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Pretzelmaker is a chain of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in hand-rolled
pretzel A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard german: Breze(l) ( and French / Alsatian: ''Bretzel'') is a type of baked bread made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical f ...
s,
smoothie A smoothie is a beverage made by puréeing ingredients in a blender. A smoothie commonly has a liquid base, such as fruit juice or milk, yogurt, ice cream or cottage cheese. Other ingredients may be added, including fruits, vegetables, non-dai ...
s and cold
beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoo ...
s. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of
Global Franchise Group Global Franchise Group was a brand-acquisition and management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It specialized in franchising and quick-service restaurant industries. It was founded in 2010 with the acquisition of NexCen ...
. It has more than 280 locations in the U.S. and internationally.


History

Founder Jeffery Tripp opened the first ''Pretzelmaker'' store in 1991. He changed the name of the company to Pretzelmaker for nationwide franchising purposes. Charles L. Smith was the founding President of Pretzelmaker, Corporation with Bruce W. Stratford, Legal Council and CFO. J. Kelly Hansen and Stephen A. Thorpe ran the day-to-day operations as co-founders and VP of Sales and VP of Operations respectively. The brand quickly grew to more than 100 franchises sold, with 40 stores operating by 1995 when it was bought by a group of investors that helped make Pretzelmaker a mall mainstay, particularly in the West Coast. Don Cox, Marc Geman, Tony Joseph and Dale Fowler bought the company in 1995 with a small group of investors. In the next 36 months this group took the company from 11 opened stores to 288. Director of Operations Tony Joseph and his operation team were the driving force opening 7 locations a month. Mr. Joseph trained all Franchisees US wide, Canada, Seoul Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore. In 1998 Pretzelmaker was voted the fastest growing food Franchise in the US according to Restaurant News and Entrepreneur Magazine. Dale Fowler was the Sr. Vice President of Marketing. Mr. Fowler put Pretzelmaker on the map with Media articles from the top newspapers and magazines from all over the US. Don Cox was the President until he was relieved of his duties in 1998. Marc Geman was the CEO until the company was sold in 1999. The first Pretzel Time store opened in
Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,827 during the 2020 census. Trum ...
. The company was originally incorporated as Mr. Pretzel Inc. in 1991, but quickly changed its name to Pretzel Time by the time it became a popularly franchised mall-based store in the Northeast. In 1999,
Mrs. Fields Mrs. Fields' Original Cookies Inc. is an American franchisor in the snack food industry, with Mrs. Fields and TCBY as its core brands. Through its franchisees' retail stores, it is one of the largest retailers of freshly baked, on-premises specia ...
Famous Brands purchased Pretzelmaker. Later it sold the brands to NexCen in 2007 in a combined transaction total of $29.7 million. In 1996, Mrs. Fields had acquired the now-defunct
Hot Sam Hot Sam Pretzels was an American restaurant chain selling soft pretzels. Julius Young opened the first outlet at Livonia Mall in a Detroit suburb in Michigan. In 1971, the owners sold the company to General Host, who then owned the Detroit-bas ...
which it merged with Pretzelmaker in 2005.
Global Franchise Group Global Franchise Group was a brand-acquisition and management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It specialized in franchising and quick-service restaurant industries. It was founded in 2010 with the acquisition of NexCen ...
(GFG) purchased NexCen Franchise Management in 2010, and merged Pretzel Time and Pretzelmaker into one brand as Pretzelmaker. Pretzelmaker today is the second largest retailer of freshly baked, hand rolled and twisted pretzels. On June 28, 2021, Global Franchise Group announced that it would be acquired by FAT Brands, owners of
Fatburger Fatburger North America Inc. (doing business as Fatburger) is an American fast casual restaurant chain. Its tagline is ''The Last Great Hamburger Stand''. While it is a fast food restaurant, the food is cooked and made to order. Some Fatburge ...
and
Johnny Rockets } The Johnny Rockets Group Inc. is an American restaurant franchise whose themed decor is based upon 1950s diner-style restaurants. Décor includes Coca-Cola advertising, featuring nearly life-size cardboard illustrations of women in World War ...
. The acquisition was completed on July 22.


Products

Pretzelmaker's line of pretzels includes 10 flavors, and a variety of dipping sauces are provided. It is the innovator of the Pretzel Dog and Pretzel Bites.


References


External links

* {{Fast-food chains of the United States Fast-food franchises Trumbull, Connecticut Companies based in Atlanta Fast-food chains of the United States Pretzels Restaurants established in 1991 1991 establishments in Connecticut 2007 mergers and acquisitions