I'll be honest, I've literally gone to the mall or local Walmart just for Auntie Anne's. They're pretzels are just so good. Downside is it's extremely overpriced and kinda always has been. It's like $5.00 a pretzel today and they literally sell combos for two people worth $25. My god that's steep. But I will say, I like them so much I've never even noticed the competition. It's like my mind was already sold on Auntie Anne's being the best.
My local mall has 2 Auntie Annes and 2 Wetzel Pretzels. They each have a location on the first floor and on the 2nd floor. And on busy days, all of those kiosks are packed with people. I never knew Auntie Anne's was so much bigger. They have always been interchangeable in my eyes. Every single mall in the nearby area has both franchises.
Fun fact: my family was banned in a Auntie Anne's because I wanted a transparent cup and after the employees stopped me from stealing one I screamed in the top of my lungs. I was 4 years old by the way.
Wetzel’s is my childhood and we still have one in our local mall. I remember really enjoying their lemonade before I got diagnosed with type one diabetes.
@@oioinakaji Oh I am. I still have wetzel’s pretzels as a treat. I typically just have the pretzel take the place of my lunch and the like when I do indulge.
My first job was a Wetzels pretzels, in a brand new mall literally having its grand opening. I applied during a college job fair and I was stunned since the mall was built in my backward, a 2 minute drive from my house and I never even knew. Anyways, the first month or two it was crazy, lots and lots of sales but afterwards, business died down drastically, mostly because the shop was at a remote corner of the mall and the mall itself was at a corner of very new suburbian area, far from most of the local population. They had to let go of a seasoned manager and eventually paid me to manage it, but im sure I made nowhere near what the old manager did. Sales were so slow. We barely made $300 a day, sometimes selling just 1 drink or even nothing an hour. It only lasted a year before the owner closed it. Suburbia has grown farther past the mall now and its now in a bit better situation, since its now in the middle of multiple neighborhoods and a new wetzels has popped open. Anyways, those were the days, we would make my own creations, like the super pepperoni stuffed cheese dog... man, I gained so much weight working there.
Never had anything other than Auntie Anne’s, but I’ll vouch for them any day. Besides the food court, and the Great American Cookies in my closet mall, The Auntie Anne’s is one of the things I look forward to.
I'm the opposite, but I might be biased since it was my first job, and I became a manager for a Wetzels for 2 yrs. To be fair, it really depends on how fresh it is. If its right out the oven, they are freaking amazing. But they get bad real quick, the company policy is to replace them after 30 minutes but I know most stores probably stretch that to 45min or an hr. Then I can see why you would be unimpressed. I've only been to aunt Anne once and looked too plain. I don't even remember what I got but I remember It not being as cheesy as wetzels.
@@TheCrazierz Well you’ve only been to one Auntie Anne’s location, once. My Auntie Anne’s have pretzels warm all the time, with a ton of different types and dipping sauces. I like to get a pizza pretzel with marinara sauce, and sometimes a lemonade. But there are other things like mustard, garlic sauces, pretzel bites with a coat of cinnamon, etc. Of course it all come down to preference, but Auntie Anne’s is a very good snack place, and you can see that by how successful the company has been compared to others.
I worked at wetzels, I can tell you right out the oven, they are amazing, but after 30 minutes, they are suppose to throw them away and replace them but I got a feeling most stores stretch it to 45 minutes or even an hour. They go hard fast.
Auntie Anne’s pretzel dogs with the cheese melted on top with a cup of cinnamon sugar pretzel bites have always been my family’s go-to at the mall for years.
I love Auntie Anne’s. There’s two in the Charlotte airport and I ALWAYS stop at one of them. Never heard of Wetzel’s. However, my very favorite growing up in Texas was a place called Mr. Pretzels at the mall in Lewisville. Not sure if it was a chain but it looks like that location still exists unchanged from 20 years ago.
