The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company's Feature in the Philadelphia Inquirer
The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company was recently highlighted in the Philadelphia Inquirer for our renowned cookies at the Reading Terminal Market. We were praised for using clean ingredients and offering Philadelphia a high-quality cookie experience. Below, you can read more about our feature and learn what makes us Philly's Hometown Cookie!
Famous 4th Street Cookie’s origin story varies, depending on whether you ask David or Janie Auspitz, its husband-and-wife founders, but the cookies were introduced at Famous 4th Street Deli around 1978. They became so popular the Auspitzes opened a stand in Reading Terminal Market just for cookies soon after. They started shipping nationally in later years. Eventually, the cookie company became “the tail wagging the dog,” David Auspitz told me. He and Janie sold the company in 2016 to Brian and Tina Phillips, who moved production from Queen Village to East Falls. The Phillipses have grown their mail-order business exponentially and are planning another move, to a 30,000-square-foot facility, also in East Falls.
Despite the bigger digs, the Phillipses say they don’t aspire to build an empire of retail locations. Besides the East Falls and Reading Terminal shops, Famous 4th Street Cookie shares three seasonal Jersey Shore boardwalk storefronts with Bassett’s Ice Cream.
Famous has expanded its flavor options from 12 to 20-plus under the Phillips’ direction, but to date, none of the cookies have broken with the 2-ounce format. None have been stuffed with marshmallow fluff or Oreos. There have been no flashy brand collaborations.
To my mind, what really sets Famous apart is its price. They make a high-quality cookie — they use King Arthur Flour, Guittard chocolate, grade AA butter — that costs $2 a piece, less if you buy more. “We sell abundance,” Brian Phillips said.
For as far back as David Auspitz can remember, Famous has practiced the dollar holler, dropping the price of a cookie to $1 during the last hour of the business. Go to the Terminal and fork over a buck, take a bite and it’ll be chewy, baked through, and polished off before you’ve walked out the door. In a world where the $5 5-ounce cookie is becoming the norm, it’s sweet relief.
About The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company
Famous 4th Street Cookie Company has been delighting cookie lovers since 1976 with their freshly baked, handmade cookies. Located in the heart of Philadelphia's historic Reading Terminal Market, Famous 4th Street Cookie Company offers a wide range of cookie flavors made with the finest ingredients, delivering a taste of homemade goodness in every bite.
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