Lion Cub’s Cookies is bringing its thicc desserts to a Grandview storefront

Lion Cub’s Cookies plans to open its first brick-and-mortar location in Columbus with a little help from the community. In addition to announcing the opening of a store at 1261 Grandview Ave. in the spring of 2021, the fresh-baked cookie delivery business launched a crowdfunding campaign on Oct. 21 with some sweet rewards.

“Every single last dollar is truly another building block that people have basically been kind enough to supply us. I look at this as the community is really building this with us,” said founder Brad Kaplan.

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Lion Cub’s was founded in 2019, serving Kaplan’s special recipe for “thicc” cookies that taste like they’re fresh from the oven. Through pop-ups and deliveries, the business has since sold tens of thousands of cookies, according to its IndieGoGo page.

The startup currently operates out of a commissary kitchen, shared with dozens of other local businesses. The fundraiser aims to accumulate $40,000 for equipment to help Lion Cub’s take the next step: purchasing equipment for its permanent space. The Grandview Avenue location is predicted to quadruple Lion Cub’s cookie output.

Within the first hours of its launch, the campaign has already raised 40 percent of its goal, and it’s easy to see why. Rewards include merch, guided baking sessions, cookie dough date nights, and lifetime discounts.

Despite the rough timing for a budding business, Lion Cub’s has grown quickly, thanks to the unparalleled drive and a creative approach from its founder. Kaplan was a civil engineer before Lion Cub’s became his full-time endeavor, and he only began to bake in late 2018. He brought his engineering mindset to baking, isolating ingredients and conducting meticulous research to figure out how to make a thick cookie that always tastes like it’s fresh out of the oven.

“Just like anyone else who makes cookies in their house, you eat them when they come out of the oven because that’s when they’re best,” Kaplan said. “I’m like, ‘Why isn’t anyone striving to give people this level of quality around here?’”

This experimentation occurred while Kaplan was still working nine-hour days and attending business classes at Ohio State. He said he was sneaking into his office’s utility closet and staying up until 4 a.m. to plan the logistics of Lion Cub’s before he got it off the ground.

Now, Lion Cub’s Cookies is Kaplan’s sole focus, and he’s excited for it to keep growing.

“This is a huge milestone for us–to be able to expand our production, give our customers a place to come purchase cookies each day, and eventually expand our delivery areas and capabilities,” said Kaplan. “We’re thankful to have such a supportive community–without them none of this would be possible.”

If you just can’t wait for the storefront to open, cookies can be ordered on the Lion Cub’s Cookies website.

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