# Theodore Gailas

> Theodore "Teddy" Gailas is the Queens-based co-founder and chief brand officer of Chip City, the cookie company he started in Astoria with childhood friend Peter Phillips in 2017. Drawing on a background in food and hospitality and a family history in Manhattan diners, Gailas helped turn a friendly baking contest into a recognizable retail brand built around warm 5.5-ounce cookies, a rotating flavor calendar, neighborhood-specific stores, merchandise and an unusually active social-media following.

- **Role:** Chief Brand Officer and Co-Founder at Chip City
- **Organizations:** Chip City
- **Education:** New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Chip City from a 250-square-foot Astoria shop that exceeded its founders' initial 100-cookies-per-day projection in its first hour., Built a recognizable brand system around a rotating weekly menu, neighborhood-specific store graphics, merchandise and daily social media., Helped attract $17.5 million across two disclosed investment rounds from Enlightened Hospitality Investments in 2022 and 2024.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2017** — Worked in food and hospitality; his family owned and operated diners in Manhattan.
- **2017** — Co-founded Chip City with childhood friend Peter Phillips and opened a 250-square-foot first shop in Astoria, Queens.
- **2022** — Helped secure a $10 million investment from Enlightened Hospitality Investments when Chip City had 14 locations.
- **2024** — Chip City raised a further $7.5 million Series B from Enlightened Hospitality Investments; Gailas also gave a detailed public account of the brand's origins and menu strategy.
- **2025** — Chip City entered the Dallas-area market with a McKinney, Texas store, extending the brand's reach beyond its East Coast base.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Chip City from a 250-square-foot Astoria shop that exceeded its founders' initial 100-cookies-per-day projection in its first hour.
- Built a recognizable brand system around a rotating weekly menu, neighborhood-specific store graphics, merchandise and daily social media.
- Helped attract $17.5 million across two disclosed investment rounds from Enlightened Hospitality Investments in 2022 and 2024.
- Helped take Chip City from one Queens shop to a multistate retail business with nationwide shipping.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Chip City announced its first Dallas-area store in McKinney, Texas.
- **2024-07** — Gailas described Chip City's founding, rotating menu and nationwide shipping strategy in a Goldbelly interview.
- **2024-05** — Chip City closed a $7.5 million Series B investment from Enlightened Hospitality Investments.

## Links

- Website: https://chipcitycookies.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodore-gailas-38b95141
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/chipcitycookies
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chipcitycookies/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chipcitycookies
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chipcitycookies

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/theodore-gailas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28