---
title: "Crumbl Founders to Step Down as Leadership Transition Begins"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/92bc4253-02ad-4e99-ba1b-8b38ded0752c
source: "QSR Magazine"
original_url: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/crumbl-founders-to-step-down-as-leadership-transition-begins/
author: "Ben Coley"
category: "Bakery & breakfast"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Bakery & breakfast"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2026-05-12T19:44:02.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:18:23.358Z
image: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/crumblcookievariety.jpg
---

# Crumbl Founders to Step Down as Leadership Transition Begins

**TL;DR:** Crumbl founders Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley are stepping down from day-to-day operations, remaining on the board as the company seeks new leadership. The founders will remain involved as board members, with McGowan as chairman, after a planned leadership transition.

*By Ben Coley, originally published in QSR Magazine on 2026-05-12. [Read the original](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/crumbl-founders-to-step-down-as-leadership-transition-begins/).*

## Story

The founders of Crumbl are stepping away from their executive roles.

CEO and cofounder Jason McGowan announced Monday that he, chief brand officer and cofounder Sawyer Hemsley, and chief technology officer Bryce Redd will resign from day-to-day operations once they find replacements.

McGowan described it as a planned leadership transition, with the help of investors.

Each executive will remain involved as board members, including McGowan as chairman. He emphasized that they are all “still deeply invested in this company, our franchise partners, and in where Crumbl goes from here.”

“Over the past several years, Crumbl has grown from a single store into something none of us could have imagined when we started,” McGowan said in the social media post. “That growth has only happened because of the people who have built it alongside us, our franchise partners, our headquarters team, and the customers who keep showing up week after week.”

McGowan and Hemsley, who are cousins, founded Crumbl in 2017 in Utah. Over the years, the company grew quickly thanks to its unique cookie flavors, weekly drops, and social media virality. In 2025, it was revealed that TSG Consumer Partners—the same firm that invested in Dutch Bros before it went public—obtained a minority investment.

Crumbl finished 2025 with 1,101 U.S. restaurants, growing by a net of 42 units year-over-year. That’s after gaining a net of 87, 281, and 364 shops in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The chain remains one of the fastest-growing dessert chains in the country.

The company reported average gross sales of $1.139 million and median sales of $1.093 million last year, according to its FDD. Its top-performing store generated $3.42 million, while the lowest reported $365,129.

The $1.139 million average marked a nearly 16 percent year-over-year decline from $1.35 million in 2024. That 2024 figure was up 17 percent from $1.16 million in 2023, which itself represented a notable drop from 2022, when average unit volumes reached $1.84 million.

McGowan indicated in his social media post that Crumbl’s growth trajectory will continue.

“This next chapter gives the company an opportunity to focus on scale, sharpen the experience for customers and franchise partners, and continue pushing the product innovation that has always set Crumbl apart,” McGowan said.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- Ben Coley (person)
- leadership transition (topic)
- company growth (topic)
- Crumbl (company)
- TSG Consumer Partners (investor)
- Jason McGowan (person)
- Sawyer Hemsley (person)
- TSG Consumer Partners investment in Crumbl (deal)
- Bryce Redd (person)

---
Originally reported by Ben Coley, QSR Magazine (https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/crumbl-founders-to-step-down-as-leadership-transition-begins/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/92bc4253-02ad-4e99-ba1b-8b38ded0752c).