Crumbl cookie chain nears first Manitoba franchise unboxing

The cookie flavours are a secret for now. The promise of free cookies for a year isn’t.

Manitoba’s first Crumbl location is slated to open Oct. 23 in Winnipeg.

“It has been a long time coming,” said franchisee Kristina Bighill.

She and business partner Paulina Coombs are spending the week training 60 new staff. On opening day, Bighill is expecting around 1,500 people to walk through 1570 Regent Ave. West’s doors.

That’s what happened when a Crumbl cookie store opened in Edmonton, Bighill said.

She and Coombs began trying to bring Crumbl to Winnipeg in 2022 after buying some of its wares in Arizona. The Utah-based chain has ballooned: more than 1,000 stores have opened since 2017.

Videos of cookie unboxings draw thousands of views online. Flavours change weekly; the menu for opening week in Winnipeg can’t be unveiled until Sunday, Bighill said.

Her shop’s first 100 customers receive free T-shirts and stickers. Giveaway winners will snag free cookies for a year.

The 1,300-square-foot space doesn’t include tables for dining. It’s an open kitchen concept, with cookie making on display.

All ingredients come through Sysco Canada, Bighill said. United States tariffs haven’t impacted business, she added.

Customers will likely form lines regardless of the chain’s country of origin — it’s popular and has spread via social media and word of mouth, said Sijie Sun, a University of Manitoba marketing professor.

“Their signature, the large cookie, will really get people’s attention,” he added.

Flavours this week include cookie dough cake, Biscoff crunch brownie, caramel shortbread and Halloween confetti milkshake, among others.

Bighill and Coombs aim to open a second location in the Tuxedo neighbourhood. The building hasn’t been erected yet, Bighill said, adding she hopes to open in summer or fall 2027.

The franchisees have “put out some feelers” for rural locations but are focusing on Regent, Bighill added.

Area demographics, co-tenancy and accessibility are among the factors considered before opening a Manitoba-based Crumbl, said Jared Kushner, an ICI Properties leasing representative.

The Regent Avenue West site will operate from 8 a.m. to midnight on opening day. After, it’ll run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It will close Sundays.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com