A cookie company geared toward delivering warm-from-the-oven treats to sleep-deprived students is slowly expanding into Ontario, and Ottawa could be next on the menu.
Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 when Seth Berkowitz, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, began baking and delivering still-warm cookies out of his dorm. Determined to satisfy those late-night sugar cravings, Insomnia Cookies has grown to more than 270 locations in the United States and four in the United Kingdom, mostly in student-central locations near universities and colleges to capitalize on partying, studying or sleepless students.
Options include assorted boxes and packages of warm, freshly baked cookies, but the menu also features “cookie-wiches,” cookie cakes, brownies, blondies, cookies with customizable toppings, and beverages.
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Whether students are studying or on their way home from a night out, Sébastien Piché, vice-president of business development for Canada, said it’s all about the options.
“It’s to provide that late-night snack other than just typical options,” explained Piché. “We’re open late at night, typically in areas that are student residencies and closer to universities or near entertainment districts, and we do retail or delivery up until sometimes 3:30 a.m.”
In September, Insomnia Cookies opened its first Canadian location near York University in Toronto and then quickly opened a second location in Kingston, home to Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College.
Since opening, the Kingston store has had “comparable” earnings to other locations and been growing in popularity as word spreads, said Piché.
“Kingston is great because it’s near Queen’s (University), near the entertainment district and venues and it’s really a hub,” said Piché. “There are very similar crowds there to our other locations, because we cater to student cohorts, but in Kingston it’s a little different.”
The market in Kingston is “broader,” Piché explained, versus Toronto’s “true student campus.” While students seek cookies late at night, Kingston families and customers of all ages have been checking out Insomnia Cookies during the day.
“We’ve been seeing some older demographics, families come to us to try us out and then they keep coming back,” said Piché. “It’s the reality of a student-based approach in Kingston between Queen’s, St. Lawrence College and the Royal Military College. It’s a strong student town, so that aligns well with our DNA in the U.S.
“But we’re having this opportunity for a mixed market, which would be interesting to get in Kingston.”
Ottawa and its large student population is also top of mind as the company looks to expand throughout Ontario, he said. Insomnia Cookies has plans to open an additional four stores in Ontario by the end of 2024 and “build the crowd of insomniacs.”
“(Ottawa) has such a strong student community, it’s just a matter of finding the locations that make sense for us,” Piché explained. “Our mission is really about catering to our late-night insomniacs, whether we’re on campus or elsewhere, who really have a passion for warm, delicious, delivered cookies.”