My old boss in a store in the mall was once told by an auntie Anne’s owner that each pretzel only had 100 calories. After eating 2 a day for 6 months, he then realized he was talking only about the baked ones without butter…
Man the story of Anne, about how her depression and tragedy ultimately leading to a beautiful success story, is unique and odd enough sure, but cliche aside, it spoke to me, and I needed to hear that today. Thank you man. I love your channel. Your production quality is unmatched. Keep it up. I love that you make learning fun and exciting to average viewers. You have a very wide and diverse target audience that you flourish with. Merry late Christmas Company Man, happy new year. I appreciate you.
i always thought auntie anne's was like an aunt jemima scenario, i never knew it was a real woman with such a crazy backstory. props to her for getting through that turmoil and ushering in banger pretzels
You do realize that Aunt Jemima was a real person, a former slave and America's first female black millionaire? If not, it's an inspiration to read about
This was actually a pretty informative video since I've lived on the West Coast my whole life and assumed Wetzel's Pretzels was the bigger one of the two but you learn something new everyday.
auntie anne's is the best pretzels i've ever had outside of traditional amish-made soft pretzels. the softness, the butter and salt ratios... the honey mustard dip! omg that stuff is so addictive
My grandpa grew up in Philly during the great depression; he used to sell soft pretzels on the street to earn money to help his family. He later moved to LA and insisted on stopping at the pretzel stand every time he took us to the mall
Great video, I worked for Auntie annes for 11 years even got a chance to go to their HQ in Lancaster PA. Pretty decent company. The one I worked at made everything fresh every 10 mins or so. We had to throw away so much food but it was worth it to get a hot fresh pretzel and I personally think that's what made us so popular. We had a pretzel time once in the same mall but they shut down because they just could not keep up. It's also cool to know Shaq once owned 17 Auntie Annes. He later sold them all because he said "....Because Black people don’t like pretzels that much.' lol
I also worked for Auntie Anne's for 11 years and attended pretzel University in gap Pennsylvania. Anne actually visited our store ny108 in the late 90s.
An Auntie Anne's almond pretzel + caramel dipper has been my go-to since I was a teenager working in the mall in the mid 90s and only had a 15 minute break. They were right across from my store and it was a cheap but filling option to bet me through my closing shift.
The best pretzels (in the past) were made at the Berry Stand outside of Sutter's at Knott's Berry Farm. This was before the pre-packaged pretzels they have now. Back then they made them from scratch. This is also where I met my wife, she worked there.
A few fun facts about Auntie Anne's: The butter is sourced from Amish communities and is very expensive but is honestly of extremely high quality. The dough is all hand-made, and my location easily went through a few hundred pounds of flour every week. Bigger locations may go through 1,000 pounds in a week. Auntie Anne's locations are always open to the air and usually located away from other food stalls in the mall. This is to make the entire surrounding area smell like freshly baked bread because, allegedly, the smell of fresh baked bread makes people hungry. When you get a job at Auntie Anne's, a part of your employment terms is a 4 year non-compete with Wetzel's Pretzels. That's how serious the pretzel game is. I managed a franchise location in my local mall in the early 2010's. One Black Friday we had a line that was so long that it stretched to the end of the hallway (probably a good 300 feet) and security had to constantly tell people not to block entrances to all the stores. We were making pretzels 18 at a time. One person rolling, one person dipping and salting, one person manning the ovens and buttering, one person bagging, and one person taking orders. If you've seen how small most location are, you know it was very cramped on that day. By the raw numbers (at least at the location I managed), the Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel is the most popular item on the menu, followed closely by the Cinnamon Nuggets. Speaking of numbers, typical waste (pretzels older than 1 hour and thrown away or dough that starts to get "flat") typically amounts to around 30%. I actually really got in trouble because the location I managed was a franchise, and I started to deliver bags of old pretzels to the local homeless population. Our owners did not like that, reprimanded me heavily, and told me to never do it again.
I always thought Wetzel's was the bigger chain. I guess that's just a product of me being a west-coast person, who is used to seeing Wetzel's in much more notable locations, like Disneyland, Dodger Stadium, and even seeing plenty of Wetzel's food trucks driving around. Auntie Anne's are pretty relegated to malls around here, and usually if a mall has an Auntie Anne's there's at least one Wetzel's in the same mall. Sometimes you'll even see two or three of each stand in the same mall just on different floors at opposite ends. When it comes to who has the better food, honestly, it's a toss-up. I will say that I think Auntie Anne's has the better lemonade, but the pretzels (at least to me) are virtually identical. Also, as much as I love pretzels, I do think that each stand is WAY overcharging for the product. I will buy a cup of pretzel bites, a lemonade, and cheese dip from one of these stands and usually end up paying upwards of 15 bucks. I think each company needs to lower their prices but then I can see lines of half an hour to just buy a pretzel, so usually when I'm at the mall I skip buying them. However, if they were to lower their prices, I would buy one every time.
