'I JUST WANT COOKIES'
Winnipeggers line up early to get first crack at Crumbl chain's grand opening
Franchisees Kristina Bighill (left) and Paulina Coombs, outside their Crumbl location in the Regent neighbourhood, are planning for a second local spot to open in Tuxedo in 2027. (Photo by Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
THE early birds got their cookies. Klaudia and Jayson Ballantyne were first in line for the grand opening of Winnipeg's first Crumbl location at 1570 Regent Ave. W., arriving at 2 a.m. Friday — six hours before the cookie chain location was set to open.
The brother and sister brought their lawn chairs and blankets and hunkered down. Roughly 90 minutes later, by their count, the next customers arrived.
By the time a pink ribbon was cut to open the store at 8 a.m., a line of customers was wrapped around the strip mall where Crumbl is located.
"It started as a running joke," Klaudia said of arriving early, after buying 24 cookies and six drinks.
Eventually, negative comments online about Crumbl — that it's "a flop, you'll get diabetes from it" — made her want to go early. "Everybody being nasty online, I figured, I'm going to stick it to them," she said.
Crumbl launched in Utah nine years ago and since then has expanded to more than 1,100 stores across all 50 U.S. states. Stores are also located in Canada and Puerto Rico.
However, several U.S. stores have recently closed as sales decrease, according to media reports.
Winnipeg franchisee Paulina Coombs said she isn't concerned.
Crumbl cookies on display at the Regent location. (Photo by Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
"We're a completely different market than the States," Coombs said, standing near the massive lineup Friday morning.
"It might be slightly oversaturated in the States. Here, we don't have a lot of things like this. It's a reputable brand, as well."
Coombs and business partner Kristina Bighill first contacted Crumbl about opening a Winnipeg location in 2022. They announced plans for their Regent store last year, and are planning to open a second shop in Tuxedo next summer or fall.
Coombs and Bighill were not surprised to see a massive line outside their store when they arrived at 5:45 a.m. Friday.
"This is why we did what we did," Bighill said. "We wanted to bring smiles to Winnipeg people, and we're doing that."
Eighteen staff members were pumping out cookies and making "dirty sodas" — a combination of soft drinks and add-ins such as flavoured syrups — Friday morning.
Banana bread cookies, Dubai-style chocolate brownies and cookies and cream varieties were on display.
Coombs and Bighill have hired about 60 employees. They're estimating they'll sell roughly 15,000 large cookies and 10,000 minis over the course of a few days.
Mike and Olivia Brown arrived at 5 a.m. The Winnipeg father-daughter duo has visited Grand Forks, N.D., specifically for Crumbl.
Staff work behind the counter at the Crumbl grand opening. (Photo by Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
Olivia, 12, enjoys watching videos online of people eating Crumbl cookies. The chain announces new flavours weekly.
Social media is also where eight-year-old Hayleigh Staples learned of Crumbl. She showed up in Yoshi pyjamas with a hunger for an Oreo-style cookie.
Simity Ghebreslassie, 13, shrugged that she got to Crumbl "really late" — at 8:05 a.m.
"I just want cookies," Simity said. "And I heard great reviews about them."
Crumbl was raffling off free cookies for a year. Mayor Scott Gillingham and NDP MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz attended the Friday morning ribbon-cutting.