A brand new cookie store is coming to downtown on First Avenue called Insomnia Cookies. The store was founded by Seth Berkowitz in 2003 in Philadelphia and has now expanded to over 250 stores around the country. There are currently four locations in Iowa: Ames, Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, and one that just opened in Cedar Rapids. They offer many different sweet treats like cookies, cookie cakes, ice cream, brownies, and drinks. They have various sizes and flavors of cookies that range in price from three to four dollars or one can buy a pack of an arrangement of flavors.
Drew Owen, the manager at the Iowa City location, has worked there for three and a half years, and said, “Insomnia in Iowa City was doing very well, and we wanted to keep expanding.” The manager at the new Cedar Rapids location is Lisa Krupski. Their business is very unique due to their diverse hours of operation. They are open until 1 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday, and on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they’re open until 3 a.m. With the Cedar Rapids location open, they are currently hiring specifically for drivers. A day-to-day shift at the dessert shop looks very different throughout the day due to the liveliness at night and the desire for delicious cookies and treats. Throughout the week, it’ll look a little slower, but once people are out at night, with friends, or just wanting a tasty treat usually 8 pm to midnight is when the place is mostly busy. Owen said, “The reason why I like working here is because obviously there are free cookies on shift. But also I really like the atmosphere, and the store is like a second family.” Working at Insomnia Cookies seems like a very welcoming place to go get some goodies and enjoy time with friends, family, and even oneself. Owens’s favorite cookie is the double chocolate chunk or the Snickerdoodle.
Addison Dabrowski, junior, works at another popular nation-wide cookie store, Crumbl Cookie. The store has been open for about three years on Blairs Ferry Road and serves mini and big cookies with six flavors that are changed weekly. The cookie flavors come out on Sunday nights. Crumbl’s business started in 2017 and opened its first location in Logan, Utah. Dabrowski said, “My favorite thing about my job is that I get to work with people that are very friendly, and I get to make people happy when giving them delicious cookies.” The busiest days are usually Monday and Friday nights when she works as a salesperson or prepares the baked goods in the back. Dabrowski doesn’t eat the cookies often, but when she does, her favorite is the Pink Sugar Cookie.
With Crumbl Cookies being open for a couple of years now, and Insomnia Cookies coming, there will be a lot of options and opportunities to have great sweet treats. One will be able to enjoy many different authentic goodies from the chain businesses that have been wanted around for a while.
