Crumbl, the cookie chain that grew explosively after the pandemic, has shut down 57 locations this year and warned that more closures may follow, even as Ohio remains one of its strongest states with 48 locations — the fourth-highest total in the country, according to data cited by the Columbus Dispatch.
For Southwest Ohio shoppers, that means the local map is still dense for now. The company’s store finder lists 10 stores in the Cincinnati area and six in Greater Dayton, including Beavercreek, Centerville, Huber Heights, Springfield, Troy and Washington Township, alongside stores in Akron, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo.
The national pullback follows two years of declining sales. Restaurant Business reported chain traffic dropped 32% over the past year, with sales in August down 70%, a sharp reversal for a brand that CEO Jason McGowan had projected would lift sales 20% through its dirty soda lineup.
Crumbl’s rise was rapid. Viral demand in 2021 pushed average sales to $1.7 million and built more than 17 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok, and by 2023 the company was the largest cookie chain in the country with more than $1 billion in system sales, just six years after its 2017 founding in Utah.
In May, McGowan expressed plans to step down and name a new chief executive as the company reevaluates, according to the Dispatch report. The chain still counts 1,064 locations nationwide.
Ohio’s 48 stores, counted by ScrapeHero, trail only California, Texas and Florida. In the Cincinnati area, the listed locations span the region’s suburbs, while the Crumbl website also shows stores in Chillicothe, Findlay, Heath, Mansfield and Sandusky.
Whether Southwest Ohio’s stores stay untouched will depend on how the next round of closures is chosen. For now, local customers can check the company’s store finder for their nearest location, as the chain works through a correction after years of breakneck growth.
The pattern in Ohio mirrors the chain’s national footprint: suburban locations in shopping districts, built around a rotating weekly menu and social-media-driven demand. That model filled stores quickly during the viral surge, and the current closures suggest operators are now sorting which of those trade areas can sustain the volumes the early years delivered.
For workers and landlords in Southwest Ohio, the distinction matters. A national total of 57 closures does not name the affected stores, and Ohio’s relatively high store count reflects demand that has so far kept the state off the list of markets described as pulling back.
Photo: Revoleikooc, CC BY-SA 4.0