Krispy Kreme just bought a cookie chain with a cult following on college campuses across America. Here's what it's like to eat there.

Jessica Tyler,Jessica TylerJul 21, 2018, 01:59 IST

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

Krispy Kreme announced that it had acquired a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies on Friday.
Insomnia Cookies is now part of JAB Holdings' coffee and café empire, which includes Krispy Kreme, Panera, Au Bon Pain, and Keurig.
Insomnia Cookies started in 2003 and has since grown to over 135 locations, most of which are near college campuses.
We visited an Insomnia Cookies location in Manhattan to see what the hype was all about.

Krispy Kreme is getting into the cookie-delivery business.

On Friday, the beloved doughnut chain acquired a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies, a cookie-delivery chain with a cult following on college campuses across America.

The deal means that Insomnia Cookies is now part of JAB Holdings, the parent company of Krispy Kreme, Panera, Au Bon Pain, and Keurig.

Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 by Seth Berkowitz, who at the time was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Today, there are over 135 locations - almost twice as many locations as there were in 2015. Many of the locations are strategically placed near college campuses, building a loyal following among students who are drawn to the idea of having warm, fresh cookies delivered to their dorms at 3:oo a.m.

Berkowitz said in a statement about the acquisition: "My team and I are confident that this shared vision makes Krispy Kreme the ideal partner to support Insomnia through our next phase of growth."

See what it's like to eat at the cult-favorite cookie chain:

See Krispy Kreme just bought a cookie chain with a cult following on college campuses across America. Here's what it's like to eat there. >>

We went to an Insomnia Cookies location in New York City's Financial District. The store is open until 3 a.m. every night.

In addition to the more than 135 locations the brand operates, it also delivers, ships nationwide, and caters events.

The inside of the store was tiny, and it smelled like fresh, homemade cookies. There was a small counter with three seats at it by the door, and a counter to place orders. It was early in the day when we went, so it was quiet.

Insomnia sells cookies in every way possible: traditional cookies, cookie cakes, a "cookiewich" sandwich, you name it. It also has a ton of toppings like sprinkles, cookie dough, and chocolate chips. Prices were generally under $10, though there were a few exceptions.

The only drinks Insomnia sold were milk, chocolate milk, and water, though it was out of water bottles when we went.

At the counter were all of the cookie options it offered, including chocolate chunk, sugar, M&M, white chocolate macadamia, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, and a handful of others. It also sold "deluxe" cookies that were twice the size of the regular ones.

We tried the sugar, chocolate chunk, and M&M flavors.

The cookies were warm and melty and tasted like fresh, homemade cookies. Even though some Business Insider reviewers said the aftertaste was a little weird, the cookies were absolutely delicious overall.

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