Twisted is Wetzel’s Pretzels latest innovation that, according to the company, “takes snacking to another level, putting a modern twist on the brand’s classic pretzel by stuffing, topping and drizzling it to create savory and sweet menu creations.”
Longtime Wetzel’s Pretzels franchisee Steve Liebsohn is excited to open the first franchise-owned Twisted by Wetzel’s concept this summer after the new storefront bakery concept debuted in La Habra, California, in Orange County, in May as a corporate-owned location.
“I love the fact that Wetzel’s is thinking outside the box with this new concept and we can expand our menu, actually put on a steroid to bring more of our flavorful food to the people. I have no doubt that this will be a big hit here,” said Liebsohn, operator of more than 35 Wetzel’s locations in Arizona. His Twisted store will open in Surprise, near Phoenix.
Twisted is Wetzel’s Pretzels latest innovation that, according to the company, “takes snacking to another level, putting a modern twist on the brand’s classic pretzel by stuffing, topping and drizzling it to create savory and sweet menu creations.” Six new snack items have been added, including new variations of hot dogs, ice cream chimney cakes and loaded pretzel bits.
Six new snack items have been added, including new variations of hot dogs, ice cream chimney cakes and loaded pretzel bits.
Among the new food items are: Twistz, a braided pretzel dough stuffed with cheese and sprinkled with a choice of toppings; Dogz hot dogs with topping selections of jalapeños, green onion, slaw, cilantro baja and siracha sauces and bacon; and Pretzel Chimney Cakes, pretzel dough that’s rolled in sugar crystals and filled with soft serve ice cream.
One of the new items Westzel’s Pretzels added to its menu is Chimney Cakes that rolls in sugar crystals and is filled with creamy soft serve.
Kim Freer, chief marketing officer for Wetzel’s, said the idea of the Twisted concept took root prior to the franchise being acquired by MTY Food Group in November. “It was actually something that we have been working on the last couple of years and MTY was excited about it as well. They saw it as our pathway to growth and our ability to always be an innovator in the snack space,” she said.
Freer explained the Twisted concept was borne out of the latest consumer trends. Instead of eating three major meals a day, the franchisor’s research team noted that more people were snacking throughout the day and were gravitating toward smaller portions of sweet and savory, on-the-go, shareable food.
“When we opened our first store it was pretzels, dogs and lemonade. Those were our three pillars. But over the years we kept adding new food choices and now we’ve got a full-blown menu that features a lot more of snackable items and a lot of Hispanic-themed choices because that happens to be one of the most popular cuisines in the U.S. now,” Freer said.
Wetzel’s new Twisted concept goes beyond expanding the menu, Freer said. The stores will emphasize bold new color displays inside that play off the twisted theme. “It’s about creating this entire twisted experience, creating a 360-degree experience in our Twisted stores that when you walk into the space it kind of twists with you as you become part of the entire immersive experience,” she said.
“I always say the camera eats first,” Freer said, “and Twisted food items are deliciously messy and very Instagram-able. It’s fun to eat and fun to share on social media.”
Wetzel’s new Twisted concept stores will emphasize bold new color displays inside that play off the twisted theme.
Wetzel’s, which counts among its fanbase celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Billie Eilish, Jimmy Kimmel, Kim Kardashian and Meghan Trainor, credits Liebsohn for helping make the Twisted concept a reality. As a franchisee consultant for the company, the Arizona multi-unit franchisee pushed the company to innovate for years. He was a big proponent of the brand’s adoption of delivery and food trucks.
“To me it’s always been about bringing the food to the people and transforming the brand from an impulse buy in malls and airports to becoming a destination store,” Liebsohn said. “Of course, I was really happy that Wetzel recognized that when they did, and now has introduced a new food concept that will attract younger customers.”
Wetzel’s was founded in 1994 by Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel in Pasadena, California, and has grown to more than 370 stores, including premier locations like Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort, Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort and Universal CityWalk. This year, Wetzel’s is scheduled to open its 400th location, with franchise unit growth anticipated to be more than a 50 percent increase over 2022, according to the company.
Related: New Wetzel’s Pretzels Program Aims to Boost Franchise Ownership Among Women, Minorities
According to Wetzel’s, 74 percent of its stores are in malls/outlets, with 16 percent located in “non-traditional” areas like stadiums, theme parks and airports. In recent years, the brand has signed deals with big box giants Walmart and Macy’s to incorporate in-store locations. According to Freer, that segment now makes up 7 percent of the business.
The total investment for a Wetzel’s franchise ranges between $162,600 and $585,350, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document.