How I Built This with Guy Raz Crumbl: Jason McGowan
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Aug 11, 2025 
Jason McGowan, co-founder of Crumbl, transformed a cookie business into a successful restaurant chain by leveraging his tech background. He shares insights on A/B testing recipes and the power of viral marketing, with weekly flavor launches like bubblegum and Almost Everything Bagel captivating customers. Crumbl now boasts over 1,000 locations and a massive social media following, outpacing major brands. McGowan discusses the challenges of scaling rapidly and the importance of fostering customer relationships while maintaining quality in fast expansion.
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Tech Skills Shaped A Food Startup
- Jason learned growth, UX, and experimentation while building social products in Provo and the Bay Area.
- He applied those analytical habits to product tweaks, marketing, and user behaviors at Crumbl.
Built Delivery Tech Before Scale
- Jason McGowan prioritized building routing and delivery tech before scaling stores or menus.
- He treated cookies as a vehicle to validate logistics and home delivery demand early on.
Taste-Tested With A/B Experiments
- Jason McGowan ran controlled taste tests swapping single ingredients to optimize the cookie recipe.
- He asked strangers and family to choose between variants and used that data to make decisions.
