NORTH OGDEN — The steady march of Utah-based Crumbl Cookies across the state and beyond continues.

Franchisee Blake Parrish, who opened the Riverdale location in June 2019, opened a second Crumbl location in Weber County on Friday, this one on North Ogden. “We know we have a lot of loyal customers in that area,” Parrish said.

Three years ago, the Riverdale location was the 31st Crumbl in the nation, Parrish said. Now there are 400 locations across the country, including the new North Ogden store at 2568 N. 400 East., according to the Crumbl website.

The cookie maker “has grown in leaps and bounds,” said Parrish, a lawyer from Bountiful who runs the two cookie stores with two of his daughters.

The first-ever Crumbl opened in 2017 in Logan, the brainchild of Sawyer Hemsley, then a Utah State University student, and Jason McGowan. It has expanded dramatically since then, with locations in 42 states operated by different franchisees, like Parrish. Parrish says several hundred more stores are in varied stages of development, while corporate headquarters are now based in Orem.

“It’s incredible to me how well it’s been received,” he said.

Maybe the public just wants more sweets. Maybe people like the convenience of buying baked goods rather than making them at home. Whatever it is, sugar seems to be in.

Twisted Sugar, which launched in Layton in 2016, now has around 30 locations in eight states, with more on the way, Mike Jardine, who founded the business, told the Standard-Examiner earlier this year. Twisted Sugar, like Crumbl, offers large, soft cookies in a range of flavors, but also serves up mixed soft drink concoctions.

Then there’s the expansive growth of Utah-based operations like Fiiz and Swig, which offer a range of sugary drinks, known alternatively as dirty sodas or specialty sodas. There are 48 Fiiz locations in five states, 41 of them in Utah, according to the Fiiz website. Swig has 38 locations, most in Utah, according to its website.

Meantime, the crowd at the new North Ogden Crumbl at Friday’s opening was steady, though not out-of-control like the launch of the Riverdale location nearly three years ago. When the Riverdale store first opened, the initial lines of customers seemed unending, lasting for hours.

Friday morning at least, the crowd at the new location was more manageable. Parrish, though, is bullish. “We’re optimistic,” he said.

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