Auntie Anne's

Auntie Anne’s goal in life is to put a hot, golden pretzel in as many hands as possible. In 1988, Auntie Anne Beiler and Jonas Beiler started selling pretzels and lemonade at farmers’ markets in Pennsylvania. The next year, the pair began franchising the idea.

By 1992, the company opened its 100th location. In 2011, Auntie Anne’s partnered with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to raise money for childhood cancer research. Since then, Auntie Anne’s has added new items to the menu, a mobile app, and catering to the franchise.

There are over 1,000 franchises in the United States to go along with more than 700 international locations.

Why You May Want To Start an Auntie Anne’s Franchise

If you love pretzels and want to share them with others, you could become a franchisee. Any franchisee for Auntie Anne’s generally needs to have a passion for business and be willing to offer top-notch customer service and great hospitality.

Auntie Anne’s prefers franchisees with experience running a restaurant. At a minimum, the company would like franchisees that have business experience. Franchisees also may need people skills, to be connected to the community, and want to give back.

What Might Make an Auntie Anne’s Franchise a Good Choice?

Auntie Anne’s knows that innovation is key to staying ahead of the competition. One thing the company has done is offer multiple venue options. Franchisees can choose to open at an urban street site, a college or university, shopping mall, outlet center, airport, train station, travel plaza, entertainment center, food truck, pop-up store, or commissary location. Another major thing Auntie Anne’s has done is diversify the menu and offer catering. The different venues, menu options, and catering may provide franchisees with varying income streams.

To be part of the Auntie Anne’s team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should be prepared for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth and liquid capital requirements. 

How To Open an Auntie Anne’s Franchise

As you decide if opening an Auntie Anne’s franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if an Auntie Anne’s franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Auntie Anne’s franchising team questions.

If granted a Auntie Anne’s location, franchisees may receive multiple weeks of training in a classroom setting. The training covers everything from the menu to operations standards and more. Franchisees are also given on-the-job training and may receive additional support from a business consultant. Franchisees will also receive help from the marketing team to implement promotions.