When I worked at the mall, I would get an Auntie Ann every paycheck, lol! And Mall Employee discount! I love soft pretzels and look forward to getting them outside the mall soon
Same from California have lived in many different areas and counties in socal and wetzels always seems to be the most popular guess elsewhere it's not 🤷🏻♀️
I remember having an Auntie Anne's open up in my local mall in the 2000's. It was next to a Target and walking past it, it really was intoxicating to smell fresh pretzels that it really made me want one. And the lines were always super busy every time I went to the mall. I remember having my first cinnamon pretzel with caramel dipping sauce, one bite and I was in heaven. Also want to mention that AA sells frozen pretzels at Target and they taste just as delicious.
In all honesty, I think both Auntie Anne's and Pretzel Time are fairly close in taste, but if I'm going to a location where I know both of them have a location, I'm going to Auntie Anne's. There's just something about the smell of an Auntie Anne's pretzel that wins me over every time.
I worked at Auntie Anne’s for 6 years. One little known phenomenon in the pretzel game is the “Zumiez Plug”. It’s an employee at a Zumiez that lets you use there STEEP discount in exchange for free food. This phenomenon has occurred at every location I’ve ever talked to employees at. CERN is currently investigating.
@@HaleStorm1998 I have preemptively down-voted your comment as you have been spamming it. Tired, bored, drunk? Who knows? But your ultimate reward is a thumbs down.
Company Man may have started a war here… never had Wetzel’s Pretzel’s. Auntie Anne’s was my jam as a kid going to the mall nearby here in Northern OH. Always had to get a fresh lemonade too.
I usually have Auntie Anne's pretzels for snack when we usually stop at a rest area or whatever while going on vacations and road trips, and I love it a lot!!
I live in Southern California, so I've only known Wetzel's my whole life, until I went on vacation with my mom to Pennsylvania, and we had a stop at the Chicago O'Hare Airport. First time I've ever seen Auntie's Anne's pretzels. Their Cinnamon Sugar pretzels were divine, but for me, they took second place to the Mrs. Field's cookie store also in the same airport. During all the trips back and forth to the East Coast and all the stops we made in Chicago, sometimes, those cookies and pretzels were the only thing holding my sanity together while flying on non-revenue stand-by. On another note, there's a huge mall in my area called the Del Amo Fashion Center where they have not one, not two, but THREE different Wetzel's storefronts in this mall. They also have one Auntie Anne's/Carvel/Cinnabon stand that recently opened up in the newer section of the mall. I had one of Auntie Anne's pretzels not too long ago. I was disappointed, the pretzels had been sitting there under the heat lamps for a while, they weren't fresh, and they were kinda skinny and under-proofed too. Compared to the much busier and popular Wetzel stores in the mall, my favorite it easily Wetzel's. Their Cinnamon Sugar pretzels taste better too, in my opinion.
My Auntie Anne's has that, Carvel and cinnabon all in 1 location, I think they're better then Wetzel's, mostly because of the rewards program. If I want ice cream, I can get that at Anne's, still get points and redeem for a pretzel item. Also I like Auntie's app UI more than Wetzel's, Wetzel's isn't bad by any means, but Auntie Anne's seems better to me. Also I can think of 3 Auntie Anne's, to 1 Wetzel's in the Boston MA area, I'm sure there's more of each, but that's all I know off the top of my head.
Reading the comments section I am amazed by two things: 1. The amount of people that still go to malls. 2. The amount of people that actually pay $5-10 for a pretzel lol
My biggest surprise was how much smaller Wetzel's is than Annie's. I guess it's because I've lived my whole life on the west coast but I always thought of them as equally ubiquitous and figured they were pretty even competitors. Turns out Annie's is way bigger.
They are right. Auntie Anne's pretzels are the only reason I go into the mall...that and this Teriyaki Chinese food place 😋. When I'm craving that, I usually go around the corner and get a pretzel.. or just go get a pretzel alone. Love their hot dog and pepperoni pretzels 😋
I was surprised to learn that there really was a pretzel boom in the '90s that it was referring to. I was a teen in the '90s and never really noticed it happening. Definitely not when that episode first aired.
My 2 local malls has WELTZZEL PRETZELS. They are always packed, the pizza pretzels are always in everyone’s hand. I know when I was Christmas shopping I bought a pizza pretzels
I don't mess with sweet pretzels. I haven't had either of these brands since I was much younger. But the Philly Soft Pretzel Factory literally *kept me alive* when I was a broke college kid. The free daily paper in Philadelphia had an ad every single day and coupons. It was my regular diet and the nostalgia is strong. Between that and the height of the $5 foootlooooongs in 2006 I was thriving on trash food for cheap.
