Miami man goes to Crumbl. Then he catches a worker doing something that changes his mind about eating there: ‘Insomnia cookies would never’
A Crumbl Cookies shopper in Miami noticed a potential health hazard that’s making him reconsider the company’s soft, tear-apart treats.
Zlatadubois, @zlatadubois, a TikTok content creator with over 15,000 followers, posted a video on Jan. 11 that has managed to garner 33.9 million views within the span of five days. In it, he simply takes a video of something treacherous that has many people rethinking their weekly Crumbl Cookies orders.
What did Zlatadubois see? An event somewhat similar to “Burger King Foot Lettuce,” but unique all on its own. As a quasi ‘sock-gate’, an employee at the location put their foot—with no shoes—on a baking pan, inadvertently rubbing sweat and who knows what else onto the tray. While it’s possible that some of the bacteria from this could come off during a routine bake, it still had many viewers gagging and getting the ick from their previous favorite cookie company.
What are some of the biggest risks to ‘sockgate’?
If the baking pan isn’t used to bake cookies and regular products are placed on it, then all of those products are technically contaminated.
Studies from 2019 have concluded that socks can be an “overlooked pathogen threat.” Socks worn on floors can contaminate bed linens and other fabrics. Despite being made out of a different material, it is evident that microbes can very quickly transfer surfaces upon contact, and that socks collect bacteria, especially when they’re worn without shoes.
Cross-contamination is also a general, huge risk within kitchens. Bacteria and certain fungi can grow in over-worn socks. And yes, they can transfer to other surfaces, even with trace contact.
Where did ‘Crumbl sockgate’ occur?
Zlatadubois exposed exactly which Crumbl Cookies location the footgate occurred at in an update video. The situation occurred at the Hammock Landing location in West Melbourne, Florida.
The store currently has a 4.7/5 rating on Restaurantji, which compiled data from Google Reviews, Facebook and Foursquare. Customers say that the location is always fast with great service.
One Google reviewer, Katelyn Giesinger, had a negative experience in 2024, saying, “I love coming here but unfortunately today I bought the blue monster chocolate chip cookie and I was enjoying it but then I came across something oddly chewy in my cookie, so I spit it out. It appears to be part of a butter stick wrapper in my cookie. When I pay $5 for a cookie I don’t expect to have inedible things in my cookie. Very disappointing.”
But the location does have mostly positive reviews. It raises little red flags when it comes to previous customers’ experiences. Now, though, many customers are opting to post Google Reviews claiming that their cookies “taste like feet” after seeing Zlatadubois’s post. One reviewer, Samantha Manasiev, left a simple foot emoji to express her disgust at the company’s no-shoe business practices.
@zlatadubois ♬ original sound – Zlata Dubois
How are commenters reacting to Crumbl ‘sockgate’?
Commenters started to humorously refer to the West Melbourne location as “Fungal Crumbl.” Others took the opportunity to finally share, after years of theoretical Crumbl supremacy, that they never liked the establishment in the first place.
Viewers even recommended that the employee adopt new footwear, as “Crocs” are not generally work-safe. Regardless, it seems like many customers might be avoiding this particular Crumbl location in the near future.
The Mary Sue reached out to the Crumbl in Hammock Landing via email. We’ve also reached out to Zlatadubois via TikTok direct message for comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
