Crumbl Cookies expects North Huntingdon franchise to open in early 2022
Crumbl Cookies, a fast-growing bakery sensation, is coming to Westmoreland County.
Mark and Tammy Ornowski of North Huntingdon plan to open a location in the township in early 2022 after spending months learning about the Utah-based brand that has gained a following on TikTok. Crumbl is the fastest-growing gourmet cookie delivery and takeout company in the United States, according to Business Wire.
“Their social media presence is incredible,” Mark Ornowski said.
“It’s worth the hype, in my opinion,” his wife agreed.
The couple is opening the store in Huntingdon Marketplace in the Walmart plaza off Route 30. Colony Holding Co. owner Don Tarosky Jr. said the cookie store will be 1,800 square feet and flanked by two restaurants. The building is under construction at 714 Mills Drive.
The Ornowskis plan to hire between 50 and 75 employees to man the assembly line that will pump out fresh gourmet cookies in a variety of flavors.
“We’re excited. They bake a lot of cookies every day, so it’s going to be a challenge,” Tammy Ornowski said.
@crumblcookies Any Swifties in need of emotional support right now? ???? ##RedTaylorsVersion ##CrumblCookies ##fyp
Crumbl has a staple cookie that is always available — milk chocolate — and four to 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. Recently, Crumbl has had carrot cake and apple pie cookies as part of the weekly rotation.
Other specialty cookies have included Biscoff Lava, Chocolate Potato Chip, Funfetti, Hazelnut Sea Salt, Muddy Buddy, Pumpkin Pie, Rocky Road, S’Mores and Snickerdoodle.
“We love the traditional flavors, but also like to surprise our customers with new, fun concepts,” Jason McGowan, Crumbl co-founder and CEO, told Business Wire. “My personal favorite is the raspberry cheesecake cookie.”
McGowan started Crumbl in 2017 with his cousin Sawyer Hemsley. Now there are nearly 270 stores nationwide, with a few opening soon in Western Pennsylvania.
The business has grown a cultlike following on social media, with people posting weekly reviews to TikTok and other platforms.
The Ornowskis learned about Crumbl when she stopped at a Columbus location after a youth soccer tournament in March. It sparked an idea for the couple, who already was looking to get into some kind of franchise business.
Mark Ornowski, who has a finance background, got started researching, and the couple decided it would be a good fit.
“We live here, we’re vested in the community,” Tammy Ornowski said. “We wanted to bring something special here.”
They hope to open more stores around the area in the future. They said other ownership groups are opening Crumbl locations in Cranberry, Monroeville and Robinson.
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.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.