Ready to Crumbl: Fountain Valley gets new cookie shop
Kevin Nguyen cheerfully promised a box of a dozen cookies to a neighboring business on Wednesday afternoon.
The Huntington Beach resident is the owner of the new Crumbl Cookies location in Fountain Valley, and he was preparing for its highly anticipated grand opening event on Friday.
It would appear that the shop at 18900 Brookhurst St. is set up for success. The adjacent businesses almost seem complementary, including a pizza parlor next door. Come for the pizza party, stay for dessert.
There is also a dentist in the same parking lot, so perhaps diligent tooth cleaners will look to reward themselves for going months without new cavities.
Nguyen, 37, who grew up in Garden Grove and graduated from Santiago High in 2006, said he always had a sweet tooth for all desserts, from ice cream to cookies, from boba to shaved ice. As an Orange County native, he never felt starved for appetizing eats.
“I’ve always been a big foodie kind of person, and Orange County is pretty much the hub with … a variety of food,” Nguyen said. “You can go down the street for some good Vietnamese food, or you can drive 10 minutes away for some good Mexican food, and then you come back and get some good American food.”
When the opportunity to partner with Crumbl came up, Nguyen jumped at the opportunity to own a franchise. In particular, he said a rotation of available menu items had kept his interest.
“The great thing about Crumbl is that they’ve always had a variety of cookies,” Nguyen said. “I would never be bored of just one flavor. Every week, they rotate their cookies, and being a dessert kind of person, it caught my eyes.”
He added that he was always waiting for Sunday to see the new flavors of the week.
A select number of cookie enthusiasts got the first bite of the Mom’s Recipe, chocolate cake and pink velvet cake offerings at a sneak peek event on Wednesday.
Among the attendees for the preview were a handful of social media influencers, spreading the word of the shop’s impending opening to the foodie network at large.
Channel Ellorin, one of the content creators, said the foodie community is “very supportive.” She also said foodies help market eateries that struggle to reach potential customers with shortening attention spans.
“I’m very particular about my cookies,” Ellorin, a Long Beach resident, said after her initial taste test. “It has to have a crispy edge, soft and chewy center. … They had that variety, whether it was a chocolate chip cookie, or the other one was more of a cakey type of cookie. … I like that they do have the variety of both types of cookies to cater to what people would want.”
Foodies, ultimately, are sharing their passion, a principle that guided Nguyen in his decision to open a cookie shop.
“You have to love what you do for you to keep going,” Nguyen said. “If you don’t believe in what you do, then you’re just going to get bored. … Everybody has a passion, and I’m a big believer in finding that passion and just continuing to strive for it.”
The new cookie shop treated visitors to free milk chocolate chip cookies on Friday for attending the grand opening, which featured a DJ, a balloon artist and face painting.
Business hours for the location will be from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays. The store will remain open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and it will be closed on Sundays.
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