I've never heard of either of them. Although I don't live anywhere near a mall. In fact, the only place I can think of near me that sells soft pretzels would be the movie theater. Edit: After googling both of them, there is an Auntie Anne's in the nearest town. It's actually closer to me than the previously mentioned movie theater.
Damn you must live in the middle of nowhere and in a bubble. Not trying to offend or anything. but how could you not have heard of a least one of them?! Auntie Anne's are EVERYWHERE.
As a PA resident, iv seen maybe one or two wetzels pretzels but dozens of auntie Anne’s , she’s a icon I love her and she will always be one of our food stables
I grew up in Michigan and am very familiar with Hot Sam's. Their pretzels were A LOT better than Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's. The greasy butter topping just isn't as good.
Some of my earliest memories are eating Auntie Anne's pretzels in the Downingtown Farmer's Market where the first store was located. They even came to our class in elementary school just down the street to show us how to make pretzels. Hard to imagine it all started in that still sleepy little town!
Yep. Sometimes my parents will go out to the mall, and if they ask if I want anything cuz my little sister is gonna get food, the first thing that comes to mind is Auntie Anne's mini corndogs lol
Being from the West Coast I always find myself glancing over at Cinnabon / Auntie Anne’s as I’m looking for the Wetzels’ Pretzels. Thank for the video Company Man!
@@subservient8 I went into Leicester yesterday and bought an original salt one and a pepperoni. Tasted good but was a bit expensive. Can't make any comparison as that is the only ones I have had.
@@robertfletcher3421 Nice! those are the best along with the cinnamon IMO. We have a bit too expensive in common unfortunately. For what you get. That is sadly, why I rarely get one. Also the long queue lines.
Auntie Anne’s will always be my favorite soft pretzel stand. Growing up, there is this AA stand at the mall near me and whenever I get close to the place, I could always smell from the distance that would cause my mouth to water. The stand is still in that mall today and I would always still smell the pretzels when I’m there.
Auntie Anne's definitely needs to work on their price at this point and also may need to check their rep outside Pennsylvania. I and many people I know had no idea the history behind Auntie Anne's nor recognize it as a women lead business any more than other companies. The other brand I've never actually seen before... Like ever. But anyways AA I think needs to do better to express their history because having two of them in some malls seems to work fine but in some they seem like a huge waste of money. Maybe they should be more active on social media and start talking like Wendy's.
@@mikes3623 thats fine im still js it doesnt seem to be as big of a deal of a brand as made to be. I imagine the minute a more popular chain such as McDonalds offers pretzels that may cut into them sharply.
Im glad you made this because living in california i grew up with Wetzels Pretzels then moving to Florida i actually worked at Auntie Ans and would still always call it Wetzels
I've never been a pretzel fan. I pass up every single pretzel store every time I visit a mall. However, one time I had accompanied a friend who wanted to go to the mall one day. While doing our shopping she wanted to stop by Wetzel's, and despite my initial protests she got me to try a few of the pretzels she has purchased. I don't remember what she even ordered, but they were these small donut hole like pretzels in a small bag. They were extremely good. I was surprised I had put off ever going to a pretzel shop my whole life. If I ever visit a Wetzel's Pretzels again I might go ahead and purchase a small little bag of those pretzels again. I did get the change to try Auntie Ann's a month or so ago for the first time as well, and I gotta say it just wasn't as good as the Wetzel's ones my friend had given me. Though my boyfriend is a huge fan of the Auntie Ann's ones. I feel like it might be a bit overhyped?
@@TheCrazierz in the episode Marge starts a pretzel business. She gives free samples at a baseball game. But when Burns wins the car in a give away, the crowd throws them at the car. Whitey Ford pleads to the crowd, but is knocked out by the pretzels. Later Homer suggests calling them Whitey Whackers.
The two things I enjoyed getting at the mall when I was a kid were a soft pretzel with nacho cheese and an Orange Julius. I also remember those giant chocolate chip cookies that were the size of a large pizza that you could customize to say "Happy Birthday" among other things.
Wetzel has always been my go to when I visit the mall and I thought they were the more popular pretzel makers. My favorite is the almond crunch! I would love for them to start selling them outside the mall .
Downingtown Native here! 👋 I actually didn’t know that Auntie Anne’s came from Downingtown until later in life, I had driven by their HQ in Lancaster tons of times, but the farmers market has been gone for a while now and the closest Auntie Anne’s location is in a local Walmart, but Auntie Anne’s is the favorite hands down!
