Dozens of local residents and EIU students lined up for the grand opening of Insomnia Cookies at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Fourth Street Saturday.
News of the company opening a location in Charleston broke in December 2023. The store had a soft opening earlier in the week and has seen consistent business since.
According to its website, Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 in Philadelphia by Seth Berkowitz and Jared Barnett. The founders started the company while attending the University of Pennsylvania. The two would bake cookies in their dorms and sell them to fellow students.
The company strives to fill the void of traditional bakeries not being open late at night. Each location offers its own delivery service until closing, which is 1 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends. Insomnia Cookies is also available on various food delivery platforms.
Insomnia Cookies offers cookies that can be ordered individually or in orders ranging from six to 100.
The bakery also offers cookie cakes, brownies and ice cream with their cookies mixed into their flavors. Insomnia Cookies also prides itself on offering several gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options, a majority of which have the same pricing as their regular menu items.
The Charleston bakery is the company’s 272nd location. Prior to the Charleston location opening, the nearest bakeries were in Champaign and Terre Haute, Indiana.
Those waiting outside were hoping to be some of the first customers, as the first 50 people in line received a free six pack of cookies and company merchandise.
Suzanne Gruszka, a senior psychology major, expressed enthusiasm about the store opening.
“Something new is always exciting,” Gruszka said.
She and her friends were among the first to be in line, waiting in lawn chairs since 9:30 a.m. The grand opening ceremony took place at noon.
The process for opening a new Insomnia Cookies location is quite lengthy and covers many aspects, said Cain Leathers, who oversees marketing for new stores.
“We have a lot of individuals that look at these markets, and we want to satisfy cravings across the country as much as we can,” Leathers said.
He elaborated that the company focuses on areas with a broad clientele during the late-night hours. Leathers also said how the company strives to partner with charitable organizations in the communities they serve.
“A few of our focus points tend to highlight combating homelessness, food insecurity and providing support services for youth and families,” Leathers said.
The company has partnered with local food bank Standing Stone Community Center while opening the new store here in Charleston.
The local location has created approximately 18 to 20 jobs, being a mixture of both full-time and part-time positions. Applicants can apply on their corporate website or various job board websites.
The amount of jobs each store creates varies from market to market.
The Charleston location is anticipated to be the only new location opening in Illinois in 2024.
Jacob Hamm can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmhamm@eiu.edu.
