Profile

Auntie Anne (a.k.a. Anne Beiler) got her first taste of the pretzel business in 1987 as the manager of a farmer’s market concession stand in Maryland. One year later, she opened a stand of her own in Downington, Pa., where an incorrectly-placed order of ingredients led to a new hand-rolled pretzel recipe that was so successful she eliminated all other items from her menu. The strategy paid off. Since then, Auntie Anne’s has grown to more than 900 take-out locations at mall and airport food courts in Europe, Asia and South America as well as the United States. The basic salt-and-butter pretzel isn’t that different from what you’d get from other similar mall stands but the newfangled variations take this standard snack food in surprising directions such as a messy glazin’ raisin. Every pretzel is freshly-baked and sold warm and can be paired with one of seven pre-packaged dipping sauces. The chain also offers its own line of Dutch Ice and Dutch Smoothie fruit drinks and a fairly sweet lemonade. — Joe DeLessio