“Crumbl cookies of the week,” said Nicole Axelrod, one of many TikTokers who consistently reviews Crumbl’s weekly drops on her account. “Key lime pie is one of those flavors that I would go back for during the week, like I would get another one,” she said in her most recent review.
Axelrod is one of many TikTok users who reviews (and often raves about) Crumbl cookies weekly flavor drops. The hashtag #crumblcookiereview has over 45 million views. It appears all the reviews are paying off for the company, having racked up quite the following on social media.
Crumbl Cookies is relatively new to the game and most well-known for its weekly cookie drop, giving people an excuse to consistently review their cookies. The company was founded in 2017 in Utah, and now – just six years later – has expanded nationwide with 700 locations across the U.S., reports Nation’s Restaurant News. While this may not seem like a lot compared to other established chains, its rapid growth, especially through a global pandemic, has caught people’s attention.
The sweet chain really takes the cake (or cookie) with its social media presence, specifically on TikTok and Instagram, which, according to The Takeout, has led to the bakery chain having the sixth-most downloaded Food and Drink app on the Apple Store. On Instagram, Crumbl currently has 3.4 million followers. Compare that to an established and globally-known McDonald’s with 4.5 million followers.
Crumbl’s success on TikTok can be baked down to two things: their weekly flavor drops and the people on TikTok who religiously review them. The company has 6.4 million followers on the app (that’s more than Alix Earle). Even Keith Lee, arguably TikTok’s most trusted food critic, made a video in December of 2021, reviewing Crumbl. He rated the cookie 10/10, a rare score from him, “You can tell just by how thick it is, the quality of this cookie 10 out of 10, must recommend.”
The cookies are aesthetically pleasing and Crumbl has made sure to capitalize off of this, which can be seen through their content. Creating slow motion clips that highlight the cookie’s icing or using clips and sounds that tease their fans for upcoming flavor drops.
It won’t be long before we see Crumbl’s influence on other chain restaurants’ marketing tactics.