Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Great American Cookies


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Consensus is for the article to be retained. North America1000 03:56, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

Great American Cookies

 * – ( View AfD View log  Stats )

The only one of the sources that is more than a press release is the announcement of a merge from steetinsider, and announcements like that do not meet WP:NCORP. All other refs are press releases or a blurb about the ceo. All I can find in searching is announcements of openings of individual stores.

I've heard of them, so I was surprised not to find any usable RSs for notability  DGG ( talk ) 04:52, 7 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Food and drink-related deletion discussions.  CASSIOPEIA(talk) 05:02, 7 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Companies-related deletion discussions.  CASSIOPEIA(talk) 05:02, 7 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Georgia (U.S. state)-related deletion discussions.  CASSIOPEIA(talk) 05:02, 7 November 2019 (UTC)


 * Comment I added three sources I found on newspapers.com that cover the company in at least fair detail (an AP article as an inline citation and two Atlanta Journal-Constitution pieces in Further Reading. Admittedly, the Brett source is not so independent.) The McWilliams source could probably replace one of the press release sources as an inline citation. There is some more coverage of the CEO (he's the namesake of the business school at Kennesaw State and was CEO of Caribou Coffee), but I don't think that helps our notability here. I think the company is close to getting over the GNG bar, but if not, I hope we could at least consider redirecting to Global Franchise Group. Larry Hockett (Talk) 08:41, 7 November 2019 (UTC)

<ul><li>Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources.<ol> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li>Hall, Beverly Y. (1984-09-13). "Cornering the cookie market: Expansion chips falling into place for Atlanta firm" (pages 1 and 2). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original (pages 1 and 2) on 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2019-11-10. – via Newspapers.com.</li> <li></li> </ol>

