Dina Coloma
Advertisements
Whenever Kristen Tomlan used to make cookies, she would always make two batches of dough: one that she would bake and one that she would save just for eating.
Tomlan has since turned her love of cookie dough into a full-on business: DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections, which has a store in NYC, online ordering, and catering.
We visited the NYC flagship and sat down with Tomlan to hear her story.
Keep scrolling to see how she turned a passion into a full time job.
Tomlan grew up baking with her mom, a cookbook author who never had any issues with her daughter enjoying some cookie dough.
It wasn't until a girls' weekend that included a stop in a cookie shop which sold both baked cookies and raw dough that Tomlan came up with the concept of edible cookie dough.
As Tomlan sat in the car eating cookie dough with her girlfriends, she wondered why there wasn't a store where it was acceptable to sit and enjoy just dough.
Although a brick-and-mortar shop was always Tomlan's end goal, she started by testing the waters and building a following through an online store that shipped cookie dough nationwide.
At the time, Tomlan still worked full-time as a consultant, and had no prior culinary experience. It took her around six months to develop a dough recipe that was both safe to eat and tasty.
The dough is safe to eat thanks to the use of a pasteurized egg product, and heat-treated, ready-to-eat flour.
After a full day at work, Tomlan would go home, make cookie dough until past midnight, wake up early to package and ship the dough, and then go to work and do it all over again.
Four months after launching the online business, Tomlan decided to leave her job and tackle DŌ full time, partly because she could no longer juggle both, and partly because of a near-death experience she had had six months prior to the launch.
She realized "You only have one life to live," and thus decided to "Fill it with the things that make you happy. For me, it was baking and sharing that joy with other people."
Soon, people were showing up at the tiny, unadvertised Midtown kitchen she rented out to make the dough, asking if they could buy the product right then and there.
That's when she knew she needed to create a store. If customers were willing to find a hidden Midtown apartment building, they would most certainly visit an actual shop.
Advertisements
Having worked as a retail consultant, Tomlan started with what she knew: creating a store and brand that were visual and recognizable.
"You can get cookie dough at the grocery store or you can buy cookie dough online; I really wanted to create an experience around it and be more than just a product."
DŌ sells around 16 different flavors, from signature chocolate chip to combos containing Twix candy bars and Reese's Pieces. Gluten free and vegan options are also available.
The product itself was also crucial to Tomlan. She figured if her dough was good, she would have to invest less time and money in advertising and marketing.
DŌ opened to four-hour-long lines. Luckily, Tomlan's family helped with the launch. Both they and DŌ employees worked around the clock to keep up with demand.
At the store, customers can order everything from scoops of cookie dough in a cup or cone to cookie dough baked goods and cookie dough milkshakes.
Tomlan thinks there are two things that resonate with people when it comes to cookie dough.
It has a nostalgic and emotional component that brings them back to childhood, and it's a food that works well on social media.
Tomlan's favorite part about the business is seeing the smiles on diners' faces and knowing that they're "ecstatic about the experience."
In addition to a stand at New York City's Citi Field, Tomlan hopes to open more stores in both New York and beyond in the near future.
And if she could give any advice to those looking to start their own business, it would be to start small, but to follow your gut and go for it.
Advertisements
Read the original article on INSIDER. Follow INSIDER on Facebook. Copyright 2017. Follow INSIDER on Twitter.
