Cookies, ice cream and more

Cookies, ice cream and more - yum

Off in Bruin territory lies a sugar-high heaven where the treats are sweet and tasty

By KRISTEN REEVES
Staff Writer

Would a Trojan dare enter into Bruin territory of Westwood Village just for fresh, cheap, delicious cookies? I would, and apparently so would many of USC students. The place is called Diddy Riese, located on Broxton Avenue between Le Conte and Weyburn Avenues. It is a landmark of Westwood Village, selling homemade cookies for only 25 cents. Yes that's right, 25 cents. Diddy Riese sells a number of pastries such as cookies, ranging from chocolate chip to sugar to oatmeal raisin, as well as brownies and muffins that are sold for 45 cents. Hot dogs and ice cream are other popular items on the menu. Diddy Riese is also known for its ice cream sandwiches. You can choose whichever two cookies and Dreyer's ice cream flavor you want and make your own sandwich for only a dollar. Customer Tarik Hart visits Diddy Riese whenever he visits his brother at UCLA.

"I love Diddy Riese because it is only $1 for three cookies and milk," Hart said. "It's a great price. We only have Ms. Field's cookies and those cost like $3."

So why are the cookies so good? "Quality, consistency and price is our motto, and that goes for service as well as product," said Mark Perry, owner of Diddy Riese. "Diddy Riese uses quality products and has never cheapened the recipe."

Many stores will start their business using the best quality products and then switch to cheaper ingredients after the business starts booming. Perry believes that consistency in the recipe, in addition to low prices, has been a major factor in the shop's success.

There is only one Diddy Riese. Mark Perry and his father have been the only people to run the business since Perry's father opened it in the summer of 1983, then Perry officially took it over in 1987. The store was named after Perry's grandmother Deardra Riese, whom his family nicknamed "Diddy."

The Perry family was always involved in the food business, and had sold chains of restaurants at the time. Their next endeavor was the cookie store. Although it wasn't their primary choice, Westwood Village was easier to get than other locations. Luckily, the place ended up being perfect because UCLA was within walking distance, a movie theater was practically next door and Westwood Village had a strong day and nightlife. A majority of Perry's customers are UCLA students and faculty, but clientele comes from all over.

"People who went to UCLA 14 years ago still come back here and bring their children. It's great having people bring their kids for their first Diddy Riese cookie," Perry said.

Very little advertising was done in order to promote Diddy Riese. About 99 percent of its advertising is done by word of mouth, he said. That explains how Freddie Mesquitie, a sophomore at USC majoring in pre-business, found the mouth-watering cookies.

"I heard about (Diddy Riese) when I was a freshman," he said. "I like it because it is really cheap, open late and great for late-night study runs especially during finals week."

And venturing into rival territory doesn't deter him.

"I don't ever go in there wearing a sweatshirt with USC written on it," Mesquitie said, "but I don't think it's that big of a deal. You do get a little jealous when you see that (the store) accepts the Bruin card, though."

Diddy Riese is a popular place practically every day of the week. While I was there waiting for my cookies, people constantly came in. There was never a dull moment. It is most busy on the weekends because people are out at the movies and walking around Westwood. Customers can buy cookies for as little as three for a dollar or as many as 100 (with a 5 percent discount off the total price). Diddy Riese will also cater, but will not deliver.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to midnight. In the morning it sells muffins, but switches to cookies at 10:30 a.m. and continues selling them until midnight. On Saturdays and Sundays, the shop opens at noon and closes at midnight.

For more information, call (310) 208-0448.

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 141, No. 13 (Friday, September 15, 2000), beginning on page 7 and ending on page 10.