Auntie Anne's is an American franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix for those who want to make their pretzels at home.[3] The chain has more than 1,200 stores around various locations, such as in shopping malls and outlet malls, as well as non-traditional retail spaces including universities, parking/rest areas, airports, train stations, travel plazas, amusement parks, and military bases. Their slogan as of 2010 is "Pretzel Perfect".
In October 2006, it was announced that the Auntie Anne's corporate headquarters would be relocated from the town of Gap, Pennsylvania, to downtown Lancaster.[6] The former site of the Lancaster Post Office was purchased and given minor renovations for about $7 million[6] by Auntie Anne's, Inc. Constructed in 1927, the three-story building stands on about 1.5 acres (6,100 m2). The building maintains the original 1920s features such as brass doors, high ceilings, and skylights. The Lancaster Post Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[7]
In November 2010, Atlanta franchisor Focus Brands (now known as GoTo Foods), a portfolio company of private equity firmRoark Capital, acquired Auntie Anne's.[8] William P. Dunn Jr. was the company's president and its chief operating officer from 2013 to 2015.[9] Heather Leed Neary became the company's president in 2015.[10]
In overseas markets, the restaurants have made significant alterations to coexist with local sensibilities, including changing recipes to conform to halal in Malaysia.[12]
Community service and charitable activity
From 1999 through 2009, Auntie Anne's and its franchisees partnered to donate more than $4.5 million to local children's hospitals across the country through the Children's Miracle Network. Auntie Anne's has also supported the pediatric cancer charity Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation since 2011.[15]
Auntie Anne's began a partnership with Food Donation Connection in 2011, matching stores throughout the country with local hunger relief organizations to donate extra pretzel products.
In 2013, Anne and Auntie Anne's was featured in the reality TV seriesFood Court Wars. Auntie Anne's founder Anne Beiler appeared in the 2013 season premier of the television show The Secret Millionaire in which she masqueraded as a volunteer at the Baltimore-based food non-profit organization Moveable Feast. She also made a donation to the charity.[16]
Anne Beiler's autobiography "Twist Of Faith: The Story of Anne Beiler, Founder of Auntie Anne's Pretzels[17]" is currently being adapted into a feature film biopic, produced by Called Higher Studios and written by Mark Charran and Beth Goldberg.