A new late night option has officially arrived.
Insomnia Cookies will be open from 11 a.m. until midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Insomnia Cookies opened its newest storefront at 430 State St. Friday morning to a group of excited locals ready to satisfy their sweet tooth.
“It’s gone great. There was a line out the door (this morning) when we opened,” Christie Combs, the store operations manager, told the News-Press.
“It’s been a long time coming and we are more than ready to be here at full operation and capacity.”
According to Ms. Combs, people were most excited to try Insomnia Cookies special Sugar Rush deal where customers can get 12 cookies for $12. The promotion runs through Sunday.
J.P., a man who lives in Santa Barbara, was one of the customers who took advantage of the deal.
“I actually got a link on my phone from a friend of mine who said that this was happening today so I said I’ll go ahead and just check it out. The link that I got was about the Sugar Rush deal, so I took up that offer,” JP said, adding that he was most excited to try the snickerdoodle cookie.
He also said that he liked the ambiance of the store, describing it as “a small, calm atmosphere and it is very pleasant.”
A steady stream of people entered and exited the new location during the few hours of opening, which officials said was a welcomed surprise.
“I am pleasantly surprised with the amount of traffic in store traffic that we’ve been getting,” said Angel Le, the regional training manager.
Ms. Le traveled from Reno, NV., to help with the new opening. While happy with the foot traffic they received during their launch, she said it made it a bit more difficult to coach people on the fly and get them used to the work.
“I thought we would have a lot more downtime to be able to talk and get them ready for when it’s going to look like when it is busy and then it’s just crazy that this is our first day and stuff, but they’ve been fantastic,” Ms. Le said.
Deliveries have also made a significant jump since the pandemic started, according to Ms. Le, and she expects the same to happen in Santa Barbara, along with the steady foot traffic.
“We’re starting to stabilize and get that foot traffic business back if not a little bit more,” Ms. Le said.
She added that she will continue training the workers over the next few days, helping them get acclimated to the job. She has also enjoyed her time in Santa Barbara.
“This is my first time here and I think it’s adorable. I mean other than like the fires going on and the smoke and stuff like that… this location is amazing and I’m excited for them,” Ms. Le said.
Tom Causona, chief marketing officer, told the News-Press that Insomnia is looking forward to serving the local community.
“We’re looking forward to connecting with the city of Santa Barbara, and learning more about the community around us. Insomnia Cookies got our start at a university and have served students for many years, so we’re excited to connect with the students in local schools and welcome more Insomniacs to the community,” Mr. Carusona told the News-Press over email.
Starr Moon had no idea that it was Insomnia Cookies’ first day in Santa Barbara when she entered the store on Friday. In fact, there was one thing that caught her eye.
“It said cookies,” Ms. Moon said with a laugh, pointing to the sign right outside the building.
“That really caught our attention because we were thinking about what we wanted to snack on.”
Ms. Moon traveled to Santa Barbara from Ventura alongside her three sons.
“We were going to go to Main Street in Ventura but we decided to go a little bit further and come to State Street because… (it’s) the same vibe. I’m glad that we came though it’s nice out here and there are not a lot of people,” Ms. Moon said.
The family ordered a brownie, a chocolate chip walnut cookie, as well as a cookiewich.
“It looks really good. I can’t wait,” her son said.
Some of the deals Insomnia has in its opening week include mentioning its special one free traditional cookie deal in-store and free delivery on your first order with code FREE4SB, both of which run through Aug. 27. Local frontline workers can receive 25% off on their entire order with a special promo code by emailing marketing@insomniacookies.com.
email: jmercado@newspress.com
