I visited Chip City and could see why this cookie chain backed by Shake Shack's founder is rapidly expanding to new cities

The store is located at 30-06 34th Street and is just around the corner from 30th Avenue, a busy street where locals dine and shop for produce. On weekends, there can be a line out the door of customers eager to get their hands on one of the store's weekly flavors.

The storefront is small — about 250 square feet — so most people just order their cookies to go. There is a small wooden counter and a couple of stools outside where customers can eat if they'd like, but I don't usually see people hanging around.

Inside, the space is warm and inviting, with wood paneling and brightly colored signs to denote that this is your neighborhood bakery.

The Chip City employee operating the store was nice and welcomed me when I walked in. I also briefly met the store owner, Louie Ermogenous, who was excited to tell me about the Florida and Connecticut openings.

Chip City has a few mainstay flavors, like its chocolate chip and confetti cookies. It also rotates new flavors into its menu every week. Regular flavors, like s'mores or Nutella sea salt, are rotated throughout the year, while seasonal flavors, like horchata or hot honey cornbread, are available for a limited time.

The flavors available were milk chocolate chip, confetti, chocolate peanut butter, white chocolate cranberry oat, and pumpkin spice latte.

The cookies are pretty large — smaller than Crumbl's but bigger than Insomnia's.

Chip City also sells coffee, lattes, hot chocolate, milk, and non-dairy milks to go with the cookies. Some locations also sell ice cream.

The chocolate chip cookie isn't my favorite, but it's a solid option. I'm partial to thinner cookies that are perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy inside. This one is a little more crunchy with a soft, but not chewy, inside.

The cookies are rich, and I never eat a full cookie in one sitting. One cookie is four servings and ranges from 125 to 220 calories per serving, similar to a Crumbl cookie.

Outside of the seasonal flavors, the confetti is really tasty. It's slightly flatter than the chocolate chip, and the soft texture is just right for a sugar cookie. I also like the s'mores and cookies-and-creme flavors when they're available.

Obviously, it takes a good cookie to make a successful business, but I could see how the company's branding and menu have helped position it apart from its competition.

From the cute little cookie characters on its packaging to a menu that is always changing, Chip City makes an experience out of a simple pleasure. The company also uses its social media accounts to get people hyped for new flavors and provide updates on its weekly menu.

When my husband and I first moved to Astoria and discovered Chip, we were hooked and visited almost every week. So I can see how the brand has successfully formed a cult-like following. We've both cut down on the sweets since then, but we'll still go to Chip once in a while to try a new flavor.

This Astoria shop is in a high-traffic part of the neighborhood where people are likely to stop by after a meal at a local restaurant or grab a pick-me-up after some shopping.

Other locations like Sunset Harbor in Miami and a future location on Newbury Street in Boston are situated in convenient shopping and dining hubs.