Crumbl Expands Its Empire With New Savory Pie Chain

Crumbl, the fast-growing bakery chain with a rotating cookie menu, has established itself as a social media phenom and a fierce competitor within its category. And now, Nation's Restaurant News reports that Crumbl is ready to take on a new, more savory challenge as it continues to scale up.

In 2023, Crumbl acquired Crust Club, a Utah business that focuses primarily on savory pies. The small business only has one location, but Crumbl is ready to franchise the brand and is opening a second location within the state. Beyond that, Crumbl has not revealed many specifics regarding its plans for Crust Club, but recent moves made by the cookie chain indicate it could be looking to blend the two brands together.

After all, the chain did slice off the "cookies" part of its brand name recently. This was possibly Crumbl's way of showing its plans to expand beyond a single baked treat, just as Dunkin' (Donuts), Edible (Arrangements), and Jamba (Juice) have done with their branding. Even more interesting is the fact that Newsweek reported back in October that Crumbl was testing out savory hand pies at one of its restaurants in Utah, in flavors such as Shepherd's Pie, BBQ Mac, Pizza, Ham & Cheesy Potato, Bacon & Egg, and Chicken Pot Pie. The pies were priced at $4.49 per pie or a $14.99 for a four-pack.

The limited pie test received mixed reviews across social media, with some saying that Crumbl's expansion into savory goods could open up the brand to a new audience while others worried the pies were too far outside Crumbl's wheelhouse to be successful. Newsweek was unable to get a comment from Crumbl at the time. But considering the timing of the acquisition and Crumbl's recently announced plans to expand Crust Club, it wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that we'll soon see the two concepts united under one menu.

Crust Club does offer casseroles, pastas, and soups, but its main focus is on its take-and-bake pies, which come in flavors like BBQ Mac Pot Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, and Ham and Cheesy Potato Pot Pie (notably similar offerings to what Crumbl was testing in Utah). The small business also sells sweet pies, including Key Lime Pie, Cookies and Cream, and Apple Pie, as well as a small-format version called Pie Bites.

Since being acquired, Crust Club has already taken a few pages from Crumbl's playbook. The pie business has begun rotating its menu in a similar manner to Crumbl's weekly flavor drops, and it recently introduced a "VIP group" whose members can get sneak peeks and win giveaways.

It's still unclear whether Crumbl will be introducing savory pies to its own menu. A spokesperson for the brand told Nation's Restaurant News that the company still isn't sure, but Crumbl's learnings will help grow Crust Club.