By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — Starting Friday, Upper West Siders who get a late-night hankering for freshly baked cookies will be able to get the treats delivered to their doors after midnight.
Insomnia Cookies, which has two locations near NYU, has opened a new store at 405 Amsterdam Ave. between West 79th and West 80th streets.
Cookies are delivered fresh out of the oven and packed in insulated boxes to keep them warm from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. and possibly later, said founder Seth Berkowitz.
The store's most popular item is the classic chocolate chip cookie, known as "chocolate chunk" on the menu. Other offerings include snickerdoodles, M&M cookies, oatmeal raisin and coconut pecan. The beverage selection is water, sodas, and of course, milk.
Berkowitz, who lives a couple of blocks from the new location, saw the neighborhood as an ideal spot because it captures two of the store's most loyal customer bases: children and the post-bar crowd.
During the day, the store sees a steady stream of strollers and kids. There's a slowdown around dinner, then the drinking set comes in later at night, Berkowitz said.
"You've got to think through your demographics when you open a business," Berkowitz said. "We're at the epicenter of about 10 schools and we're in the middle of bar row."
But he noted that the delivery service is Cookie Insomnia's specialty.
"We are a cookie shop where you can come in and grab something but to be able to get warm cookies delivered to your house at any time of night is something I hope people take advantage of," Berkowitz said.
Berkowitz started the dessert delivery service when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
"I was looking to set a plan for my life and I saw this concept as a unique opportunity," Berkowitz said. "I was at a college that had had a lot of delivery, but no dessert delivery."
For now, the Upper West Side delivery zone will be between West 96th and West 66th streets, from the Hudson River to Central Park West.
Soon, Insomnia Cookies plans to expand uptown to capture the Columbia University market, Berkowitz said.
