The Hawk

Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: News

Insomnia cookies are baked fresh in Campion each night.

Saint Joseph's University students have a new option for late night dining this year with Insomnia Cookies setting up shop in the Campion Student Center. Insomnia Cookies offers late night delivery of warm cookies and brownies from 8 p.m. until 2:15 a.m. daily.

A lack of advertising has led to a slow start at the beginning of the semester, but business at St. Joe's has been on the rise, with the number of orders increasing each week, according to Joe Essenfeld, chief operating officer of Insomnia Cookies.

One of the reasons that there was little initial exposure for the company was that the equipment and staffing needs for the St. Joe's location were not fully met at the start of the fall semester.

Food Service Director Tom Rizzo described the first few weeks of the semester as a "soft opening" that occurred until all the employees had been hired and the equipment has been put into place. The soft opening allowed for some of the kinks to be worked out before there was a large demand for cookies.

Rizzo's goal in bringing Insomnia Cookies to the University is to provide more late night options for the students.

"At first it didn't sound like something that I would order when I was in college," Rizzo said, "But the idea of cookies delivered warm was interesting. They provide a good product and were willing to do whatever it took to make it successful [at St. Joe's]."

Insomnia Cookies began four years ago at the University of Pennsylvania. Creator and then-Penn student Seth Berkowitz started the business by making cookies in his dorm room and selling them to fellow students. The company has expanded and its services are now available on 13 different campuses.

Rizzo first heard about Insomnia Cookies at the Penn location over the summer.

"It intrigued me enough to find out about it," said Rizzo.

Some campuses have retail stores, while others are delivery only. St. Joe's has Insomnia Cookies available in the cafeteria at the cash registers during the day and delivers at night. Students can use their declining balance to purchase cookies at the registers during the day, but cannot use it for deliveries at night.

At night, orders can be placed online, or via phone, where "cookie experts" put your order into the computer for you. Essenfeld said that this option is designed to make it easier to order if a computer isn't available.

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