Our Story

In the early fifth century, German monks took a vow of deliciousness and invented the pretzel. Believe it or not, they were made to mimic arms folded in prayer and used to reward small children for good deeds. Even back then, they were a hit! Fast forward several centuries and that’s where we come in, elevating the Pretzel to new dimensions of tastiness.

Pretzelmaker—which united with Pretzel Time under the Pretzelmaker name in 2010, becoming the second largest soft pretzel concept in the United States— introduced our famous soft pretzel in 1991 and it’s been a twisted delight ever since. Today, Pretzelmaker stores offer an awesome selection of hot, fresh-baked, fresh twisted pretzels, pretzel bites, pretzel dogs, freshly squeezed lemonade, creamy blended drinks, and cold beverages all over the world. Currently, you can find our franchises in more than 330 locations in the U.S. and worldwide. Click here for international franchise opportunities.

Who We Are

We’re trendy, hip and “now” and continuously offer our customers/fans a new reason to visit our stores and engage with us through revolutionary marketing and public relations initiatives. We are the proud owners of National Pretzel Day –April 26th— but we take the pretzel world by storm all year long!

Pretzelmaker is about more than just delicious fresh baked and twisted pretzels. We believe giving back to the community in which we operate our pretzel franchise is extremely rewarding, which is why our franchisees are active members of the local Chamber of Commerce, supporters of the neighborhood schools and partners with not-for-profit and other charitable organizations.

Why Open a Pretzelmaker?

Long recognized as innovators in our industry, Pretzelmaker is credited with inventing the popular Pretzel Dog, Mini Pretzel Dogs, and the portable Pretzel Bites.

• Selected as one of the Top 100 Franchises by World Franchising Network
• Selected as one of the Top 50 Franchises for Minorities by The National Minority Franchising Initiative (NMFI)
• Listed in Franchise Times’ “Up & Comers: 100 Companies on the Verge”
• Ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 500 Franchises”
• We’re part of the booming snack food industry!  According to recent studies, more than two of five consumers replace one meal a day with snacks
• Our target demographic of consumers aged 18-24 are more likely to snack outside the home and purchase the majority of snacks from retail locations

What Do Our Franchisees Say?