The Lion Cub’s Cookies Story
One Thanksgiving dessert turned into the #2 Cookie Shop in the Nation. Bradley started Lion Cub’s Cookies in Columbus, Ohio in 2019. Now we bake in Grandview Heights and Worthington.
Where the name Lion Cub’s comes from
(Blame the hair)
It was Bradley’s childhood nickname. He had a huge, wild mane of hair, a ton of energy, and was, by his own admission, pretty badly behaved. His dad called him his lion cub. Their running bit: his dad would announce he was going to the petting zoo, then pet Bradley’s hair.
So these are the lion cub’s cookies. That’s where the apostrophe comes from.
How Lion Cub’s Cookies started
(Spoiler: a pumpkin cookie)
In November 2018, Bradley’s mom asked him to bring dessert to Thanksgiving. He’d never baked a cookie in his life. He made his first ever batch of pumpkin cookies and got completely hooked.
He spent the next several months baking nonstop, making multiple batches every day and working to perfect every recipe, until he was sure of one thing: these cookies were too good to keep to himself. In May 2019, Lion Cub’s Cookies was officially born, even if nobody outside his kitchen knew it yet.
Our first cookie, sold at the North Market
(December 2019)
On December 14, 2019, we sold our very first cookie at a pop up at the North Market in Columbus. We did six pop ups there, and every one was busier than the last.
By early 2020 we were baking out of a shared commercial kitchen on the east side of Columbus with three part time team members. Bradley was still working full time as an engineer.
2020: the year we became a cookie delivery company
(To keep our team working)
Then COVID hit. Pop ups were done. Our kitchen sat behind a gate and a fence, so pickup was out too.
Two of our three team members were suddenly out of work. They asked Bradley if he could keep them busy. That’s the moment everything changed.
So we started our own delivery service. No apps, no third party, just our team, staying busy and getting our cookies to a city that was falling in love with them. We built a website (orders used to come in through Instagram DMs) and hit a different Columbus neighborhood every day. The first day online orders opened, so many people ordered at once that our web host thought we were under attack. The site crashed.
We kept hiring drivers. In May 2020, Bradley quit his engineering job to do this full time. And when it was time for a real shop, Columbus helped us hit our crowdfunding goal in 30 hours.
Our Columbus cookie shops
(Lines around the block, both times)
Grandview Heights gets a cookie shop
(June 25, 2021)
Our first shop opened with a line down the street and around the block all day. We started out open Friday to Sunday, then added a day at a time until we were open Tuesday through Sunday.
1261 Grandview Ave, Grandview Heights, OH 43212
Hours and directions
Worthington gets one too
(March 8, 2024)
Shop number two. Same thing: a line around the block from open to close. Worthington is open seven days a week.
7105 N High St, Suite 120, Worthington, OH 43085
Hours and directionsWhy we do this
Lion Cub’s started because a few people needed work, and that’s still the reason we grow. Every new shop and every busy Saturday means more jobs and more chances for the people on our team. The cookies are how we do it.
What we bake
(We call it NewStalgic)
We take the flavors you grew up loving and turn them into something you’ve never had before. Fresh cookies made from scratch every day. See the menu here, ship cookies nationwide, or send corporate cookie gifts.
Chocolate Chip, Cookies ‘n Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Snickerdoodle and Rainbow Iced Sugar. Always on.
Four flavors change on the 1st of every month.
A flavor that changes at the start of every week: Mondays in Worthington, Tuesdays in Grandview.
10 flavors on the menu every day we’re open
Plus some specials on the weekends ↓
Half cookie, half brownie, all chaos. Start with the Basic B: chocolate chip cookie, a double stuffed OREO, brownie and M&M’s.
Looks like a cinnamon roll, made like a cinnamon roll, but rolled with cookie dough. Brunch, handled.
We got accolades…
#2 Cookie Shop in the NationUSA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice 2025
Best Cookies in ColumbusColumbest 2022 to 2026Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Lion Cub’s Cookies?
Lion Cub’s Cookies was founded in 2019 by Bradley, an engineer who taught himself to bake. He grew up in Cleveland, lives right here in Columbus, and has run Lion Cub’s full time since May 2020. We’re a local business, not some big corporation.
When did Lion Cub’s Cookies open?
We sold our first cookie at the North Market on December 14, 2019. Our Grandview Heights shop opened June 25, 2021, and Worthington opened March 8, 2024.
Where are you and when are you open?
Grandview: 1261 Grandview Ave, Grandview Heights, OH 43212 · 614-947-0038. Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, Sunday 9am to 9pm, closed Mondays.
Worthington: 7105 N High St, Suite 120, Worthington, OH 43085 · 614-396-7473. Monday 9am to 9pm, Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, Sunday 9am to 9pm.
How does your menu work?
Ten flavors every day we’re open: five staples that never leave, four monthly rotators that drop on the 1st, and one weekly special that changes Mondays in Worthington and Tuesdays in Grandview (Grandview is closed Mondays). Fridays and Saturdays bring the Brookie Bombs, and Sundays mean Cinnamon Rollies. Same menu at both shops.
What is a Brookie Bomb?
A warm cookie base, a stuffed center and a layer of fudgy brownie on top. Our signature is the Basic B: chocolate chip cookie, a double stuffed OREO, brownie and M&M’s. They’re about twice the size of a regular cookie and only around on Fridays and Saturdays.
What’s the Sunday Cinnamon Rollie?
It looks like a cinnamon roll and it’s made like a cinnamon roll, but it’s rolled with cookie dough instead of pastry. Sundays only, at both shops. Brunch, handled.
Do you deliver?
Yep. We deliver to the area around each shop. Enter your address when you order to check. Order on our website and a driver brings it straight from our oven to your door.
Do you ship cookies?
We do. Cookies and Brookie Bombs ship anywhere in the lower 48 by UPS 2nd Day Air, Monday through Wednesday. Every cookie is individually wrapped and packed in a Lion Cub’s branded box.
Do you cater?
Absolutely. Office party, birthday, game day, you name it. Order online up to 288 cookies, for pickup or delivery, up to 45 days out. Just give us at least 3 hours’ notice. Need more than 288? Email hello@lioncubscookies.com and we’ll make it happen.
How should I store and reheat cookies?
Keep cookies and Brookie Bombs in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 2 to 3 months.
To reheat, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Bake, then let them rest for 5 minutes.
| Room temp | Frozen | |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies | 4 to 6 min | 8 to 12 min |
| Brookie Bombs | 9 to 11 min | 10 to 12 min |
Careful, the insides can be hot. Let them cool a bit before you dig in. And skip reheating anything with icing or toppings. Those are best as is.
How do you handle nut allergies?
Any cookie with nuts says so in its name or description. We clean dough equipment before and after nut batches, use separate spatulas for nut cookies, and use different colored liners for cookies with allergens, among other precautions. Our nut free dough is made on equipment that also processes nuts, so if a nut allergy is a real risk, please skip our cookies.
Gluten free or vegan?
Not right now. Never say never, though.
How do I join Roaring Rewards?
Sign up for Roaring Rewards and get 50 free points. Prefer texts? Text JOIN to 855-873-9552.
How do I become a taste tester?
Join Roaring Rewards and follow @lioncubscookies. Every Taste Test Tuesday we try out new cookies, and members get first dibs.
