While Auntie Anne’s pretzels and lemonade have previously been known as satisfying food-court snacks, parent company Focus Brands has worked hard on bringing its mall brands to new audiences and occasions.
In 2021, Auntie Anne’s doubled down on its digital presence and opened its first-ever drive-thru location in collaboration with sister brand Jamba. The transformation work paid off as Auntie Anne’s sales rank jumped from 105 to 76, growing 64.6% over the past year, according to the 2021 NRN Top 500 powered by Datassential.
“The No. 1 thing guests said they wanted is more Auntie Anne’s accessibility,” said Alisa Gmelich, Auntie Anne’s chief brand officer. “The average guest goes only one to three times a year, but they want to engage with our brand more frequently. So that made us realize that we can do much more than our growth in malls, amusem*nt parks, entertainment venues and airports. … We started thinking about moving to street-side so guests can enjoy us more often.”
Last year, Auntie Anne’s made the decision to move its headquarters from Lancaster, Pa. to Atlanta to join the rest of Focus Brands and collaborate a lot more with its parent company. The most prominent partnership, of course, was the first cobranded drive-thru location that opened with Jamba in Texas. The new location provided twofold growth opportunities for Auntie Anne’s: a new point of accessibility for guests and the rise of occasion-based visits for customers who want to make a meal out of a smoothie and a pretzel.
“The real benefit of [moving our headquarters] is working with the entire enterprise Focus team,” Gmelich said. “So many of the things that we are doing today would not be possible if we were … not able to leverage all the different amazing digital components and connectivity under the Focus umbrella.”
Beyond broadening the company’s horizons through new omnichannel capabilities, Auntie Anne’s also doubled down on its digital presence in 2021. Although the company already had an app and loyalty program, last year Auntie Anne’s began honing its online voice and grew its loyalty members to just under two million users. Gmelich said that throughout the pandemic, her team learned a lot about molding off-premises needs around digital convenience, like ordering ahead so customers did not have to wait in a long line to pick up their pretzels. Auntie Anne’s is working on a separate area for mobile pickup customers to ease customer friction even further.
“One of the areas that we've been investing a lot of our resources on is how to fine-tune that great experience so that when you do show up at Auntie Anne's, it is very clear where to pick up your pretzel,” Gmelich said.
For many companies, third-party delivery partnerships became one of the most important steps on the way to “winning” digital engagement, and this was no different for Auntie Anne’s. Gmelich said the company began using its partnerships with the three major third-party delivery platforms to push the boundaries of menu innovation, like creating the new bucket of pretzels menu item marketed during sporting events.
“When people are watching a game at home, they usually order pizza or wings, and now a bucket of pretzels is right at the top of the list as they think about feeding all the fans in their household,” Gmelich said.
Over the past year, each of these components — new store prototypes, partnerships with other Focus concepts, digital engagement and menu innovation — has shifted Auntie Anne’s to be a more top-of-mind brand for customers rather than just a happenstance purchase for shoppers and people waiting for their train or plane.
“Auntie Anne’s has always been an incredibly powerful impulse buy,” Gmelich said. “We like to think of ourselves as leaders in the snack space, and there are not a whole lot of destination brands in that category.”
Contact Joanna Fantozzi at[emailprotected]
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The Top 500 report is presented by Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential, using insights from Datassential’s proprietary Firefly platform. Datassential’s Firefly is the ultimate strategic tool — No. 1 operator database, lead generator, customer marketing and intelligence platform, all-in-one. Learn more about getting complete access at datassential.com/firefly.
FAQs
Auntie Anne's proved it was more than just a mall brand | Nation's Restaurant News. In 2021, Auntie Anne's doubled down on its digital presence and opened its first-ever drive-thru location in collaboration with sister brand Jamba.
Why is Auntie Anne's only in malls? ›
Auntie Anne's had access to lots of customers.
Truth be told, Auntie Anne's was not initially intended to become a fixture of malls. According to Restaurant Business Online, the whole love affair between Anne's and the food court fell together because of the high amount of foot traffic.
What makes Auntie Anne's unique? ›
All those pretzels are made and twisted on the spot.
Auntie Anne's definitely doesn't serve pre-made pretzels! Every location receives shipments of the signature flour mixture, which is put in a mixer along with water and yeast. They're baked, brushed with real butter, salted and served right there.
