QSR May 2023

fresh ideas

| GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT |

“These operations are attractive now as they can operate in a much smaller footprint, require less labor, have tight stock so management is easier, and can be more flexible with their hours,” explains Maeve Webster, president of Vermont based foodservice consultant Menu Matters. Initial investments for these franchised units are relatively low. Young consumers remain willing to spend on decadent items like big, gooey, rich cookies that offer the “full, immersive sensory experience” and can play with colors and textures, Webster notes. Plus, “cookies are nostalgic, but infinitely variable,” appealing to various customers. That last point is basically echoed by almost everyone in the cookie business. “I think that cookies are timeless,” says Sarah Wilson, chief executive of yet-another Utah based cookie company, Chip Cookies, which launched in 2016 and has about a dozen units in several states. The cookie “is more American than pie. It is embedded in our communities and our diet.” Jenn Johnston, Quick Service Division pres ident of Great American Cookies’ parent FAT Brands, agrees, noting, “Almost everybody loves cookies to some degree, so it is a fun busi ness model.” Unlike newbies like Chip Cookies, Cookie Plug, and Crumbl, Great America Cookies is a veteran.

GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES (BOTTOM) HAS CO-BRANDED STORES WITH MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY.

cookie, even if multiple chains are intent on growth. “It depends on who is using the term and how it is being used,” says Chris Wyland, chief executive of Cookie Plug, based in Riv erside, California. To him, the phrase is a quick way to describe the sudden creation of many fresh-baked cookie chains and the resulting frenemies. Cookie Plug, which features a hip-hop vibe and cookies that are 4 inches in diameter and an inch high, has three dozen com pany and franchised units. “I don’t think anyone is going to confuse us with Crumbl,” which has more than 700 bakery stores nation wide, he says. There are several reasons why cookie chains are increasingly taking center stage.

The franchised gourmet cookie chain, which claims about 370 bak eries, launched in 1977 with its original chocolate chip cookie recipe. In that time, the company has seen several dessert trends come and go. “Different concepts have their time,” Johnston says, and the recent growth in gourmet cookies accelerated due to post-pan demic consumer behavior. “People have been turning to indulgent treats,” adding this response extends beyond individuals to fami lies and groups. Great America Cookies focuses on all these factions, not only through its many scoop-and-bake cookie varieties, but also its popular—and high revenue—cookie cakes, which are “a point of celebration and sets us apart,” she adds. Additionally, the com pany is increasingly co-branding units with FAT Brands’ Marble

COOKIE PLUG (2), GREAT AMERICA COOKIES

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MAY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com