Lion Cub’s Cookies opens permanent storefront in Grandview, sees instant popularity

Tyler Saunders, Andres Ibarra
Thu, 01 Jul 2021 01:45:28 +0000
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An inside look of the storefront at Lion Cub’s Cookies in Grandview. Credit: Courtesy of Lion Cub’s Cookies

Dessert fanatics in Columbus can now get the straight-out-of-the-oven cookie taste at Lion Cub’s Cookies’ new storefront in Grandview.

Formerly operating as a pop-up shop serving the Columbus area and offering delivery services during the pandemic, Lion Cub’s Cookies hosted a grand opening for its new location at 1261 Grandview Ave. June 25. Bradley Kaplan, owner of Lion Cub’s Cookies, said the opening was a great success and they sold out of cookies before the store was scheduled to close.?

“We used to, on average, go through around 2,300 cookies a week, so today we went through 3,500 in one day,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan said while operating as a pop-up shop, Lion Cub’s Cookies had a rotating menu. That tradition will continue with the permanent storefront.

“We rotate our menu weekly, so we offer five flavors at a time,” Kaplan said. “We think it’s important because it’s a fun experience for customers to try new things. It’s also fun for us to create new things — it keeps us sharp.”

In the new shop, customers can submit flavors they would like to see on the menu by using an in-store iPad or submitting a request on Lion Cub’s Cookie’s Instagram page.

The rotating menu and creative cookies led Columbus food blogger Lindsey Collier, known as “unofoodiegirl” on Instagram, to visit the cookie shop more than once.

“Every time that he had put out a new flavor, and especially as it went on, I think the flavors had gotten more and more creative,” Collier said. “There are a lot of flavors that do go away for a while but then come back.”

According to its Instagram page, some of the creative flavors boasted by the shop include Monster Cookie, Lucky Charms, Puppy Chow and Peanut Butter Nutella. Despite a constantly changing menu, Kaplan said Chocolate Chip and Cookies n Cream will always be available.?

“We like to keep classic flavors on the menu to give people a reminder of the nostalgic, classic cookie flavors they grew up with as kids,” Kaplan said.

In addition to a multitude of weekly flavors, Kaplan said they also plan to serve seasonal cookies as they did during their pop-up-shop days.

“A perfect example of a seasonal would be, like, the pumpkin cookie and variations of it, such as the pumpkin white chocolate or pumpkin dark chocolate,” Kaplan said.

Inside the shop, customers are able to watch the cookie-baking process to experience the authenticity of Lion Cub’s Cookies. Kaplan said the cookie shop pre-makes the dough and puts it in the freezer to be ready to bake on the day of operation.

“It’s an open kitchen concept here, so that’s why we think it is so important for people to see it — we’re not trying to hide anything, and we are using real ingredients,” Kaplan said.?

With all the focus on business at his new storefront, Kaplan said deliveries and pick-ups are currently on hold, and a new version of the website will hopefully launch in a week or two.

Lion Cub’s Cookies is open on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kaplan said he hopes to expand the store’s hours of operation in the future.