In southern Illinois, there is an Auntie Anne’s food truck that travels around to all the small towns. They announce where they will be ahead of time and there is always a massive line when the truck comes to town despite rain, snow, or cold!
At the mall near me, we have an Auntie Anne's on one side, Wetzel's on the other, & in between is a Nestlé toll house. No matter what time of day, all of them are the most crowded. The smells are top notch!
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Those cinnamon sugar pretzel bites from auntie anne’s are just heavenly
I would kill for an Aunty Anne’s Peperoni pretzel 🤤
I love their cinnamon raisin pretzel.
I love getting those when getting a flight
these with cream cheese dip were so good!!! i haven’t seen them sell cream cheese in awhile though and i miss it a lot :(.
1000% agree
I'll be honest, I've literally gone to the mall or local Walmart just for Auntie Anne's. They're pretzels are just so good. Downside is it's extremely overpriced and kinda always has been. It's like $5.00 a pretzel today and they literally sell combos for two people worth $25. My god that's steep. But I will say, I like them so much I've never even noticed the competition. It's like my mind was already sold on Auntie Anne's being the best.
That $25 combo got me pissed too, I downright refused to buy anything from them, bunch of bullshit 😂
You get what you pay for. For us it sucks. But we like it so we will buy it. Price doesn’t matter when the product is the best
But Wetzel is the best lol
lol I like Auntie Anne on free pretzel day, but my normal Pretzel place is Sam's Club
If you’re going to a mall or Walmart JUsST for Auntie Anne’s then guess what? It’s not overpriced. It’s that good.
My local mall has 2 Auntie Annes and 2 Wetzel Pretzels. They each have a location on the first floor and on the 2nd floor. And on busy days, all of those kiosks are packed with people. I never knew Auntie Anne's was so much bigger. They have always been interchangeable in my eyes. Every single mall in the nearby area has both franchises.
That's so cool 😂 must be a massive mall
I had never heard of Wetzel’s Pretzels before this video, so that one is probably more localized.
I didn't know this was a thing either. We only have auntie Anne's, wetzels doesn't exist in my reality
I also have never heard of Wetzel's so when he mentioned the first location was in California I assumed it was just a west coast thing
How big is your mall to have 2 of each of those?
Fun fact: my family was banned in a Auntie Anne's because I wanted a transparent cup and after the employees stopped me from stealing one I screamed in the top of my lungs. I was 4 years old by the way.
It was through this video that I learned that both Auntie Anne's and Wetzel's Pretzels are much newer than I realized.
Growing up in California, or at least my part of California, I always looked at Wetzels as being the dominant brand but little did I know
Same…always noticed there was a lot more stand alone wetzles too outside of the mall, they even have a drive thru…game changer
Wetzel’s is my childhood and we still have one in our local mall. I remember really enjoying their lemonade before I got diagnosed with type one diabetes.
@@Mostie-ev7oh Hope you’re doing okay!
And being from the east coast, I never heard of Wetzel’s before. Only Auntie Anne’s and Philly Pretzels.
@@oioinakaji Oh I am. I still have wetzel’s pretzels as a treat. I typically just have the pretzel take the place of my lunch and the like when I do indulge.
Very informative. Who knew there could be so many twists and turns in the story of pretzel stores?
Well there are a lot of twists and turns on a pretzel just look at one🥨
Ha, Ha, very funny 😄 😆
I see what you did there
🌽🏀
@@user-jy8hw2pn5z what does corn and a basketball have to do with anything😅😅😅
I was a manager of an Auntie Anne’s in Ohio in the late 90s and Anne visited our location and was super nice. She deserves her success!
My first job was a Wetzels pretzels, in a brand new mall literally having its grand opening. I applied during a college job fair and I was stunned since the mall was built in my backward, a 2 minute drive from my house and I never even knew.
Anyways, the first month or two it was crazy, lots and lots of sales but afterwards, business died down drastically, mostly because the shop was at a remote corner of the mall and the mall itself was at a corner of very new suburbian area, far from most of the local population.
They had to let go of a seasoned manager and eventually paid me to manage it, but im sure I made nowhere near what the old manager did. Sales were so slow. We barely made $300 a day, sometimes selling just 1 drink or even nothing an hour. It only lasted a year before the owner closed it.
Suburbia has grown farther past the mall now and its now in a bit better situation, since its now in the middle of multiple neighborhoods and a new wetzels has popped open.
Anyways, those were the days, we would make my own creations, like the super pepperoni stuffed cheese dog... man, I gained so much weight working there.
