The founders of Crumbl Cookies are stepping down. The move comes amid a “planned transition” for the bakery chain, the leaders shared in an X post on May 11.
In the post, CEO Jason McGowan explained that he, Chief Brand Officer Sawyer Hemsley, and CTO Bryce Redd will all be leaving their roles permanently, though they’ll remain in their positions until they find outside replacements through a “rigorous hiring process.” The three also intend to stay closely connected to the brand, with McGowan as chairman of the board and Hemsley and Redd as board members.
“I believe now is the right time to bring in new leadership through an open search process. That is why I am sharing this now,” McGowan said in the post, adding, “Getting the right people in place matters a lot, and I believe an open process will allow us to find the very best leadership to support Crumbl’s future success and stay involved to support a smooth transition.”
He said that moving forward, the company will focus on scale and the kind of innovation that makes Crumbl a standout brand.
Whether you can’t get enough Crumbl or can’t stand the large cookies (many of which are served cold or with tons of toppings), the name itself evokes strong opinions from dessert lovers. Some social media users have even gotten in the habit of reviewing Crumbl cookies merely to drag them on the internet.
Regardless of the haters, the brand, which McGowan and Hemsley founded in 2017, has grown to become a giant in the dessert industry. Currently, there are roughly 1,100 Crumbl locations across the U.S. In 2023, however, the brand instituted mass layoffs, cutting about 10% of its corporate workforce.
Crumbl has also closed at least 19 underperforming stores in recent years. Late last year, after rumors began to swirl that the brand itself would shutter, Rhonda Bromley, its VP of public relations, told Fast Company that those rumors were false, saying at the time, “We have no plans for growth to stop, and will be opening many more stores in both the United States and Canada in 2026.”
