Here's What Happens To Crumbl's Leftover Cookies

Crumbl's rotating weekly selection of craveable cookie flavor combinations creates a perpetual limited-edition feeling for many customers.  Lots of Crumbl fans eagerly anticipate the cookie giant's drop sand line up for a taste of the latest pink-boxed creation. But what happens when there are leftover cookies at the end of the day? While there is no definitive corporate-wide answer, decisions like this tend to come down to individual stores since the chain utilizes a franchise model.

Crumbl was founded in 2017 by cookie lovers Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan who set out to create the best chocolate chip cookie, and who still own the majority of the company. Today, Crumbl has over 1,000 locations and serves over a million desserts daily. That's a lot of cookies, and potentially a lot of leftover cookies at close of business. According to comments on an r/CrumblCookies post from users who claim to be Crumbl employees, some stores donate their leftovers to schools or community organizations, some let employees take them home (some employees even barter their wares with employees of other restaurants for different types of food), and there is likely an amount of freshly baked cookies that do end up in the trash.

Some Redditors who claim to be Crumbl employees divulged on the same post that after three to four hours in the warmer, the store's cookies are no longer considered "fresh," only adding to the potential quantity of leftovers. This can potentially create a great deal of food waste, and this issue plagues many fast food establishments. Companies like Panera have a program called Day-End Dough-Nation, whereby it donates baked goods and breads to local non-profits. The fate of leftovers at other chains like Starbucks may come down to how locations are owned. Free standing company-owned stores have the option to participate in its food donation program, but licensed stores (like those inside a grocery store) do not.

Crumbl does have a philanthropic program called Crumbl Cares. This program seems to largely focus on issues like education, and has donated cookies (seemingly fresh, not leftovers) to first responder crews after natural disasters. The company refers other causes like community outreach and concerns back to locally-owned franchises. While customers continue to flock to Crumbl for its novelty and ever-changing cookie menu, some take issue with its over-sugary offerings and lack of regular options for those with dietary restrictions. Others rave about its wares, but when it comes to leftovers, each location dictates how its cookies ultimately crumble.