At a Glance
- A TikTok clip shows a Crumbl worker resting a sock-clad foot on baking trays, then racking up 33 million views and 2 million likes.
- The customer filmed the scene at the West Melbourne, Florida, store before canceling the order on-screen.
- Crumbl says the footage is more than a year old and the location has since “transitioned to new ownership.”
Why it matters: The incident fuels social-media scrutiny of food-safety practices at fast-growing chains.
A now-viral TikTok has thrust Crumbl into the spotlight after a Florida employee was caught resting a bare foot on a stack of metal baking sheets. The 11-second clip, posted Sunday, Jan. 11, shows the worker-wearing black socks and Crocs-slipping one foot out of a shoe and propping it on the trays while scrolling a phone behind the counter.
The camera, held by a customer selecting cookies on the self-service screen, zooms in on the foot, then pans back to the order terminal as the patron taps “cancel” and says, “I’m not eating from here.”
The Video That Took Off
Within hours the post exploded:
- 33 million views
- 2 million likes
- Thousands of stitched reactions and duets
Comment threads filled with disgust and jokes. “She did this in front of customers… imagine when we not watching,” one user wrote. Others mocked the brand’s absence from its own comment section: “Crumbl be in everybody comments but nowhere to be found in there.” Memes of foot-shaped cookies labeled “fungal crumble” quickly followed.
OSHA Footwear Questions
Several viewers pointed out that the worker’s Croc slippers may violate OSHA guidelines for protective footwear in food-production areas. “Most kitchens require closed-toe, non-slip shoes,” noted one commenter, tagging the federal agency.
Follow-Up Footage
The original poster uploaded two additional clips:
- A still image of the West Melbourne storefront with the caption “looking for the girl with the black socks.”
- A short clip of the poster’s mother entering the store days later; no employee was identified.
## Company Response
Amanda S. Bennett reached out to News Of Los Angeles and received a statement from a company spokesperson:
> “The original video is over a year old and does not reflect appropriate operations. Employees are trained on strict health and safety standards that are expected to be followed at all times. Since the video was recorded, the store has transitioned to new ownership, and appropriate action was taken with the employee involved.”
The statement added that Crumbl is “committed to maintaining safe, clean and professional environments in all locations.”
No Further Details
The spokesperson did not specify:
- The exact date of the incident
- The nature of the disciplinary action
- Whether the employee still works for Crumbl at a different location
Social Media Fallout
Search interest for “Crumbl health violations” spiked 600 percent the day after the repost, according to Google Trends data cited by local news outlets. TikTok users continue to flood the brand’s recent promotional posts with foot emojis and cookie puns.
Key Takeaways
- The footage is old, but the backlash is fresh, showing how quickly past lapses can resurface online.
- Crumbl’s reply distances the current franchisee from the event but offers no granular transparency.
- The incident underscores how single moments of perceived unsanitary behavior can rattle consumer trust in rapidly expanding food chains.
