“We want to have a platform that provides the things consumers have come to expect — customer experience, digital, that idea of something instantaneous — while also providing a product that we think is pretty exciting and fun. It’s about bringing those two worlds together.”
There are few universal truths in life, but this is one: chocolate chip cookies are bomb.
Granted, we all have our preferences. I like mine a bit soft, where dough and chocolate chips can dissolve like magic on the tongue. Others prefer a crispier experience, edges brown and well done. Ask enough people and one could arrive at a pretty good consensus on what constitutes the ideal chocolate chip cookie — the very best shape, size, consistency, taste. And if this certain, hypothetical someone had enough confidence in this product born of customer feedback, they could start a business and take Utah by storm.
Alongside Sarah Wilson, Stephen Wirthlin and Chris Wirthlin, Sean Wilson is the co-founder of Chip Cookies and he’s very passionate about customer experience. His background includes working for multiple companies — Omniture, Adobe, Deloitte — that place immense value on the art of tailoring a platform to the majority. Two years ago, Wilson began putting together a business plan that took the idea of user experience and applied it to an industry that has lagged behind the recent tech wave: food.
“We’re focused on innovating, being able to change and adapt, and really building out the technology — in the long term, that’s really what will differentiate us,” said Wilson. “Can we provide a product that people will be excited about, that they want, but also be able to tie into all these trends that are currently existing?”
After performing the necessary market research on what it would take to launch the idea, Wilson began working towards a cookie delivery business that utilized all the benefits technology could offer, with customer experience as the core.
“One of the pillars of our business is delighting our customers, making sure they’re happy,” said Wilson. “We tweaked the recipe based on the feedback we got. What does it look like? How big is it? Is it crispy or doughy? There are so many different directions we could go, but we just listened to the majority of people and that’s how we ended up with the cookie and recipe we have. The customer is so important to us.”
Chip Cookies launched in Provo at the end of 2016, a mix of tech and cookie. They put together a website, created social media profiles, and began working out of a small rental kitchen with the intent of being a delivery business. As with the recipe, this also was transformed by customer feedback.
“We didn’t expect any customers to come in because we were a delivery business,” said Wilson. “And then people started coming in. Before long, we had lines out the door.”
Chip Cookies has since moved to a permanent location near the Provo Rec Center, adhering to the original delivery concept but also welcoming walk-in customers with a kitchen reflective of their brand — modern and simple.
You can’t be modern without embracing technology and Chip is built accordingly, offering customers a clean website and mobile app to serve their needs. If you’re planning on attending Saturday’s BYU-Utah game to see if the Cougars can cross mid-field, I have good news for you — Chip Cookies are available in-stadium and can be delivered directly to your seat through the app. As they always say, in times of suffering, warm cookies are good for the soul.
Chip also expanded into a temporary location in Salt Lake because Provo isn’t the only area in Utah with major cookie needs. Encouraged by the amount of success experienced over a short amount of time, Wilson envisions moving into more locations with a blend of milk, cookies, and tech. Whatever the customer wants, Chip Cookies is ready to deliver.
“I see Chip as disrupting the bakery and food industry, which has been slow to adopt digital,” said Wilson. “We want to have a platform that provides the things consumers have come to expect — customer experience, digital, that idea of something instantaneous — while also providing a product that we think is pretty exciting and fun. It’s about bringing those two worlds together.”
