Sometimes, those late night sweet treat cravings are just too strong to curb.
That’s just the kind of confection conundrum that national bakery chain Insomnia Cookies caters to. And soon enough, it will be satisfying after-hour hankerings in Naperville.
Insomnia — which operates more than 280 locations across the country — will be opening a new Naperville bakery near North Central College in coming months, the chain announced in a news release.
The incoming store’s exact location and opening date have yet to be formally revealed, though job postings on Insomnia’s website list the Naperville bakery’s address as 22 E. Chicago Ave., Suite 109.
It will be Insomnia’s 11th location in the Chicago metropolitan area and 15th in Illinois.
Insomnia’s business model is in the name. No, not because its menu items have melatonin or some additive to make slumber a little easier, but because Insomnia offers late-night dessert deliveries until 1 a.m. or later.
Its menu is rooted in cookies but also includes brownies, ice cream and cookie cakes.
Cookie flavors include both the classics — chocolate chunk, M&M, snickerdoodle — and more unique combinations such as matcha latte and dulce de leche. There’s also vegan and gluten free options as well as extra big “deluxe” cookies
The chain was founded in a University of Pennsylvania dorm room in 2003 by then-student Seth Berkowitz, who still runs the company.
In 2018, the global doughnut chain Krispy Kreme acquired a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies and last year announced it was exploring new strategic alternatives for the company.
In a news release, Krispy Kreme CEO Mike Tattersfield said that, “We acquired a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies to build our e-commerce and digital capability as well as assist Insomnia’s U.S. and International expansion.” Both efforts were successful, he said, making it “time for the next strategic step for both companies.”
Meanwhile, in early 2023, Insomnia announced plans for global expansion, starting with stores planned for Canada and the United Kingdom. The bakery also shared projections for dozens of new U.S. stores, working towards an overall goal of delivering cookies to 95% of U.S. households.
That expansion has included the Chicago area. Just last year, the bakery opened a location at the University of Illinois Chicago’s main campus. The year before that, it opened a spot in DeKalb, where Northern Illinois University is located.
According to its employment ads, Insomnia is currently hiring part-time cookie crew members, delivery drivers and shift leaders for the Naperville location.
