He drew an image of the cookie and says he started adding
it to every promotional item the company produced: menus,
advertisements, table tents and more.
“Smiley made our guests happy,” says Miller. “He became popular
very quickly.”
In July of 1991, Miller and his team produced Eat’n Park’s famous
slogan, which is still used to this day: “The Place for Smiles.”
“I’m very happy that Smiley took off the way he did,” says Miller.
“He’s been an integral part of the restaurant ever since.”
In 1993, Miller introduced the Smiley mascot, a life-size
representation of the famous cookie, to replace the restaurant’s old
“star” mascot.
“I told [the managers] that they could only have one mascot, and
Smiley had to be the one,” Miller says.
The costumed cookie, which Miller affirms is a boy, makes more
than 100 appearances throughout the region each year. Every
employee who dons the Smiley costume is required to first participate
in Smiley mascot training. College students can also participate in
the company’s “Team Smiley” internship, in which students gain
hands‑on experience by managing and maintaining Smiley’s Cookie
Cruiser.
Eat’n Park introduced the Smiley hot-air balloon, which was shaped
exactly like a giant cookie, in 1994; unfortunately, the balloon had
to be grounded due to stricter regulations enacted by the Federal
Aviation Administration following the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Miller, who retired from his fruitful career at the end of March,
credits the continued success of the company—