<ol> <li> The book notes: "Top Secret Version of Great American Cookies White Chunk Macadamia When Arthur Karp shared his grandmother's favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with Michael Coles, the business partners knew they had a hit on their hands. They opened their first Great American Cookies store in 1977 in The Perimeter Mall in Atlanta, Georgia. Now with more than 350 stores in the chain, these cookies have quickly become a favorite, just begging to be cloned. The chain bakes the cookies in convection ovens at the low temperature of 280 degrees for around 16 to 17 minutes."</li> <li> The article notes: "Founded in 1977, the company started as a chocolate chip cookie recipe passed on by the grandmother of one of the founders. When the company began looking for real estate, many landlords passed on leasing to the company believing standalone cookie stores couldn't make enough money. But the group persevered and eventually found success at their first location at Perimeter Mall in Atlanta. That flagship store is still successfully slinging cookies 41 years later. ... You can find Great American Cookies in locations across the United States, as well as internationally in Bahrain, Chile, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. ... Great American Cookies was originally named The Original Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Company − quite the mouthful. In 1985, the company renamed to Great American Cookies Company and later shortened even further, to Great American Cookies."</li> <li> The article notes: "From its start in 1977 at Perimeter Mall, Great American Cookies has become one of the country's biggest cookie suppliers. With 293 locations in the U.S. and 12 in international markets,  it competes with brands such as Mrs. Fields' Original Cookies Inc. and Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip, when opened 10 years ago and now has more than 100 cafes either open in or in various stages of development in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Great American Cookies' sales have been flat so far this year. The company, which declined to give dollar figures, said the past few weeks have seen an increase in sales compared to the same period a year ago, and the important Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays still await. But ingredient prices are up, consumers are trying to save money and things are far from plush. Great American Cookies is in the hands of new owners. Global Franchise Group, an affiliate of California investment group Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, took over from NexCen Brands Inc. on July 30 and now controls MaggieMoo's, Pretzelmaker/Pretzel Time, Marble Slab Creamery, Shoebox New York and The Athlete's Foot Brands in addition to the cookie outlets -- amounting to about 1,700 stores in more than 35 countries. About 20 people work in shipping and production at the Great American Cookies facility near I-20, sending products to Mexico and Canada and as far as Guam, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The company is in the early stages of international expansion but has found that overseas consumers are receptive to its existing product line, including the original chocolate chip recipe." The article includes quotes from people affiliated with Great American Cookies.</li> <li> The article notes: "Michael Coles literally crashed. He literally burned. He literally had to learn to put one foot in front of the other. The memoir from the entrepreneur who founded Great American Cookies and later served as CEO of Caribou Coffee isn’t a collection of cliched business tropes. Instead, “Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee and a Crash Let to Success in Business and Life” (written with Catherine M. Lewis and published by University of Georgia Press), is a rollicking, revealing read. ... Great American Cookies, which started with a Perimeter Mall location in 1977, flourished in the golden age of shopping malls. Today, many malls across the country are struggling, repurposing or even closing. Can they turn things around?" The article contains an interview with Michael Coles.</li> <li> The aticle nots: "Nothing is more American than a good ole sugar rush, and Great American Cookies is more than happy to provide one. The company’s got the zeal of proud tradition, too, founded with a generations-old family recipe for gourmet cookies. Launched in 1977 in Atlanta, it started franchising the same year and has offered fresh brownies, cookies and cakes ever since."</li> <li> The article notes: "One hundred million dollars a year — that's how the cookies crumble for Michael Coles and Arthur Karp, founders of the largest retail cookie company in the United States. Coles and Karp opened their first Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Company Inc. store in 1977 at a shopping mall in suburban Atlanta. With an initial investment of $8,000, they figured they had to sell $12,000 worth of cookies the first month just to break even. But their revenue that month approached $35,000, and before they could add up their receipts for the second month, they had received more than 300 franchise inquiries from 20 states. Today their company has 300 stores in 38 states, generating $100 million a year a year in revenue makinng Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Company the largest chain of retail cookies stores in the nation."</li> <li> The aricle notes: "The Original Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Co. is one such business. ... ... The Atlanta-based company cooked up the idea for the company about four years ago and the shops have since spread nationwide. There are basically five types of chocolate chip cookies available at the stores. They include: the original chocolate chip, walnut, oatmeal-walnut with raisins, doubble fudge and peanut butter. There is also a cookie of the month, which is peanut butter banana this month."</li> <li> The article notes: "By 1977, similar shops began appearing throughout the country. That also was the year that two Atlanta entrepreneurs, Arthur Karp and Michael Coles, decided to follow the trend, leasing space in Perimeter Mall for the first store. Since then the Original Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Co. has become the largest retail cookie outfit in the country. The 170 stores, mainly in shopping malls, are expected to gross $50 million this year."</li> <li> The article notes: "Just as the name implies, Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Co. shops can be found all over the United States and Guam. Two men founded the company in 1977 and operated it from a garage until opening a store in an Atlanta mall. The 60 stores the partners own further increase the company's visibility."</li> <li>Hall, Beverly Y. (1984-09-13). "Cornering the cookie market: Expansion chips falling into place for Atlanta firm" (pages 1 and 2). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original (pages 1 and 2) on 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2019-11-10. – via Newspapers.com. The article notes: "There's big dough in cookies for the world's largest cookie retailer, The Original Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Co. Inc. The Atlanta company's name may be a mouthful, but the dollar signs generated by cookie sales are easy to digest for company chairman Michael Coles and president Arthur Karp. In business for seven years, the firm has gobled up a good portion of the nation's retail cookie market and generates about $50 million annually, its executives say. ... The Original Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Co. bakes six kinds of cookies that cost about 40 cents each. They also create two-pound edible 'greeting cookies' personalized with messages. Seventy-five thousand pounds of cookie batter is made daily at the company's headquarters here and is shipped to each of its 230 locations nationwide." The article further notes: "Cole and Karp came up with the idea of mass cookie basking in the garage of Karp's home. With the help of their wives, they tested a cookie recipe that belonged to the great-great grandmother of Karp's wife. Mrs. Karp's great-great grandmother was a West Virginia Blackfoot Indian and, according to Karp, chocolate chip cookies were originated by American Indians who first chopped chocolate and blended it with sweeted dough."</li> <li> The article notes: "Coles is a marathon enthusiast. His company is sponsoring the '1985 Race Across America,' an annual bicycle event broadcast nationally. The race cut across Oklahoma, which allowed him to visit his state stores. Coles and his business partner, Arthur Karp, started the company in 1977 with an $8,000 investment. The pair had tired of the stressful clothing business, where they were first rooted professionally. Their first store opened in June 1977. Coles and Karp reportedly first tested their cookie batter in a suburban garage. ... It has 5,300 employees."</li> </ol>

There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow Great American Cookies to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 09:38, 10 November 2019 (UTC)</li></ul>
 * Keep 's sources demonstrate notability. Eggishorn (talk) (contrib) 16:49, 14 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Keep. Passes WP:SIGCOV.4meter4 (talk) 19:22, 14 November 2019 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. <b style="color:red">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.