Auntie Anne's Franchise News

New York Woman Wins Auntie Anne's At-Home Baking Kit Recipe Challenge
LANCASTER, PA, May 02, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- From January through March of this year, Auntie Anne's asked baking enthusiasts nationwide to develop original recipes for appetizers, entrees and desserts using the Auntie Anne's At-Home Baking Kit for a chance to win a cash prize and online splendor. Chaelyn Consaul, a local of Scottsville, NY., was just named the Baking Kit Recipe Challenge Grand Prize winner after submitting a distinctive creation for a pretzel dough-based Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert Pizza. As for the prize, Consaul will win $1,000, and her recipe will reside on http://www.auntieannes.com.
Consaul, a self-proclaimed 'avid baker,' was one of 96 contestants from 26 states who entered Auntie Anne's flagship Baking Kit Recipe Challenge between January 9, and March 31, 2012...

February 27, 2012 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, PA  – Rolling pretzels, greeting fans, and serving lemonade to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) – the Duggar family of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ did it all at their local Auntie Anne’s Pretzel shop in Rogers, Ark., part of the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise. Their pretzel-rolling and fundraising adventure will air Tuesday, February 28 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TLC.
The fun-filled day starts off as 17 of the 19 Duggar children and their parents, Michelle and Jim Bob, experience what it’s like to run an Auntie Anne’s pretzel franchise, from rolling and twisting pretzels, to operating the ovens and serving customers...

Soft Pretzel Icon Anticipates Giveaway of More than 1 Million Pretzels
February 17, 2012 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. – On Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Auntie Anne’s Pretzels will host its largest sampling event of the year – Free Pretzel Day. With no strings attached, all Auntie Anne’s stores nationwide will offer one free Original or Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel per guest at its approximately 900 domestic locations. This year’s promotion is the fourth Free Pretzel Day in company history.
The notion of Free Pretzel Day dates back to the company’s founder, “Auntie” Anne Beiler, who first introduced individuals to her fresh, hot soft pretzels by providing free pretzels to passersby at her farmer’s market stand in Downingtown, Pa...

New Contest Inspires Baking Fans to Submit Original Recipes
January 30, 2012 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. - Ladies and gentlemen – start your ovens! Auntie Anne's, the iconic brand known for its fresh hand-rolled treats, is encouraging its fans’ inner bakers to shine this winter through its newly-introduced Baking Kit Recipe Challenge. Now through March 31, 2012, individuals have the opportunity to develop original recipes for appetizers, entrees and desserts using the Auntie Anne’s At-Home™ Baking Kit for a chance to win $1,000.
As part of Auntie Anne’s first-ever recipe challenge, contestants must use the dough and yeast from the official At-Home™ Baking Kit as the main ingredients...

Soft Pretzel Icon Caters to Consumer Shift
January 26, 2012 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. – Auntie Anne’s, the franchise known best for its fresh, convenient and hand-rolled treats, began testing new whole grain pretzel products on January 8, 2012 in select markets across the US as part of a mission to better appeal to guests looking to consume more whole grains. Not only are the Honey Whole Wheat Pretzels and Apple Caramel Pretzel Stix packed with whole grains and boast the Whole Grains Council stamp of approval, but the limited-time menu items are also gaining a reputation for their great taste.
The Honey Whole Wheat Pretzel, offered until April 7, 2012, is made with whole grain dough and contains six grams of fiber...

LANCASTER, Pa. (Nov. 30, 2011) – The world’s largest franchisor of hand-rolled soft pretzels is currently testing a new holiday pretzel product at 32 store locations across the nation.
Auntie Anne’s Gingerbread Pretzel Stix are a sweet, warm treat, available now until Jan. 8, 2012. A specially formulated blend of gingerbread spices are blended with Auntie Anne’s Original Pretzel dough and topped with cinnamon sugar to create a fun and festive holiday pretzel.
This limited-time menu offering is available at participating Auntie Anne’s locations in Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington...

Utah Now Home to International Snack Favorite
November 18, 2011 // Franchising.com // SALT LAKE CITY - Auntie Anne's, the franchisor of the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel chain, has expanded its presence into Utah with the opening of a store location in South Towne Center Mall at 10450 South State St. in Sandy, UT. Franchise partner group, Dough Knot, LLC, opened the new location on November 15, 2011, making it the 45th state for the gourmet snack brand.
A UTE graduate, Dough Knot, LLC President Lincoln Spoor is bringing home his entrepreneurial experience to South Towne Center Mall after successfully opening 13 Krispy Kreme locations throughout Idaho, Colorado, Wisconsin, Utah and Nevada, including the Las Vegas Strip with Auntie Anne’s and additional brand Popcornopolis...

