Crave Cookies is a newer National franchise cookie bakery based out of Utah, and they will be opening their first New Jersey location in Gloucester Township on Cross Keys Rd.
The location sits between Sakura and Chipotle, in a unit which previously was a Yogo Factory location.
The front glass windows and door of the unit are covered with distinctive signage announcing the Crave Cookies location, and to conceal any interior construction efforts that are taking place.
Yes there already is a Crave Cookies in Pitman NJ, but the Utah based bakery franchise coming to Cross Keys is unaffiliated with the locally owned “Uptown Pitman” location.
The cookie model for Crave may seem a bit familiar in that they offer 6 different varieties of cookies each week, and rotate through a full menu of 100+ recipes.
Yes, there are some similarities to the Crumbl model.
One big distinction at Crave cookies is they feature “filled” cookies. As an example this week one of their choices is Oreo Cheesecake which has a New York cheesecake filling inside!
They also promote certain styles as a “warm cookie” or “cold cookie”. The warm varieties are served fresh from a hot oven.
Another twist at Crave is they offer “Loaded Sodas” which takes a popular soft drink base and adds flavorings and ingredients to make a completely new delicious drink! As an example, Tropical Napalm starts with Diet Coke and adds in Coconut, Pineapple, and Raspberry flavors!
Crave Cookies – National Bakery, Locally Owned in NJ
The Crave Cookies website shows they currently have 12 locations open in Utah, Tennessee, and Florida.
It seems they are looking to grow quickly though, and their franchise page shows they’re targeting 15 States right now. The Crave franchise model is to sell larger territories to qualified franchisees who can then build multiple locations in that area. So far they have sold out the markets for Nevada, Utah, Indiana and Kentucky with new units to come.
They indicate they have additional limited limited franchise availability in 11 other states including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
I spoke on the phone with local franchisee Steve who with his brother Fred, is opening the Cross Keys location. They are signed on for a larger territory in the area and already have plans for opening several locations. At this time he is not able to disclose those locations.
Steve currently lives in Washington Township and before that lived one town over in Deptford!
The brothers are not new to franchising, having found success with Hand and Stone Massage and Cherry Blow Dry.
The brothers weren’t really looking for another franchise opportunity but were drawn to Crave Cookies because of their high quality product, and also that the brand is in the earlier stages of their national expansion. It reminded them of when the signed on to Hand and Stone massage at the time the brand was just starting it’s national rollout… and that turned out to be very successful for the brothers.
So for Crave it seemed like a perfect combination of a great product and growth opportunities for them to bring a delicious product to our area, and help grow the national presence.
Crave Cookies – Started in Utah, The Birthplace of Cookies!
Crave Cookies started in 2019 in Utah with the owners looking to create a cookie that taste like it came right from grandma’s oven. All of their recipes use the best ingredients including real butter.
Utah is also where Crumbl started, as well as another young but growing cookie franchise… Dirty Dough.
The Crave bakery model focuses on high quality cookies, yet in a simple format (for baking and for customers). As mentioned, they have a similar model to other chains in that they offer a rotating menu of 6 cookies available each week. This allows them to focus on a high quality and delicious product.
Crave Claims they already have over 100 recipes! By rotating them each week they give their loyal customers reasons to come back week after week.
But Crave looks to set them apart in a variety of ways. I already mentioned the filled cookie varieties.
Another unique twist on the brand is they have the recipe for their signature sugar cookie and frosting right on their website. You could literally print it out right now and make one of their signature cookies right at home!
And don’t forget the Loaded Sodas! You pay for the soda and then a small upcharge for the flavor options. The Florida location right now is showing 18 different choices including:
- Fruity Dew (Mountain Dew, Mango Purée, Strawberry Purée)
- Summer Sweet (Dr. Pepper, Coconut, Watermelon)
- Southern Sunrise (Sprite, Strawberry, Watermelon, Peach)
I have not tried Crave Cookies yet as there are no locations nearby so I can’t compare them to their competitors, but I am eager to try their warm cookies with fillings!
Two examples from this week’s cookie menu which offer a center filling are the Fluffer Nutter Butter peanut butter dough, Reese’s pb chips, Nutter Butter chunks and a marshmallow filling.
Oreo Cheesecake cookie is a cookies & cream dough, Oreo chunks, chunks and a New York Cheesecake filling… plus a white chocolate drizzle!
I had a great conversation with Steve but forget to ask how long it will take to build out the store and open up… but I fully expect them to be open this year. But you know I’ll be back for the opening!
Links and Locations
Crave Cookies Cross Keys (Coming Soon)
629 Cross Keys Rd
Gloucester Township, NJ