The Irresistible Cookie Chain That's Stealing Crumbl Fans One Box At A Time

For years, the gourmet cookie boom has felt definitively one-note, and we know you know what we're talking about — Crumbl's iconic giant cookies, the weekly flavor drops, and those bright pink boxes designed for social media hype. And the hype definitely worked ... that is, until it didn't. Over the last few years, more and more cookie fans seem to be asking the same question: why does the hype feel better than the actual cookie? 

The issues with Crumbl that we just can't ignore have meant that another cookie brand could step in — not because they've gone viral, but just as a stand-in after one too many disappointing Crumbl cookies. The place that's stealing former Crumbl fans? Chip Cookies, which is not a new brand by any means. It actually opened its first location in Utah back in 2016, a year before Crumbl opened its doors.

If you spend a little time reading fan discussions, including a handful of Reddit threads, you'll notice a pattern in Crumbl reviews. People are frustrated by overly sweet, underbaked cookies with flavors that don't always land. Those recurring complaints are why we even wrote a list of cookies to avoid ordering at Crumbl. Chip Cookies, by contrast, gets praised for its balance. 

On paper, the pricing at Chip Cookies and Crumbl is in Crumbl's favor: a four-cookie box at Chip is more expensive at $22, whereas it's around $16 dollars at Crumbl, depending on location and flavor. However, opinions start to split when it comes to value — fans who prefer Chip often say the cookies feel easier to justify at that price point in terms of quality. And when it comes to price, both chains offer rewards programs where neither one clearly outperforms the other in any noticeable way. 

Unexpectedly for some, dietary concerns also enter this conversation. While neither chain is especially accommodating to restricted diets, it has been suggested that even vegetarians should avoid eating at Crumbl, since certain cookies may include gelatin or glycerin. Chip, on the other hand, seems to include more vegetarian-friendly recipes.

What's notable about the apparent end of the Crumbl reign is how it doesn't feel like backlash. Despite its controversies, people aren't abandoning Crumbl purely out of spite, but simply because one too many cookies didn't live up to their promise. At this point, it's only natural that taste buds would shift. Chip Cookies hasn't needed to be cheaper or louder to pull fans away — it just needed to feel worth it. And evidently, it does.