Repeated assurances by new management that the routinely tardy late-night dessert delivery business Insomnia Cookies had changed its ways turned out to be half-baked.
And we don’t just mean the cookies.
After three years of supplying decadent delights to the hungry night owls of College Park, Insomnia Cookies has closed following a string of bad managers that developed the cookie café a reputation for notoriously late delivery times.
District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin was not surprised to see the business go under, considering its property’s high rent and that it never seemed to be open, he said.
“I don’t know why Insomnia stayed in the first place,” Catlin said. “It was never much of a business as far as I saw.”
Students, however, remain disappointed.
“I liked having option of fresh cookies or fresh baked brownies,” sophomore French and journalism major Shauna Stewart said. “It was a really nice, creative service to college students. Plus, I always got tired of Diner cookies because they are not hot and fresh.”
In the wake of Danny’s and Wawa closing, Insomnia Cookies becomes the latest casualty on the late-night munching scene. As downtown snacking institutions disappear, students are left with fewer and fewer options for their early-morning food cravings.
College Park Economic Development Coordinator Chris Warren blamed the increasing restaurant turnover in downtown on the high rent prices and stiff competition.
“There are a lot of different eateries, and it’s really competitive,” Warren said. “It takes an experienced, savvy person with experience in the food industry and these places that leave don’t have right product. People are finding that they can’t expect to get all the traffic.”
The strip of properties past Liberty Books and Comics known as Terrapin Station – which includes restaurants like Eats, the former Insomnia space and South Street Steaks – charges $50 per square foot a month, a sharp rise from the $35 per square foot for Campus Village, the strip across from University View, Warren said.
Insomnia Cookies’ corporate office did not return repeated calls for comment.
Warren saw the landlords as the “biggest villains,” often doubling and tripling rent prices in these spaces.
“There are even more landlords with empty storefronts for months or years,” Warren said. “They try to find some sucker to come along.”
He added that the problem could run deeper, as the proliferation of franchises have taken over the area since the ’90s, he said.
“[Franchises] are not going to get any support from the community,” Warren said. “People don’t want franchises. They must have the right product – something unique or people are not going to shop there. These places can’t just expect walk-in traffic. They have to think outside the box.”
Catlin, however, was not sure that franchises were the problem. He rather proposed a business’ success merely depends on its product.
“I think probably in the Terrapin Station, the busiest place in there is Quiznos,” Catlin said. “A majority of people are heading to Quiznos, and you can’t get more franchise-y than that.”
Senior journalism major Aaron Chester echoed Warren’s dissatisfaction.
“The city’s a lost cause as it is,” Chester said. “What can they do other than tear down and rebuild some decent places? There is no character to this town, period.”
Chester relied on the Insomnia’s late-night desserts to satisfy his sweet tooth while hanging out with friends, often ordering the large combos several times a week.
“I used to partake in a certain activity when we ordered the cookies,” Chester said. “That was the primary purpose for the establishment [for me]. They were delicious at the time. I did not have to leave my apartment, though the service was not the greatest.”
Chester felt Insomnia, though still a franchise, offered a unique option to students and strayed from the other obvious options.
“They’ll probably put some chain in like they always do,” Chester said. “This was a chain, but it was a cookie place, which was different from a lot of others. I had never heard of it before I came here. If an interesting place came that was not a chain, that would be cool.”
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