Never had anything other than Auntie Anne’s, but I’ll vouch for them any day. Besides the food court, and the Great American Cookies in my closet mall, The Auntie Anne’s is one of the things I look forward to.
Had the other place for the first time and meh not impressed. I'll stick with Anne.
I'm the opposite, but I might be biased since it was my first job, and I became a manager for a Wetzels for 2 yrs.
To be fair, it really depends on how fresh it is. If its right out the oven, they are freaking amazing. But they get bad real quick, the company policy is to replace them after 30 minutes but I know most stores probably stretch that to 45min or an hr. Then I can see why you would be unimpressed.
I've only been to aunt Anne once and looked too plain. I don't even remember what I got but I remember It not being as cheesy as wetzels.
@@TheCrazierz Well you’ve only been to one Auntie Anne’s location, once. My Auntie Anne’s have pretzels warm all the time, with a ton of different types and dipping sauces. I like to get a pizza pretzel with marinara sauce, and sometimes a lemonade. But there are other things like mustard, garlic sauces, pretzel bites with a coat of cinnamon, etc. Of course it all come down to preference, but Auntie Anne’s is a very good snack place, and you can see that by how successful the company has been compared to others.
@@THE_Dr.Pepper_Ethusiast yea thats why I made it clear that I was baised and that I was trying to be fair.
Yo you got a mall in your closet?!
Prefer the pretzels from Wetzels, but I will say it that Auntie Anne's is more consistent.
I worked at wetzels, I can tell you right out the oven, they are amazing, but after 30 minutes, they are suppose to throw them away and replace them but I got a feeling most stores stretch it to 45 minutes or even an hour. They go hard fast.
Auntie annes is wayyy more consistent and their pretzels stay good longer, wetzels always get hard if they aren’t super fresh
how many pretzels do you eat man 😆
So true
I haven't heard of Wetzel Pretzel before but I still agree with Wylan, Auntie Anne was a go-to restaurant during my childhood.
Auntie Anne’s pretzel dogs with the cheese melted on top with a cup of cinnamon sugar pretzel bites have always been my family’s go-to at the mall for years.
You got a hefty ass family
@@bcb5696 HEFTY HEFTY HEFTY
I love Auntie Anne’s. There’s two in the Charlotte airport and I ALWAYS stop at one of them. Never heard of Wetzel’s. However, my very favorite growing up in Texas was a place called Mr. Pretzels at the mall in Lewisville. Not sure if it was a chain but it looks like that location still exists unchanged from 20 years ago.
Yoo vista ridge mall, its pretty much dead now but its still a fun mall to go to
@@V15lol Hahaaa yes exactly! Vista Ridge! Grew up down the street from that mall! Think it’s called Music City Mall for some reason now
@@jthomashair Yup its called music city now
@@jthomashair Its still pretty happening but in one area, theres a whole asian food court type thing thats still gets crowded and its really cool
I quit from the Charlotte airport location a few months ago. Coworkers were the best but management sucked sadly
My old boss in a store in the mall was once told by an auntie Anne’s owner that each pretzel only had 100 calories. After eating 2 a day for 6 months, he then realized he was talking only about the baked ones without butter…
🤣
Meth can help erase those extra butter calories. Have your old boss message me
@@TheAutomaton37 drop contact info pls
i wish i never saw this comment
@@TheAutomaton37 LOLLL
Man the story of Anne, about how her depression and tragedy ultimately leading to a beautiful success story, is unique and odd enough sure, but cliche aside, it spoke to me, and I needed to hear that today. Thank you man. I love your channel. Your production quality is unmatched. Keep it up. I love that you make learning fun and exciting to average viewers. You have a very wide and diverse target audience that you flourish with. Merry late Christmas Company Man, happy new year. I appreciate you.
Be encouraged @Safe and Sound
Social Media oligopoly. Me: *sleep*
Pretzel oligopoly. Me: *awakens*
Annie's is definitely a nice treat that I associate with day-trips on the road and trips to the mall, both of which are special occasions for me.
i always thought auntie anne's was like an aunt jemima scenario, i never knew it was a real woman with such a crazy backstory. props to her for getting through that turmoil and ushering in banger pretzels
You do realize that Aunt Jemima was a real person, a former slave and America's first female black millionaire? If not, it's an inspiration to read about
It’s even better when the mall has BOTH stores.
My local mall has both
I'm a bigger Weztel Pretzel Fan so I would say this would be good.
@@FTChomp9980 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
@cs4593 Dramatic much.😒
@@FTChomp9980fr. Id have only sent 3 vomit emojis
Company Man, your videos are so consistently good. They're addictive. Thanks for all the work you put in to your channel.
