The millionaire co-founder of American cookie chain Crumbl has broken his silence over the fake pop-up event hosted in Sydney’s Bondi Beach over the weekend.
Foodies and TikTok influencers who lined up for over an hour on Sunday to buy a $17.50 Crumbl cookie claimed they were sold ‘stale’ and expensive days-old imports – instead of a freshly-baked biscuit.
Crumbl co-founder Sawyer Hemsley commented on a TikTok review by influencer Elle the Eastern Suburbs Mum, who lashed out after spending $150 on just 10 cookies.
‘You need to try them fresh in the US! PS: This pop-up is not affiliated with Crumbl Cookies,’ he said.
It marks the first time the US-based franchise has acknowledged the pop-up – which was eagerly attended by legions of Aussie fans who queued to try the cookies.
However, many were left disappointed.
‘I’m starting to feel sick… I can’t believe I waited an hour,’ Elle said in her review.
The event, which was marketed as ‘exclusive’ on the social media account CrumblSydney, sold fans a five-pack of cookies for an eye-watering $75.
Crumbl co-founder Sawyer Hemsley (pictured) has broken his silence on the Bondi pop-up
Sydney influencer Elle spent $150 on 10 cookies at the fake Crumbl pop-up on Sunday
The co-founder left a comment on the influencer’s review, which has over 500,000 views
‘This was like a scam, this is actually very bad,’ TikTok food reviewer Hamze said.
‘It’s so sweet, the texture is just weird, it’s so sugary – I feel like I’m just eating sugar.’
Organisers defended themselves on TikTok earlier on Tuesday arguing the cookies were not stale and that they had never claimed to be an official Crumbl store.
‘Our goal was to bring the authentic Crumbl cookies to Australia by importing the cookies directly from the USA,’ they said.
‘We travelled to the US to purchase the cookies and imported them with their original packaging. We did not bake them ourselves.
‘Crumbl cookies should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, or refrigerated for up to seven days.
‘We kept them to these requirements. Some were warmed to enhance their texture, which is what Crumbl does as well.’
The group said only a ‘couple of influencers’ were disappointed by the quality.
Customers waited ‘hours’ in line to try the famous Crumbl cookies but claimed the imported biscuits were ‘underwhelming’ (pictured, lines in North Bondi on Sunday)
Cookies were sold for $17.50 a piece or five for $75 with fans standing in line for over an hour
‘While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a couple of influencers felt they didn’t meet expectations,’ they said.
‘We apologise that [the cookies] don’t live up to expectations however they are just cookies at the end of the day.
‘While there may be a small difference in quality, some flavours may not appeal to some people.
‘A lot of people have reached out to us who were there saying they were delicious and thank you for selling them.’
Organisers said they had ticked all the legal boxes for the event and made very little profit from the pop-up.
The event, which was marketed as ‘exclusive’ on the social media account CrumblSydney, sold fans a five-pack of cookies for an eye-watering $75 (pictured)
‘This event was never about profit,’ they said.
‘We aimed to bring the cookies to Crumbl fans. Importing and reselling is called parallel imports. Parallel imports are legal.
‘We followed all legal procedures, declaring the cookies as commercial goods and obtaining the necessary approvals from Australian customs.
‘We hope this clears up any confusion. Thank you to those who supported us and gave us valuable feedback.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Crumbl for comment.
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