Insomnia Cookies is a chain of bakeries primarily in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

that specializes in delivering warm

cookies A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

, baked goods, and ice cream. Based in New York and Philadelphia, it was started in 2003 by Jared Barnett and Seth Berkowitz, both students at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. The company has more than 265 stores, mainly located throughout the continental U.S., with international locations in Canada and England. Many stores are located in close proximity to university campuses and cater to students who want to order cookies late at night.

History and operations

The company was co-founded by Jared Barnett and Seth Berkowitz in 2003 while attending the

in Philadelphia. Berkowitz began baking and delivering cookies from a dorm room to students on campus late at night. From there the concept of cookie delivery grew. The first retail store opened in 2003 in Syracuse, New York. Insomnia Cookies is based in New York City and Philadelphia. Insomnia Cookies bakeries are typically located near college and university campuses to target students who wish to order cookies past the closing time of traditional bakeries. Most stores are open from 10:00a.m. until 3:00a.m. Monday-Friday, and from noon until 3:00a.m. on weekends. The company expanded throughout the continental U.S., opening its 100th store in 2016. In 2018

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans ch ...

, financed by

JAB Holding Company JAB Holding Company S.à r.l. (JAB or Joh. A. Benckiser) is a German conglomerate, headquartered in Luxembourg, that includes investments in companies operating in the areas of consumer goods, coffee, luxury fashion, animal health, and fast food, ...

, acquired Insomnia Cookies at a $175mm enterprise value; the company continued to operate independently. In April 2021, the company opened its first store with an experimental CookieLab section, a "cookie

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. In the United State ...

" that offers customizable cookies and a bar with milk and milkshake options. In June 2021, the company opened its 200th store in

Exton, Pennsylvania Exton is a census-designated place (CDP) in West Whiteland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population was 5,622 at the 2020 census. The Exton Square Mall and Main Street at Exton are both located within Exton alon ...

. In October 2023, the company partnered with

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

and ''Scott Cawthon Productions'' to release the 'Freddy Fazbear's Cookie Pizza' in promotion of the ''

Five Nights at Freddy's ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' (''FNaF'') is a video game series and media franchise created by Scott Cawthon that includes video games, novels, graphic novels, and films. The story arcs typically follow a night guard or other character trying t ...

'' movie. In 2023 the company expanded to locations outside of the United States, with the first international bakeries in

Manchester, England Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. More stores were opened in 2024 in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, and the company reached more than 265 locations in North America. In 2024,

sold a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies—at a $350mm enterprise value—to Verlinvest and Mistral Equity Partners.

sold their remaining stake in 2025 for an additional $75mm.

Wage theft lawsuit

The company has faced accusations of wage theft and abuse of employees. In 2023, the company faced a lawsuit brought by employees who worked as delivery drivers. Other suits were brought by former employees at locations in Rochester, New York City, and Auburn Alabama. The company allegedly stole wages from at least 40 workers, according to the lawsuit. One worker claimed that a general manager allegedly called her "sneaky" and a "snake" for calling out the wage theft. The manager allegedly "scolded her for crying after she slipped and fell in the snow" and "put plastic spiders in her delivery bag", according to the lawsuit.

Products

Insomnia Cookies sells 17 types of classic cookies, including

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

options, and a variety of deluxe cookies. Other products include cookie cakes, brownies, milk,

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

, and

ice cream sandwich An ice cream sandwich is a frozen dessert consisting of ice cream between two biscuits, wafers, soft cookies, or other baked goods. The ingredients are different around the world, with Ireland using wafers and the United States commonly using c ...

es.

References

External links

Insomnia Cookies website
{{Fast-food chains of the United States Fast-food chains of the United States Companies based in New York City Companies based in Philadelphia Food and drink companies established in 2003 2003 establishments in Pennsylvania