I am craving a pretzel so bad now. Too bad my local mall is defunct. And only has 1 anchor store. 😂
i know same here
I Have 3 Mall's Within 30 minutes 😌 2 Annie's 🤤
Same!!
@@gokusondbz interesting. I've got at least 15, maybe 20 malls within 30 minutes. Unless it's rush hour, then just a few.
This was actually a pretty informative video since I've lived on the West Coast my whole life and assumed Wetzel's Pretzels was the bigger one of the two but you learn something new everyday.
I've lived on the west coast my entire life, and I've never heard of Wetzel's Pretzels before.
@@zeruty Are you deaf?
I have never heard of Wetzels until this video
Strange, I live in socal so that could be it
My wife and I will literally go to the mall just buy pretzels. We get one from Auntie Anne’s & then walk down and get one from Wetzels Pretzels too 😅😂
Relationship goals
That sounds very wholesome and cute! I think im gonna have to suggest a pretzel date now
That's weird
@@shido_rimru_ sounds like the words of a person who doesnt get 2 pretzels with their loved ones
@@stinkystonerharvey2774i wish i had loved ones
auntie anne's is the best pretzels i've ever had outside of traditional amish-made soft pretzels. the softness, the butter and salt ratios... the honey mustard dip! omg that stuff is so addictive
My grandpa grew up in Philly during the great depression; he used to sell soft pretzels on the street to earn money to help his family. He later moved to LA and insisted on stopping at the pretzel stand every time he took us to the mall
Great video, I worked for Auntie annes for 11 years even got a chance to go to their HQ in Lancaster PA. Pretty decent company. The one I worked at made everything fresh every 10 mins or so. We had to throw away so much food but it was worth it to get a hot fresh pretzel and I personally think that's what made us so popular. We had a pretzel time once in the same mall but they shut down because they just could not keep up. It's also cool to know Shaq once owned 17 Auntie Annes. He later sold them all because he said "....Because Black people don’t like pretzels that much.' lol
I also worked for Auntie Anne's for 11 years and attended pretzel University in gap Pennsylvania. Anne actually visited our store ny108 in the late 90s.
An Auntie Anne's almond pretzel + caramel dipper has been my go-to since I was a teenager working in the mall in the mid 90s and only had a 15 minute break. They were right across from my store and it was a cheap but filling option to bet me through my closing shift.
Cute story. Blessed your heart.
The best pretzels (in the past) were made at the Berry Stand outside of Sutter's at Knott's Berry Farm. This was before the pre-packaged pretzels they have now. Back then they made them from scratch. This is also where I met my wife, she worked there.
A few fun facts about Auntie Anne's:
The butter is sourced from Amish communities and is very expensive but is honestly of extremely high quality.
The dough is all hand-made, and my location easily went through a few hundred pounds of flour every week. Bigger locations may go through 1,000 pounds in a week.
Auntie Anne's locations are always open to the air and usually located away from other food stalls in the mall. This is to make the entire surrounding area smell like freshly baked bread because, allegedly, the smell of fresh baked bread makes people hungry.
When you get a job at Auntie Anne's, a part of your employment terms is a 4 year non-compete with Wetzel's Pretzels. That's how serious the pretzel game is.
I managed a franchise location in my local mall in the early 2010's. One Black Friday we had a line that was so long that it stretched to the end of the hallway (probably a good 300 feet) and security had to constantly tell people not to block entrances to all the stores. We were making pretzels 18 at a time. One person rolling, one person dipping and salting, one person manning the ovens and buttering, one person bagging, and one person taking orders. If you've seen how small most location are, you know it was very cramped on that day.
By the raw numbers (at least at the location I managed), the Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel is the most popular item on the menu, followed closely by the Cinnamon Nuggets.
Speaking of numbers, typical waste (pretzels older than 1 hour and thrown away or dough that starts to get "flat") typically amounts to around 30%. I actually really got in trouble because the location I managed was a franchise, and I started to deliver bags of old pretzels to the local homeless population. Our owners did not like that, reprimanded me heavily, and told me to never do it again.
What city? Would love to boycott your location
Holy shit what a massive dick move for feeding the homeless. They shouldn't have to suffer because they don't have a home, what the actual fuck?
