Dozens Of Crumbl Cookie Locations Closing, Including In Illinois

Cookie chain Crumbl is closing about 60 stores nationwide.

Crumbl Cookies, which began as a single bakery in Utah in 2017, became a national franchise with about 1,100 locations in the U.S. After hitting it's post-pandemic peak, it seems to be on the decline.

The performance of the franchises across the country varies greatly but overall, it's not looking good for Crumbl: an internal document showed that sales in August 2026 were down 70% from the last 2 years. Customer traffic was down 32% from last year.

The Attempt At Dirty Sodas

Crumbl tried to cash in on the trend of 'dirty sodas' (sodas with a bunch of additives like creamers, flavorings, etc.). Crumbl CEO Jason McGowan projected that dirty sodas would increase sales by 20% in 2025 and bring in $1.1 million to $2 million.

That didn't happen.

Illinois Crumbl Locations Closing

In Illinois, there are currently 34 Crumbl stores. The 2 affected by this round of closures are the ones at 1441 N. Wells St. in Chicago and 1530 E. Lake Cook Road in Wheeling.

For this round of franchise closures, Crumbl stores in 10 states are affected. An unofficial tracker is following the dozens of stores that have closed already this year and will close as the year goes on.

Crumbl's Future

The chain of pink cookie boxes is facing an uphill battle, according to restaurant business insiders. The forecast cites the decline in sales, customer traffic, change in leadership, and the stores being put up for sale by the franchise owners. There's not a list from the company of stores projected to close in 2027 yet, but it is expected to be more.