Are Auntie Anne's and Cinnabon the same company? ›
GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands) is an American company that currently owns the Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Auntie Anne's and Jamba brands.
What company owns Auntie Anne's? ›
GoTo Foods is the parent company of Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon, Carvel, McAlister's Deli, Jamba, Moe's Southwest Grill and Schlotzsky's. In total, the company operates more than 6,700 units worldwide. Holthouser took over as CEO in 2020, when he announced his goal to unify the company's seven franchises.
Does Subway own Auntie Anne's? ›
Both Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's are part of Focus Brands, the Atlanta-based operator owned by Roark Capital, the private equity group trying to buy Subway.
Why is Auntie Anne's successful? ›
Beyond broadening the company's horizons through new omnichannel capabilities, Auntie Anne's also doubled down on its digital presence in 2021. Although the company already had an app and loyalty program, last year Auntie Anne's began honing its online voice and grew its loyalty members to just under two million users.
What is Auntie Anne's secret? ›
Instead, they mix hot (but not boiling) water with baking soda until the baking soda dissolves, then dunk the pretzels in that solution prior to baking. According to The Daily Meal, the baking soda solution slapped onto each pretzel is what gives them that signature Auntie Anne's crust.
Are Auntie Anne's and Wetzel pretzels the same? ›
Wetzel's Pretzels was founded in 1994 and is based mainly in California, with few stores out-of-state. Auntie Anne's on the other hand, was founded in 1988 in Pennsylvania, and remains the nationally recognized brand.
Are Auntie Anne's pretzels fried or baked? ›
Is this the same product that is sold at Auntie Anne's franchise locations? Products sold at Auntie Anne's franchise locations are baked fresh in-store. In order to provide you with a great Auntie Anne's experience at home, we use the same proprietary blend of flour used in our stores.
Shaq was the franchise owner of 17 Auntie Anne's Pretzels restaurants. This Aunt Anne's investment made him about $300,000.
Who is Auntie Anne's competitor? ›
Auntie Anne's competitors and alternatives
- Greggs. Chain of bakery products. ...
- GAIL's Bakery. Company is a bakery chain. ...
- Ole & Steen. Restaurant serving breads, cakes, and pastries. ...
- Patisserie-Valerie. Chain of bakery cafes. ...
- St Pierre Groupe. Restaurant chain of bakery food products. ...
- Bells of Lazonby. ...
- Sim Trava. ...
- Village Bakery.
Auntie Anne's and Cinnabon parent company Focus Brands rebrands to GoTo Foods. Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon, and Jamba parent company Focus Brands announced Tuesday morning the company's rebranding to GoTo Foods.
Does Arby's own Auntie Anne's? ›
Roark is a private equity firm with $37 billion in assets under management. It specializes in franchised businesses and owns multiple restaurant chains, including Arby's, Dunkin', Auntie Anne's, Sonic, and Buffalo Wild Wings.
What is Auntie Anne's real name? ›
“Auntie” Anne Beiler started baking pretzels to help fund her husband's desire to provide free family counseling services for their community.
Which state has the most Auntie Anne's? ›
In the United States, you can find Auntie Anne's in all 50 states with Pennsylvania leading the way with around 133 locations.
Does Auntie Anne's have stand-alone locations? ›
It's an early location as part of what she says is an intentional push by the brand to open more street-side locations in urban environments. Auntie Anne's does have some stand-alone locations, including one in New York City's Times Square.
Why do malls have pretzels? ›
It's the right-size snack to perk you up after you've tried on a slew of disappointing shoes or to serve as a celebratory bite once you've found the perfect pair. In even the most stressful of shopping situations, a pretzel is only going to improve your attitude.
Why are there so many pretzel companies in Pennsylvania? ›
The rise of pretzels in the region is attributed in part to their popularity with Civil War soldiers who passed through the area. In the twentieth century, the first automated pretzel machine was developed in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The Top 500 report is presented by Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential, using insights from Datassential’s proprietary Firefly platform. Datassential’s Firefly is the ultimate strategic tool — No. 1 operator database, lead generator, customer marketing and intelligence platform, all-in-one. Learn more about getting complete access at datassential.com/firefly.