Brothers behind Big Chicken open Dirty Dough cookie shop, intend to add more locations

Two local brothers have teamed up to open up the first Dirty Dough signature cookie restaurant in Monroe County on the heels of opening of Big Chicken in Tannersville.

Dirty Dough describes its products as "super-stuffed cookie bombs," adding, "You won’t find a thicker, softer, more gooey or flavorful cookie than the ones from Dirty Dough. The 'Dirty' refers to all of the fillings, mix-ins and layers that go into our special cookie process."

The Dirty Dough in Tannersville is owned by Memo Group, which is a local developer group run by two brothers, Mohamed Elsayed and Medhat Kamel, who also run Memo II, LLC. They are experienced entrepreneurs who have managed several Dunkin' Donuts locations, owned three Italian restaurants and recently opened the newly-famed Big Chicken restaurant in the Pocono Premium Outlets.

"We have six signature cookies every day and we have two special cookies that rotate or change weekly, so every week we have a new and different flavor," said Elsayed.

The store offers a variety of cookies, even a new protein cookie, ranging from a standard stuffed chocolate chip cookie to new weekly flavors like orange Creamsicle, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cookies 'n' cream loaded with Oreo chunks and many others.

Dirty Dough also offers Dirty Shakes or a Dirty Scoop — ice cream on the side.

The 1,200-square-foot store is located in the Tannersville Plaza at 2836 Route 611, also known as the Weis Market Plaza, and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for Jan. 27 with festivities and promotions to be announced.

In the same plaza: Pair of PM West grads opening first PrimoHoagies in the Poconos

"There is nothing like this here in Monroe County, there is no cookie dessert shop around here," said Elsayed. "We are looking for what is missing here… what people are looking for, like flavor and taste from different states in the U.S. like Big Chicken."

Elsayed described their recent opening of Big Chicken in Tannersville: "It is doing amazing, unbelievable, it beat all our expectations."

According to Elsayed, they are searching for additional locations to open Big Chicken and Dirty Dough franchises. He said they are looking to expand in Monroe County and Northampton County.

"Big Chicken and Dirty Dough are huge in the South and West of U.S., and we are trying to bring those experiences to our county," said Elsayed. "And it creates more jobs too."

This is the first Dirty Dough location to open in Pennsylvania.

Dirty Dough Cookies was founded by Bennett Maxwell in 2018 and has over 50 locations and counting around the nation.

"We are thrilled to announce the opening of a new franchise store in Tannersville, Pennsylvania," expressed Maxwell in a statement provided by Dirty Dough. "Our team has devoted immense effort to cultivate a cozy and welcoming atmosphere where patrons can indulge in not just scrumptious cookies, but creating memorable experiences with family and friends. We're excited to become an integral part of the Tannersville community.”

Maria Francis covers K-12 education and real estate, housing and development for the Pocono Record. Reach her at mfrancis@poconorecord.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Brothers behind Big Chicken open Dirty Dough with plans to expand both