Biz Buzz: Crumbl Cookies opening in Rexburg, and it’s giving out free cookies
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Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BRIEF
REXBURG
Crumbl Cookies opening Rexburg location this week
REXBURG — The space formerly occupied by D & L Cleaners inside Hemming Village in Rexburg is getting a new tenant.
Crumbl Cookies is opening its third eastern Idaho location in between Gator Jacks and Downeast. Erick Wills, the store manager and franchisor tells EastIdahoNews.com the grand opening is Thursday, Jan. 16, and Friday is free cookie day.
“Every person coming through the door gets a free chocolate chip cookie (on Friday),” Wills says. “I’m sure there will be lines around the corner, even with the bad weather.”
The Chamber of Commerce is hosting a ribbon-cutting at the restaurant at noon Friday.
Crumbl Cookies offers a rotating menu of 100 different flavors, with four new specialty flavors each week. The restaurant also offers 25 different flavors of a smaller catering cookie available all the time.
Cookies can be bought in the store or delivered to your home.
Wills says the business model will stay the same as other locations, but the layout, look and feel of the new store will be a little different.
“It has a better flow in terms of the cooking and dressing of cookies and delivery to the customer,” he says. “Having gone through training with our employees, I’m really excited about how the flow has gone and how we’ll be able to deliver for our customers.”
The new layout is designed to get people in and out quicker, Wills says, and is more aesthetically pleasing.
“Customers will not be right in the middle of baking, but they’ll be able to see everything that’s going on. It’s a very open concept but at the same time very clean,” says Wills.
Wills and his wife have been Crumbl Cookie customers since the company was formed in 2017. Wills has taught business and economic development at Madison High School for the last 15 years. He and his wife were looking for something to keep them busy during their retirement years, and when they learned the space in Hemming Village was available, they decided to open a Crumbl Cookie location.
“We started looking at different franchise opportunities, and Crumbl Cookie was first and foremost (on our list),” says Wills. “My eldest daughter (worked at Crumbl) with Sawyer Hemsley (in Utah), who is the founder of Crumbl.”
RELATED | New cookie shop opening in Ammon soon
That connection made opening the cookie restaurant even more appealing to the Wills. Construction on the Hemming Village location began in October.
Crumbl Cookies opened a store in Ammon and Pocatello last spring and summer, respectively. Since then, three locations have opened in Boise, Nampa and Meridian. A Twin Falls store is scheduled to open in the next several weeks.
RELATED | Crumbl Cookies opens new east Idaho location
The company has continued to grow nationwide as well. It has 84 locations across the country with more in the works.
Wills says cookies are becoming an increasingly popular food option because they offer a taste of home in a fast-paced world, and he’s excited to provide them for customers in Rexburg.
“We’re obviously not the only cookie place in town, but every person I’ve talked to says they’re so excited to have Crumbl come to the community,” he says. “We’re excited to have something we can call our own and have Rexburg call its own as well.”
Crumbl Cookie is at 160 West 2nd South, Ste. 102 in Rexburg. It will be open 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday.
BIZ BITS
Local company hosting ag summit this weekend
BLACKFOOT — Spudnik Equipment Company is launching an agriculture summit that will coincide with the Idaho Potato Conference and Ag Expo. The two-day event kicks off this Saturday and will take place at Spudnik’s Blackfoot facility. It will conclude with the company’s annual customer appreciation dinner on Tuesday, Jan. 21. There will be production facility tours and education sessions Monday and Tuesday and a career night on Monday. Spudnik’s ag summit is free to attend, but registration is required. We will be attending the summit this weekend and will post an in-depth story soon.
Idaho Falls Pediatrics opening new office in Ammon next month
AMMON — The construction of the new office for Idaho Falls Pediatrics on Eagle Drive in Ammon has been getting a lot of attention over the last year. Jamie Howard, the office manager for the clinic, tells EastIdahoNews.com construction is winding down, and the building is scheduled to open Monday, Feb. 3. A grand opening is in the works when the weather is warm, and new playground equipment will be installed later this year as well. An exact date for the grand opening has not been determined, but Howard says they’re hoping to do it in the spring. A more in-depth story will be posted soon.
Local utility company pays out more than $1 million to customers
REXBURG – Fall River Electric Cooperative mailed checks to nearly 6,500 of its owner-members (customers) this week, totaling $1.01 million. This cash payout is part of its patronage capital program. Fall River Electric operates as a nonprofit cooperative, and is owned by the customers. When revenues collected by the co-op exceed operating costs, those extra revenues become patronage capital, which is then disbursed to its owner-members on an approximate 20-year cycle. EastIdahoNews.com recently met with Fall River Electric and will post a more in-depth story soon.
SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
ASHTON
Have you taken the Big Jud challenge? Ashton burger joint to celebrate 25 years of business
ASHTON — Just off U.S. Highway 20 inside the travel plaza in Ashton is Big Jud’s, a popular diner and pit stop for tourists on their way to Yellowstone National Park.
It’s one of two locations in eastern Idaho and four in the Gem State.
Since 1996, it’s been the home of the 1-pound burger and hungry customers stop in throughout the year to take the Big Jud challenge, which consists of eating the entire burger, a massive plate of fries and drink in 30 minutes or less.
Those who complete the challenge get their picture included on the wall of fame and a T-shirt commemorating their success.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
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