Crumbl Toronto
Crumbl cookies in Toronto sells saucer-sized amalgams of butter and flour, sugar and add-ins that garner rave reviews from some, lukewarm reactions from others, but that most people feel compelled to sample again and again.
Founded in 2017, by cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley, Crumbl (the company recently dropped "Cookies" from its name so as not to limit its scope) was created with a very simple goal.
The duo, says the Crumbl website, wanted to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie, then bring people together over their shared love of the flawless treat.
Does Crumbl make a perfect chocolate chip cookie? That's up for debate, though its tender, buttery version is thoroughly studded with chocolate chips and is certainly popular.
What the company unquestionably excels at, is expansion, marketing and harnessing the power of social media to create hysteria around its latest recipes and store openings.
Take, for example, the first Toronto location of Crumbl (the chain already has two shops in Mississauga), which opened at The Well, in early November 2024.
It was an opening that sparked snaking lineups of frenzied fans, that flooded feeds with close-ups of behemoth cookies, and ignited pangs of envy in distant devotees. In short, it was exactly the type of opening anyone familiar with Crumbl would expect.
Co-owned by Leigh Kane and Sean Brooks, Crumbl Toronto is a pristine 2000-square-foot bakeshop. Inside, the sizeable team shuttles to and fro, some scaling ingredients, some rolling dough, some baking, and others packing orders, then proudly presenting them to excited customers.
"Crumbl is very, very particular about where Crumbls go," says Kane. "It's usually in suburban areas. We don't go in malls," he adds. It was in The Well, a place Kane describes as "a city centre, a one-stop shop with condos, offices, everything," that the team found an ideal location for its booming business.
"This is the perfect spot," he adds, "the lineups won't block any stores."
Visit on a weekday afternoon or weekend, and you'll see that Kane is right. It might stretch to Spadina Avenue, but the solid line of zealous cookie monsters doesn't get in anyone's way.
It also moves quickly, thanks to a minimalist menu designed to keep things running smoothly. Each week, Crumbl's menu consists of eight flavours, including semi-sweet or milk chocolate chip, six rotating cookies and one specialty dessert item.
Customers must merely decide whether they want minis or the challenge of large treats, and whether they can stomach one cookie ($6.49), four ($23.99), six ($29.99) or the gut-busting, 12-count party box ($56.99).
There's also water and milk (duh), and cookie dough bites to store in the freezer. For those planning to share, the thoughtful team also sells a cookie cutter that can be used to portion purchases into four identical quadrants.
The company has "about 200 different cookie flavours," explains Kane, adding that new items are continually joining the lineup. As for the weekly assortment? "We have zero say," he says, adding that all decisions are made by head office.
One week, a six-pack includes signature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk, bright Lemon Crinkle and frosting-laden Chocolate Cupcake. Pink Doughnut and sugary Maple Glaze round out the order, with silky Cherry Cheesecake attracting the gaze of the cookie weary.
Made with butter, flour and sugar, each one is gently flavoured and inoffensive. Some, such as Pumpkin Roll, have a cake-like crumb, but none offers much textural intrigue.
Available in the same assortment of flavours, minis (six-pack, $21.49) are treats in a more manageable size.
Traditional, in terms of ingredients, Crumbl's flavours seem to follow the seasons, certain trends, and senior management's varied appetites. On any given visit, you might find Coconut Cream Pie or Mint Chip Ice Cream, Pink Velvet Cake, Oatmeal Skillet, Caramel Praline and more. Just don't fall too hopelessly in love — flavours can take weeks, if not longer, to reappear.
And that just might be the most signifcant thing about Crumbl's allure. "These are top-of-the-line, gourmet cookies. These are the best cookies you'll ever find," says Kane. Still, he offers, Crumbl's popularity hinges on the fact "that people always want to see what's next."
Follow Crumbl on social media, and you'll be among the select few to hear what's new every week. In the lap of the inner circle, you'll read about the flavours as soon as they drop, you'll see the close-ups of swirled buttercream and sparkling sugar, and be among the first to anticipate standing in the store, bubble-gum pink box in hand.
Making cookies that sate a sweet tooth is one thing; assembling armies of fans united by their common cravings is an entirely different beast.
Crumbl is located at 422 Front Street West.
Fareen Karim
