Wienerschnitzel Developers Bring Record-Breaking 'Dog' Days of Summer to Arkansas

Mike Smith, Alvin Fults, and Brian Shinall weren’t expecting the overwhelming response they got when they opened their very first Wienerschnitzel location in Bentonville, Arkansas on July 14.

The group, Tejas Dogs, LLC had signed a 20-unit development agreement with ‘The World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain’ granting the franchisee’s exclusive rights for the state of Arkansas. In fact, their Bentonville restaurant is the first-ever Wienerschnitzel location in Arkansas.

“Our first opening was bigger than we could’ve ever imagined,” said Shinall, who serves as a developer and real estate manager for the operational group. “There was a steady stream of guests all week long, our drive-thru line wrapped around the block for hours, and we ultimately broke the opening day sales record of all Wienerschnitzel locations – several days in a row, at that.”

The highly successful opening was made possible not only through the trio of Smith, Fults, and Shinall, but with the addition of TJ and Ronde Westbrook – As the Market Operations Managers for Tejas Dogs, LLC, the pair facilitated a frictionless opening weekend and set the group up for a pipeline of strong openings to come.

Shinall said he believes, “Sales have been so strong because Wienerschnitzel is a legacy brand that’s rich in history.” He noted that Bentonville is rapidly growing and becoming a new hub for restaurants in the area, and that the local community has been waiting for a Wienerschnitzel location to open for several years.

Wienerschnitzel, part of the Irvine, California-based Galardi Group, has 340 restaurants in 10 states. The successful QSR chain serves more than 120 million hot dogs annually and is fueled by a mission of “Serving Food to Serve Others,” giving back a percentage of profits to its charitable partners.

Shinall said the partners looked at five franchise brand opportunities before deciding Wienerschnitzel was right for them.

“We ultimately selected Wienerschnitzel for several reasons,” said Shinall. “First, Wienerschnitzel always has been, and continues to be a family-owned company. The Galardi family still plays a major role in the brand’s operations, and it’s comforting to know that the original family values the brand was founded with are still top-of-mind today.” He said they also recognized that the product being offered was a classic, and would give them the ability to grow with the brand in a steady manner. Finally, they were attracted by the Wienerschnitzel opportunity to expand into a new market with complete ownership of the territory.

The Wienerschnitzel deal has allowed Tejas Dogs to diversify its restaurant portfolio and become ingrained in local communities throughout Arkansas. Given Shinall’s upbringing in the area, this provided a perfect blend of opportunities to not only bring a California classic to a new market, but provide guests with an outstanding dining experience.

“We’ve received outstanding support from Wienerschnitzel throughout this process,” said Shinall. “We’ve built a very strong relationship with their team since signing the agreement, and that’s largely due to their forthright communication and willingness to help in any situation. It’s a team of amazing people that we’re proud to be a part of.”

Next up for Tejas Dogs will be the opening of their second location in Springdale in September, followed by a location in Siloam Springs in late 2023 or early next year.

“We’ve loved every minute of this so far,” said Shinall. “The future holds a substantial amount of growth, and more than anything, we’re ecstatic at the fact that we’ve been able to bring such a point of positivity to a community that I was raised in.”

Founded in 1961 with a single hot dog stand in Wilmington, California, Wienerschnitzel is one of the iconic pioneers of the quick-service food industry. To find out more about the brand and its franchising opportunities, visit wienerschnitzelfranchise.com.

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