Great American Cookies facts for kids
.svg) |
|
|
Trade name
|
Great American Cookie |
|---|---|
| Wholly owned subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food Bake shop Franchising |
| Founded | 1977 Dunwoody, Georgia, U.S. |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
|
Number of locations
|
371 (February 20, 2022) |
|
Area served
|
United States Bahrain Saudi Arabia |
| Products |
|
| Parent | FAT Brands |
Great American Cookies is a popular American company that makes delicious gourmet cookies and especially famous cookie cakes. You can find their stores in many places, often inside malls. They have over 290 stores across the United States, including Puerto Rico and Guam, and even some in other countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The company started way back in 1977 and its main office is in Atlanta, Georgia.
History
How It All Started
.svg)
Great American Cookies was founded by two friends, Michael J. Coles and Arthur Karp. They each put in $4,000 to start a business selling cookies. The idea came from a special family recipe that belonged to Arthur Karp's wife. In 1977, their very first store opened its doors in a mall called Perimeter Mall in Atlanta.
Early Success and Growth
The first cookie store at Perimeter Mall became very popular right away. Just one year after opening, the company started letting other people open their own Great American Cookies stores, which is called franchising. By 1985, the company was making $100 million each year. It had become the biggest cookie chain in retail stores across the U.S.
Changing the Name
In 1985, Michael Coles decided to make the company's name shorter. It was first called "The Original Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Company." He changed it to "Great American Cookie Company" and planned to shorten it even more to "Great American Cookies." Coles explained that the old, longer name was cute for a small local business, but it wasn't good for a big national company.
New Owners Over Time
When Michael Coles sold the company in 1998, Great American Cookies was still making over $100 million in sales. Later, in 2008, a company called NexCen Brands Inc. bought Great American Cookies. It joined other food brands like Marble Slab Creamery and Pretzelmaker.
Then, in 2010, a group called Global Franchise Group took over these brands. Most recently, in July 2021, Global Franchise Group was bought by FAT Brands. FAT Brands also owns other well-known restaurants like Fatburger and Johnny Rockets.
