The shuttered San Diego bakery was located at 8110 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Suite 103, in the Mira Mesa neighborhood. The location closed in April 2026, according to published reports, and its Uber Eats listing now explicitly identifies the business as permanently closed, with delivery service discontinued as of April 20. The location has also disappeared from Crumbl's official directory of San Diego-area stores.
The Mira Mesa shutdown is among at least seven California Crumbl closures reported in 2026, alongside locations in Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Hanford, Ladera Ranch, Cupertino and Westlake Village. Nationwide, at least 57 Crumbl bakeries have closed this year, according to an October investigation by industry publication Restaurant Business, a remarkable development for a company that was recently celebrated as one of the fastest-growing restaurant concepts in the United States.
The financial figures behind the closures are particularly striking. According to internal company documents obtained by Restaurant Business, Crumbl's August 2026 sales were approximately 70% lower than two years earlier, while customer traffic fell 32% compared with August 2025, based on data from retail analytics company Placer.ai. Several franchise operators reportedly described August as the worst month in the company's history.
The decline has been building for years. Crumbl's average annual sales per location reached approximately $1.84 million in 2022, fell to $1.16 million in 2023, recovered somewhat to $1.36 million in 2024 and declined again to $1.14 million in 2025. Those figures represent a substantial deterioration in store-level revenue even before the particularly difficult summer of 2026.
The chain's struggles are a sharp contrast to its meteoric rise. Founded in Utah in 2017 by cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley, Crumbl transformed a single bakery into an international phenomenon through its rotating weekly menu, distinctive pink boxes and relentless social media marketing. During the pandemic, videos featuring cookie reviews, elaborate frosting designs and limited-edition flavors helped turn the brand into a sensation, particularly among younger consumers.
By 2024, Crumbl had surpassed 1,000 locations nationwide, following an aggressive franchise expansion that included nearly 300 new stores in 2023 alone. Its TikTok account attracted more than 10 million followers, while collaborations with celebrities and influencers helped fuel the perception that trying the newest Crumbl flavors was a weekly ritual.
But the same business model that propelled the company's growth has become a source of concern as consumer enthusiasm wanes. Crumbl's premium-priced cookies, which can cost approximately $5 apiece, compete for discretionary spending at a time when many Americans are becoming more selective about dining out and purchasing specialty desserts.
In an effort to reinvigorate sales, Crumbl expanded beyond cookies into cakes, brownies and other desserts, while also introducing a line of so-called dirty sodas, soft drinks mixed with flavored syrups, cream and other ingredients. The beverage initiative was intended to generate additional customer visits and higher sales, but instead became another disappointment.
According to Restaurant Business, McGowan initially promoted the soda program to franchisees as a potential driver of 20% sales growth. The rollout failed to deliver those results, and some beverages attracted criticism for their extraordinary sugar content, including a 32-ounce offering reportedly containing 186 grams of sugar.
The company has also experienced significant internal turmoil. Restaurant Business reported that Crumbl laid off much of its franchise support staff, while at least 55 franchise locations have been listed for sale through business brokerage websites, raising concerns that additional closures could follow.
McGowan acknowledged responsibility for the company's difficulties during a presentation to franchise operators. "It's my fault where we are today," he reportedly told franchisees, according to Restaurant Business, while discussing the chain's disappointing performance and efforts to stabilize operations.
The company's leadership is also undergoing a transition. In May 2026, McGowan and Hemsley announced plans to relinquish their day-to-day executive responsibilities while remaining involved as board members and founders. The company has been pursuing new executive leadership as it attempts to regain momentum.
Crumbl's financial situation has attracted additional scrutiny following reports that the company obtained up to $500 million in financing or investment commitments from private equity firms in 2025. Despite that financial backing, the chain's weakening sales and widespread franchise closures have raised questions about whether its rapid expansion outpaced sustainable consumer demand.
For San Diego customers, the Mira Mesa closure represents the loss of a bakery that served the area's residential neighborhoods, families and nearby employment centers. Archived delivery reviews establish that the location was operating by at least November 2022, although its precise opening date has not been independently confirmed.
Crumbl has not publicly provided a specific explanation for the Mira Mesa closure, and there is no verified information establishing whether the franchise shut down because of declining sales, lease expenses, labor costs or other financial considerations. The closure's timing nevertheless places it within a much broader wave of shutdowns affecting the company's franchise network.
Despite the setback, Crumbl maintains a substantial presence throughout San Diego County. Its official store directory continues to list locations in La Jolla, Point Loma, Poway, Rancho San Diego, Santee, Chula Vista's Terra Nova and Eastlake neighborhoods, as well as Carlsbad, Oceanside and San Marcos in North County.
The company also remains far from disappearing entirely. Crumbl continues to operate more than 1,000 stores nationwide and more than 100 throughout California, according to October 2026 reporting by the Los Angeles Times and SFGATE. Those numbers demonstrate that the chain remains a major player in the dessert industry, even as its recent financial performance suggests that its period of extraordinary growth may be over.
The broader question is whether Crumbl can transition from a social media-driven novelty into a sustainable restaurant business capable of retaining customers long after the initial excitement fades. With shrinking store-level sales, franchisees seeking buyers, corporate layoffs and an unsuccessful attempt to diversify into specialty beverages, the company faces challenges that cannot necessarily be solved by introducing another colorful cookie flavor.
For San Diego, the closure of the Mira Mesa bakery provides a local example of how quickly fortunes can change in the restaurant industry. Just a few years ago, Crumbl's pink boxes and weekly flavor announcements were synonymous with one of America's hottest food trends. Today, the company is confronting a much less appetizing reality as dozens of locations close and franchise operators struggle to keep their businesses afloat.
Originally published on October 23, 2026.