October 24, 2011 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. – The world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel company recently teamed up with the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate products to create a product now testing in 31 locations across the country.
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and The Hershey Company, both international businesses with roots in Central Pennsylvania, combined fresh-baked pretzels with the Kit Kat® brand to create Chocolate-Covered Stix. The product consists of Auntie Anne’s Original Stix, drizzled with Hershey’®s milk chocolate fudge and topped with chopped Kit Kat® pieces to create a classic sweet and salty treat. One order contains four Stix, and the average price point is $3...

October 13, 2011 // Franchising.com // Next week, Auntie Anne’s, Inc. will recognize top managers and general managers as part of its 2011 Managers Cruise Incentive Program.
Twenty managers and five general managers from across the country, along with their guests, will join Auntie Anne’s leadership team aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas. This all-expense paid cruise is setting sail for the Bahamas from Oct. 17 to 21, 2011.
These outstanding managers are being recognized for top performance at their Auntie Anne’s stores. The winners were selected based on rankings from the following criteria:

Mystery shop scores, including store cleanliness, employee- guest interactions, fresh product and overall experience
Net sale per transaction
Transactions counts
Increases in beverage incidence

This is the second year that Auntie Anne’s, Inc...

October 07, 2011 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa.– Auntie Anne’s, the franchisor of the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel chain, projects to open 120 stores in 2011, of which over 60 will be in the United States. The franchise is also positioned to hit its 23rd year of positive total system sales growth.
Auntie Anne’s locations can be found in malls, outlet centers, and “non-traditional venues” including colleges and universities and transportation sites such as airports, train stations, and travel plazas. In the last year, the company opened nine locations in “non-traditional” venues with 13 more under development.
The company is currently seeking aspiring entrepreneurs who want to serve up fresh, hand-rolled gourmet pretzels as a rewarding business venture for new locations in Arizona, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin...

Soft Pretzel Icon Auntie Anne's Focuses on Adding New Franchise at Maplewood Mall August 10, 2011 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, PA. – Looking to build off its already strong presence in the Twin Cities, executives with soft pretzel chain Auntie Anne's have organized a local seminar in St. Paul with the goal of finding the right franchise partner to operate a location in Maplewood Mall by early next year.

With more than 760,000 Auntie Anne's soft pretzels consumed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul last year alone, including its Mall of America and Rosedale Shopping Mall locations, fanatics of the baked snack are rising faster than dough. Auntie Anne's, 1,130 units, is embarking on a mission to feed St. Paul's crave for baked, hand-rolled treats by bringing a new location to the popular local shopping center...

Master Franchise Agreement Signed with Bachleda Investment Group Ltd. LANCASTER, Pa. – Auntie Anne's, the world's largest hand-rolled soft pretzel chain will soon be opening in the Republic of Poland with the signing of a master franchise agreement. The agreement provides Bachleda Investment Group Ltd development rights to bring Auntie Anne's signature products to the eighth-largest population in Europe.

The first Auntie Anne's store location in Poland is scheduled to open in the country's capital, Warsaw, in early 2011. The development plan lists Krakow and Zakopane as the next two cities targeted for Auntie Anne's stores.

Bachleda Investment Group, a family-owned company, has an extensive background in the management of retail brands...

World's Largest Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzel Concept to Join FOCUS Brands' Sister Companies Carvel® Ice Cream, Cinnabon®, Schlotzsky's® and Moe's Southwest Grill®; Auntie Anne's Is Roark's 19th Franchise Investment and 8th in the Restaurant Industry ATLANTA, GA - (Marketwire) - Roark Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, announced today that one of its portfolio companies, FOCUS Brands, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Auntie Anne's, the franchisor of the world's largest hand-rolled soft pretzel chain. Headquartered in Lancaster, Pa., Auntie Anne's has nearly 1,100 stores in 44 states and 21 countries. The transaction is expected to close later this fall.

FOCUS Brands' subsidiaries are the franchisors and operators of more than 2,200 ice cream shoppes, bakeries, restaurants and cafes in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 38 foreign countries under the brand names Carvel, Cinnabon, Schlotzsky's, Moe's Southwest Grill and Seattle's Best Coffee...

July 23, 2010 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. - In recognition of their outstanding work ethic and educational accomplishments, Auntie Anne's, Inc., the world's largest franchisor of hand-rolled soft pretzels, recently awarded post-secondary scholarships to five students in five states across the country. Now in its fifth year, Auntie Anne's Scholarship Assistance Program is part of the company's vision to extend corporate philanthropy inward. The assistance program is available to all employees as well as their dependents and grandchildren to help provide advanced education and achieve educational goals.

