your mothers sake. 😭

[@Bc232klm]

Cookie Good looks wayyyyy better

[@btuard]

Crumbl has expaned to other desserts. But somehow they all just taste the same, with the only difference in flavor coming from whatever topping or filling they have.

[@mattk1631]

"The last thing we want to do is take on more work." I don't really understand Ross' feelings of disappoint from seeing or not having a Crumbl like operation then. His passion is baking cookies not franchising and he already has what he wants, a succesful neighborhood cookie store.

[@KleinOfficial]

I'd love an insight into the business of big law firms, even though the coverage would not be as personal as in your last few videos.

[@Alex-ro5of]

Summarizing, and this is KEY, if you are thinking about opening a franchise of these companies, juts don't do it

[@Hans_Peterson]

Crumble cookies are so nasty, I have not been able to understand why they have gotten so popular

[@mavejak5021]

I love this channel so much

[@EasyCare27]

those crumbl cookies are nasty. overly sweet and soft (but in an undercooked way, not gooey). not sure how they got this far.

[@feedthesnake3394]

franchising the in 2020's is the latest version of the timeshare scam.

[@PinkAgaricus]

Other places make better cookies. Also, I feel like we have cheaper options for similar kinds (in terms of texture) cookies. Those being the white label/store brand cookies and that one particular brand of cookies we see in the supermarkets and there is more quantity in those boxes. We have Cookie Corner, which, for the most part, has a staff of more than one person.

[@PinkAgaricus]

I think TCBY was the one that started the FroYo thing, Pinkberry just took it and made it trendy.

[@originaozz]

I came from Thailand where new food trends arise every quarter or less (it was previously Erewhon-like smoothie, but the current fad is Dubai chocolate). The wildest part for us is the speed of adopting the trend, in which not only midsize or small players does it, but also big chains can come up with new menu within a month. The worst offender was the boba trend, where even pizza chains and even noodle soup menu added in boba to their main dish. It's gross and should be illegal.😭

[@BroguBro]

great breakdown on the cookie businesses

[@emibud1055]

And I'll always stand by the fact that forzen yoghurt aka FroYo was the best out of all these trends and I can't wait until it makes a comeback!!!!

[@artimis15]

Honestly going into this I was a bit nervous. I'm making a cookie technology company right now, and I'm a researcher background, not a buisness one. So I have been doing what I do best, research. I was worried this was going to pull up some sniper-information that would knee cap my goals. Thankfully, seeing someone else do this breakdown was vindicating, I knew that crumbl's tactics seemed off and that scaling was where the problems lay. They are currently being hit by labor lawsuit after labor lawsuit as the franchisee's are scrambling to claw back margins. Meanwhile the up and coming ones they found seem to mimic a part of the process I'm trying to build technology for. I knew the rent was usurious for this buisness but seeing it laid out here was quite clarifying. I'm really excited now, I think I can do something cool and it looks like the market really wants it. :)

[@Vinsternator40]

Quiznos is a shell of its former self for the same exact decisions Crumbl is currently making.