In the midst of the drama, the heartache, the closings and the uncertainty as the restaurant industry grapples with pandemic fallout, one couple is opening a boutique bake shop in Frisco. Cookie Society is owned by husband-and-wife duo Jeff and Marissa Allen, who will give their business ― which began in 2016 ― a brick-and-mortar home this Saturday, April 18.
I sat down with the couple back in February at the Frisco Diner, a few doors down from their shop, which was still under construction.
The Allens met while attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Both are athletes ― Marissa played soccer and Jeff played football ― and it’s evident their competitive nature fuels their relationship as well as their business.
“He slid into my Facebook messages and we agreed to go on a date,” Marissa says. “It took a while to get the details down, but we went out and have been inseparable ever since.”
Before Cookie Society, Marissa got into recipe development with her blog, First and Full. During this time, Jeff was playing in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, and later the Houston Texans. It was in Houston where Marissa learned her food was a hit ― particularly her cookies.
“I was experimenting with all these cookies, and I would send them to the stadium,” Marissa says. “Jeff would always be brutally honest, and the ones that were good enough would make it to the stadium. One day he called and told me his teammate wanted to buy some cookies, and asked how much for 12?”
From there, Marissa dove headfirst into figuring out how to make things viable. Soon, orders from family and blog followers generated a sweet boost, and after an NFL retirement, a move to North Texas and two kids, the couple made Cookie Society a prime-time player in their game of life. However, online and corporate orders and events left them limited.
“We started getting a lot of, ‘Hey, can I come pick up a cookie? Can you deliver a cookie to me? Can I come get one today?’ But at the time, that’s not how our business worked,” Jeff says.
Now, Cookie Society’s brick-and-mortar location will give the Allens a chance to showcase their goods in person. The company offers 26 cookie flavors and counting, plus brownies, lemon bars, cookie cakes and more. At any given time you can expect eight to 10 cookie flavors on the menu, from staples like chocolate chip, cookies and cream and banana pudding to seasonal options like churro and s’mores. There’ll even be something for bacon lovers.
Luckily, customers won’t have to wait until the shelter-in-place order is lifted to patronize the shop. Cookie Society’s store is already a to-go model. The Allens will also be implementing curbside pickup and a text-to-order option, and their normal online orders can be shipped.
Cookie Society is located at 9320 Dallas Parkway, Suite 160, Frisco. cookiesociety.com.