Ready for Crumbl? Cookie chain set for grand opening in North Huntingdon
Get ready for posts featuring gourmet cookies to flood your social media feed.
Crumbl Cookies, a fast-growing bakery sensation, is holding its grand opening today and Saturday in North Huntingdon. Owner Tammy Ornowski isn’t sure what to expect as far as turnout goes but said the news has been quickly spreading on Facebook.
General manager Correy Fossick of Penn Borough, a Norwin graduate, said would-be customers for the past several weeks have been driving by and pulling into the parking lot in Huntingdon Marketplace at 714 Mills Drive in the Walmart plaza off Route 30.
“It just seems like everyone is very excited,” he said.
Today’s grand opening will be Crumbl’s first location in the Pittsburgh region. Ornowski, who owns the store along with her husband, Mark, learned about the Utah-based brand after visiting a Columbus, Ohio, location a year ago. Crumbl is the fastest-growing gourmet cookie delivery and takeout company in the United States, according to Business Wire.
Concerns about potential difficulties in hiring enough staff turned out to be unwarranted, she said. The store employs 70 people and has more applicants on file.
“That’s been great, everyone wants to work here,” she said.
Despite being part of a franchise, Ornowski said it’s more like a “mom and pop” store because the couple lives in North Huntingdon. Crumbl has a staple cookie that is always available — milk chocolate — and four or five other specialty flavors that rotate on a weekly basis. All are packaged in a pink box and can be ordered for delivery, takeout or curbside pickup. Other flavors for the week include hazelnut sea salt, blueberry muffin and snickerdoodle.
@crumblcookies ✨ SNICKERDOODLE |???? BLUEBERRY MUFFIN (NEW) |???? HAZELNUT SEA SALT | ???? BIRTHDAY CAKE FT. OREO® #TasteWeekly #Crumbl #CrumblCookies #FYP ♬ original sound - Crumbl Cookies
The business has grown a cultlike following on social media, with people posting weekly reviews to TikTok and other platforms. Trinity Garbacz of Penn Township stopped by Thursday during the soft opening after learning about it from a friend who works there. She’s been following the buzz around Crumbl on social media and is thrilled one finally made it to the area.
“I got literally everything,” she said, opening one of two boxes to show off the cookies.
She said she planned to share them virtually with her Instagram followers.
Other locations around the region are in the works with separate ownership groups. There are more than 370 locations nationwide.
The North Huntingdon store will be open 8 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday for the grand opening and regularly. Weekday hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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