The recipients of Auntie Anne's 2010 scholarship, each receiving $5,000 are: Tyler Bardo from Mill Hall, Pa., whose mother works at Auntie Anne's Nittany Mall; Patrick Calicdan from Joliet, Ill...

Announces Free Pretzel Day on Feb. 20 February 11, 2010 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. - Auntie Anne's, the franchise known for its mouth-watering, freshly baked hand-rolled soft pretzels, is offering a snacking wake-up call at its U.S. stores. On Saturday, Feb. 20, anyone in the country can stop into a local Auntie Anne's store for an opportunity to experience one complimentary Original or Cinnamon Sugar pretzel. Free pretzels will be available between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

A literal snacking wake-up call can be delivered to consumers via text message on the morning of Free Pretzel Day by texting WAKEUP to 80565. The text message will remind consumers to visit Auntie Anne's for their free pretzel.

Auntie Anne's is also encouraging loyal consumers to introduce others to the signature taste of its pretzels...

Lancaster, PA--(Marketwire) - According to Pizza.net, pepperoni is America's favorite pizza topping, accounting for 36 percent of all pizza orders. Soon, pepperoni will be America's favorite pretzel topping as well, adding to the 251,770,000 pounds of pepperoni already consumed in the United States each year. Auntie Anne's locations across the country will be adding the Pepperoni Pretzel to their menu on April 6. This limited-time offering features an Auntie Anne's hand-rolled, freshly-baked soft pretzel topped with pepperoni slices, covered in a savory three cheese blend, and then baked to golden brown perfection.

In response to overwhelming consumer demand, Auntie Anne's began testing the Pepperoni Pretzel in 20 franchised stores in November 2008...

Kickoff Event Hosted in Beijing at Xin Zhong Guan October 08, 2008 // Franchising.com // Beijing, China - Auntie Anne's® Pretzels, best known for its hand-rolled soft pretzels, will officially open its first China franchise in Beijing by hosting a free pretzel kickoff event on Saturday, October 18, 2008. The store in Beijing brings the chain's worldwide presence to over 950 locations in 19 countries.

Auntie Anne's, which is located at the Xin Zhong Guan (The Gate) mall in the Haidian district is providing one free pretzel to every guest on Saturday, Oct. 18 between the hours of 2 to 6pm. In addition to the free pretzels, there are a variety of other activities for individuals to participate in. Children can learn the art of pretzel making by hands-on practice guided by rolling experts...

Limited Time Promotion Offers Consumers Twice the Pretzel Fun Lancaster, Pa. - Auntie Anne's® Pretzels, known for freshly baked, hand-rolled soft pretzels, today celebrates the beginning of National Pretzel Month by offering its loyal customers a "double up" promotion and releasing some little known pretzel fun facts.

The pretzel has come a long way since it was first created in 610 A.D. by an Italian monk who twisted leftover dough to resemble his students, who folded their arms across their chests when praying. The finished product, called "pretiolas," or "little rewards" in Latin, spread throughout Europe and was considered a symbol of good luck, long life, and prosperity.

Now, the annual United States pretzel industry is worth over $550 million, and the average American consumes about 1...

July 03, 2008 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa.- Although the debate over appropriate hot dog condiments will undoubtedly rage on for years to come, Auntie Anne's® Pretzels has a summertime offering that is a clear winner over America's typical hot dog bun. Best known for its freshly baked, hand-rolled soft pretzels, Auntie Anne's locations across the country recently added the a Jumbo Pretzel Dog to their summertime menu. This limited-time offering is a 10-inch, all-beef hot dog, wrapped in Original pretzel dough and baked to golden brown perfection.

Available from June through August, the Jumbo Pretzel Dog compliments the original 6-inch Pretzel Dog, already a guest favorite. When partnered with Old-Fashioned LemonadeTM or a Coca-Cola® beverage the Jumbo Pretzel Dog makes a satisfying grab-and-go lunch or light meal option...

Auntie Anne's(R) Honors 20 Families Who Give Back
Pretzel Chain Awards Grants Up to $20K to Celebrate 20th Birthday

July 01, 2008 // Franchising.com // LANCASTER, Pa. - After conducting a nationwide search for deserving families who give back and make their communities better places to live, Auntie Anne's® Pretzels, best known for its freshly baked, hand-rolled soft pretzels, today announces that it is awarding 20 families with grants to help support their philanthropic work. In the Auntie Anne's What a Difference a Family Makes: A New Twist on Giving Back grant program, the Crane family from Columbus, Ohio, has been named the grand prize recipient and awarded $20,000 to use in furthering the work they do with Deaf Initiatives, Inc...