Late-Night Cookies May Be Coming to the Square

Insomnia Cookies, a late-night cookie delivery service, will likely be moving into Harvard Square in the fall—at least according to a sign in a vacated plot on Mt. Auburn Street.

Denise Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said that she had never heard of Insomnia Cookies and did not know what their licensing status was, but noted that this may be due to administrative delay.

According to the Cambridge Licensing Commission, Insomnia would not require a Common Victualer license if they strictly do take-out and delivery. The restaurant would still need various permits to operate, but Insomnia would not need to register with the CLC if they do not serve customers at tables.

Insomnia Marketing Manager Renee Sarnecky said that Insomnia Cookies would be moving in at 65 Mt. Auburn Street.

The idea behind Insomnia, according to Sarnecky, came from Seth Berkowitz, who as a student at University of Pennsylvania was disappointed by the usual late-night delivery options in college towns. In an effort to move away from pizza and subs, Berkowitz created Insomnia Cookies in 2003, which now has 22 locations nationwide—17 of which are on or around college campuses.

“The Harvard kind of market in general is what we go after,” Sarnecky said. “We spend a lot of time looking at campuses, and Harvard—in addition to being in a great area—is the perfect campus for our brand.”

The delivery service is open from 6 p.m .to 3 a.m., and will deliver to every Harvard dorm. With a $6.00 minimum order, and a $0.99 delivery fee, late-night cookie seekers can choose from a menu of baked-to-order warm cookies with such offerings as “White Chocolate Macadamia” and “Double Chocolate Chunk.” The store is closed the rest of the day.

For the indecisive, there’s the “Insomnia Sampler.”

And they deliver milk as well. Because, well, it is a cookie place.