SIGNATURE DISH: At the Cookie Shoppe ‘come as a customer, leave as family’
The Cookie Shoppe, located at 115 N. Jackson St., has been in the Qaqish family since 1985
By Jennifer Parks
ALBANY — Those looking for a family-suitable and convenient eatery in downtown Albany have something to look forward to when they visit The Cookie Shoppe on North Jackson Street.
The establishment has been in that location since March of 1981. Munir and Mona Qaqish took it over in 1985, and since Munir Qaqish passed away in 2015, it has been operated primarily by his widow and their son, Magid Qaqish.
At a little after 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, even though the temperature did not break 50 degrees, there was already a line to order going all the way to just inside the front door. At 11:54 a.m., a meal for two was on its way to the table.
One of the meals was a Cuban sandwich on a sub roll that included ham, sliced pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. Like all the restaurant’s sandwiches, it came with a bag of chips, and the meal also and two cookies — nutty chocolate and chocolate nut surprise.
The other was the The Cookie Shoppe’s roast beef sandwich on wheat bread with a slice of cheese. Along with the chips, the order also included two chocolate chip cookies — made with walnuts — a bottled water and a cup of vegetable beef soup with ingredients including potato, carrots, celery, onion and corn.
The staff at The Cookie Shoppe has a way of making customers feel like they are family, even when they may seem too busy to. That comes easy at the restaurant, seeing as how they have a loyal base of customers that is practically family already.
Mona Qaqish said she is grateful to those customers. They have been good to her, even if they turn her business into a zoo sometimes.
“I’ve had customers grow up eating here in my shop, they still eat at the shop and bring their children,” she said. “We know what they are going to order and what they are going (to eat and drink).”
Qaqish said she and her staff keep the food consistent, which means it always tastes the same. They make everything from scratch, allowing a different touch that few restaurants can compete with.
She theorizes that this is what keeps her customers loyal, and it is a mindset that makes her an advocate for the small, locally owned business.
“We have good service, good food and are locally owned,” she said. “We are not a franchise. We need more local businesses. We don’t need any more franchises.
“We treat out customers as family. (We say) ‘come here as a customer, leave as family.’”
Qaqish said she has no intention of expanding into a bigger space, even though her restaurant is frequently full of hungry customers.
“I am staying right there,” she said. “The rent is free, and I am not moving.”
Cookie Shoppe sandwiches typically come on either wheat, white or Rye bread and come with potato chips and pickles. The establishment also has a selection of wraps, salads, soups and breakfast items. Cookies are typically sold by the dozen, half-dozen or individually.
The breakfast items include a breakfast bowl, cheese biscuit, steak biscuit, toast, grits, breakfast sandwiches and sides of ham, bacon or sausage. Breakfast sandwiches include egg, bacon or sausage and egg, and cheese.
Also on the menu is homemade baklava, cookie cakes and floats.
Qaqish said the top sellers at The Cookie Shoppe include the chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches, vegetable beef soup, chili, and chicken and rice soup. The restaurant makes deliveries, but to businesses only.
The Cookie Shoppe is open weekdays 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
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