If you’ve ever visited a mall, outlet centre, airport or amusement park then you may have spotted an Auntie Anne’s. This company is one of the top retailers of pretzels and pretzel themed items. Their food philosophy is “on the spot, to hit the spot”, indicating their commitment to freshly baked goods to satisfy your cravings.

The company’s slogan is “Get ready to rise up. Freshen up. Auntie up.” They pride themselves on only serving items that have been freshly made from simple ingredients. The brand’s entire concept is based on providing high quality pretzels, and fast and friendly service, something they consistently deliver on.

History

Auntie Anne’s began as a market stand at the local farmer’s market in Downington, Pennsylvania, in 1988. It was started by husband and wife team, ‘Auntie’ Anne and Jonas Beiler and they initially focused solely on the creation and sale of their home-made pretzels and lemonade.

The business was a massive success and grew rapidly. The following year, 1989, the first franchise location opened in Middletown, Pennsylvania. A mere four years after their opening, 1992, saw the chain open it’s 100^th store. Their first international store was opened in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1995. By 2000 they were celebrating the opening of their 1,000^th location in Fresno, California.

In fact, the company was so popular that they even began distributing a home baking mix created to replicate the deliciousness of their pretzels. The company has long been involved in various charitable causes and in 2005 Anne and Jonas sold the business so they could focus on opening a family counseling centre. The new owners remained true to Auntie Annie’s core values and still provide high quality, freshly baked goods as well as remaining involved in charitable causes. In 2011 the chain teamed up with hunger relief charities in some states to provide excess pretzel items to those in need.

In recent years, the owners of Auntie Anne’s have made various changes in food production and marketing to ensure the brand remains current. They have introduced a variety of new menu items to keep the menu fresh. Plus in 2013, they introduced their new food trucks which now roll out Auntie Annie’s amazing pretzels at various locations across the nation. Finally, in 2014 they launched their “My Pretzel Perks” loyalty app which rewards repeat customers.

Review

What makes Auntie Annie’s so special is their continued commitment to providing tasty, hot, fresh treats. You’ll probably smell them before you see them, as the smell of freshly-baked goodness wafts down the wind towards you. Their locations are warm and inviting and what’s even better is you can watch the staff behind the counter make the pretzels; the whole process from start to finish.

Their locations only serve pretzels, however, this does not limit the menu’s variety, choose from: soft pretzels, pretzel dogs, mini pretzel dogs, pretzel nuggets, pretzel dips, pretzel sticks and a selection of soft drinks. Each variety has a range of sweet and salty flavor options: original, cinnamon sugar, sweet almond, roasted garlic and parmesan, cheddar stuffed. There’s a flavor to satisfy every craving.

Why not have a three course meal here; start with some of their mini pretzel dogs, followed by their pepperoni pretzel and marinara dip and finish off with cinnamon sugar sticks and caramel sauce. Wash this all down with a strawberry lemonade mixer. Or choose any one of their fresh or frozen lemonades. Furthermore, their prices are very competitive; a combo that includes a main dish, a drink and a sauce, will cost around $6. Their signature pretzels are a reasonable $3 with all their sauces coming in at under a $1.

At every location the staff aim to make your visit as pleasant as possible. The stores can get quite busy due to their enormous popularity but the efficient, friendly staff ensure the whole process goes as quickly as possible. Auntie Annie’s is a gem in the pretzel industry: with fresh, yummy, consistently awesome food, inviting locations and personable service, it’s the place to go for the perfect pretzel experience.