Is Crave Really a Crumbl Copycat? Debunking Utah Cookie War Myths
By Alexander Ross
In May 2022, Crumbl filed federal civil complaints against Crave Cookies and another Utah-based competitor, Dirty Dough. The online rumor mill promptly ignited, with claims that Crave had copied Crumbl's proprietary recipes spread across viral message boards. Court documents told an entirely different story. Crumbl filed suit under the Lanham Act, claiming false designation of origin and trade dress infringement, rather than the theft of proprietary recipes.
Crumbl’s legal team argued that Crave’s packaging, marketing aesthetic, and social media presentation were intentionally designed to confuse consumers into believing the brands were affiliated. Specific complaints targeted:
- The use of long, oblong horizontal packaging designed to present cookies side-by-side.
- The minimalist black-and-white silhouettes utilized across digital branding channels.
- The structure of a weekly rotating menu announced on Sunday evenings to drive weekday foot traffic.
Trade secrets surrounding dough formulations were notably absent from the core claims against Crave. Under United States intellectual property law, basic culinary recipes are notoriously difficult to protect; combinations of flour, butter, sugar, and leavening agents fall into the public domain unless protected by utility patents or demonstrably stolen trade-secret dossiers. Crave’s defense team forcefully pushed back, dismissing the legal claims as "half-baked" monopolistic bullying designed to lock competitors out of standard commercial practices like box containers and rotating inventory models.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
