Crumbl Cookies first opened in Logan, Utah, in 2017. At first, the new business only served fresh milk chocolate chip cookies for takeout and delivery.
As Crumbl gained popularity, they developed new and unique flavor offerings, including their chilled pink sugar cookie, which became a semi-permanent menu item soon after its introduction.
In December 2018, the company introduced its iconic weekly menu rotation, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since opening its doors, Crumbl Cookies has seen massive growth, with over 600 bakeries in 47 states.
Alabama is one of those 47 states. Locally, Jason and Rebecca Dickey took it upon themselves to bring Crumbl Cookies to Mountain Brook and the greater Birmingham area.
Speaking with Village Living, Rebecca Dickey said she and her husband were researching a job for her because their kids were getting older and she was wondering what she would do after they went to high school.
“I came across the first Crumbl Cookies on the East Coast in Tennessee and went in, and I thought, ‘This is it. This is what I want to do,’” she said.
After researching what to do and how to franchise a Crumbl Cookies bakery herself, she and Jason began the first of many meetings with the corporate office in Utah.
“We were selected [to begin a franchise] in December of 2019, and, of course, the pandemic began immediately after that,” Rebecca said. “As far as building out our Vestavia Hills location, which was our first location, we basically had a long build out time with that one and didn’t open until July of 2021,” she said.
Why did they decide to open a Crumbl Cookies franchise as opposed to another business?
“Crumbl just seemed like a good fit for us,” she said. “My husband and I are both entrepreneurial in spirit, and he has another business, so we are just local business owners in the communities that we are a part of.”
After the Vestavia Hills location opened, Rebecca said they almost immediately applied for growth because they loved the business so much. Last year, they applied to open three new locations: Alabaster, Mountain Brook and Greystone.
“I get asked, ‘Have you always wanted to have your own bakery?’ and the answer is no. That was not it. It’s about the business. I love being able to make a difference in people’s lives and be able to offer them jobs and make a difference in the community,” Rebecca said. “We also donate to nonprofits every single day. We don’t throw away any leftover cookies. Making a difference in our community is what’s been important to me.”
Rebecca said the community response for each location they have opened has been positive. In both Alabaster and Vestavia Hills, the community leaders and officials worked quickly to help them open the bakeries.
“We became sort of an instant fit with Vestavia Hills, and they let us know very quickly that they were super happy that we were there,” she said. “At Alabaster, the same type of reception was given. They showed us how much they wanted us there, and we felt very welcomed.”
While no date has been officially set, the Mountain Brook Crumbl Cookies location is slated to open at 360 Rele St. in late spring 2023. For more information, visit crumblcookies.com.