@@xp8969 lol Biloxi, MS
Feel free to, the whole company has gone downhill since I left
@@dementiousI don't live anywhere near the south (thank God) but I'm glad you responded so people who lives down there can boycott them
Ha! At wetzels, we replaced the pretzels every 30 minutes. Check mate.
i remember being so sad when the mall i went to got rid of pretzel time. they immediately replaced it with auntie annes
I always thought Wetzel's was the bigger chain. I guess that's just a product of me being a west-coast person, who is used to seeing Wetzel's in much more notable locations, like Disneyland, Dodger Stadium, and even seeing plenty of Wetzel's food trucks driving around. Auntie Anne's are pretty relegated to malls around here, and usually if a mall has an Auntie Anne's there's at least one Wetzel's in the same mall. Sometimes you'll even see two or three of each stand in the same mall just on different floors at opposite ends. When it comes to who has the better food, honestly, it's a toss-up. I will say that I think Auntie Anne's has the better lemonade, but the pretzels (at least to me) are virtually identical. Also, as much as I love pretzels, I do think that each stand is WAY overcharging for the product. I will buy a cup of pretzel bites, a lemonade, and cheese dip from one of these stands and usually end up paying upwards of 15 bucks. I think each company needs to lower their prices but then I can see lines of half an hour to just buy a pretzel, so usually when I'm at the mall I skip buying them. However, if they were to lower their prices, I would buy one every time.
I'm a west coast person too and have never heard of Wetzel's
When I worked at the mall, I would get an Auntie Ann every paycheck, lol! And Mall Employee discount! I love soft pretzels and look forward to getting them outside the mall soon
From California and I thought Wetzel was first! I do prefer Auntie’s though. Spent my childhood at Disneyland and would often go to Wetzel.
Auntie’s slapped when I was pregnant 😂 could NOT pass her pretzel’s up.
Same from California have lived in many different areas and counties in socal and wetzels always seems to be the most popular guess elsewhere it's not 🤷🏻♀️
Same 😭 I had no idea annes was bigger I’m lowkey shocked lmao
I remember having an Auntie Anne's open up in my local mall in the 2000's. It was next to a Target and walking past it, it really was intoxicating to smell fresh pretzels that it really made me want one. And the lines were always super busy every time I went to the mall. I remember having my first cinnamon pretzel with caramel dipping sauce, one bite and I was in heaven. Also want to mention that AA sells frozen pretzels at Target and they taste just as delicious.
Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzels are forever goated.
Yessss
For sure!
In all honesty, I think both Auntie Anne's and Pretzel Time are fairly close in taste, but if I'm going to a location where I know both of them have a location, I'm going to Auntie Anne's. There's just something about the smell of an Auntie Anne's pretzel that wins me over every time.
I worked at Auntie Anne’s for 6 years. One little known phenomenon in the pretzel game is the “Zumiez Plug”. It’s an employee at a Zumiez that lets you use there STEEP discount in exchange for free food. This phenomenon has occurred at every location I’ve ever talked to employees at. CERN is currently investigating.
???
If you know. You know.
Sorry to hear about the wasted six years.
their**
@@HaleStorm1998 I have preemptively down-voted your comment as you have been spamming it. Tired, bored, drunk? Who knows? But your ultimate reward is a thumbs down.
Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzels are great
I love them so much 😄
they’re the only ones i eat 🫶🏽
Normal ones are good also
Gotta try it caramel sauce
Putting caramel and cinnamon sugar on pretzels is like putting pineapple on pizza! Yellow mustard only folks!!!
Company Man may have started a war here… never had Wetzel’s Pretzel’s. Auntie Anne’s was my jam as a kid going to the mall nearby here in Northern OH. Always had to get a fresh lemonade too.
We are enjoying the Jamba/Auntie Anne’s combo - especially the drive thru :-)
I usually have Auntie Anne's pretzels for snack when we usually stop at a rest area or whatever while going on vacations and road trips, and I love it a lot!!
Auntie Anne’s was a staple in my teen years! My order was always a sweet almond pretzel, a pretzel dog and a lemonade lol
It’s hard to walk past weltzels pretzels and not get a wetzel dog
The same goes for AA’s with their pretzel dog. They just hit different than the normal pretzel
Actually, it’s very easy. I’m extremely partial for Auntie Anne’s
I live in Southern California, so I've only known Wetzel's my whole life, until I went on vacation with my mom to Pennsylvania, and we had a stop at the Chicago O'Hare Airport. First time I've ever seen Auntie's Anne's pretzels. Their Cinnamon Sugar pretzels were divine, but for me, they took second place to the Mrs. Field's cookie store also in the same airport. During all the trips back and forth to the East Coast and all the stops we made in Chicago, sometimes, those cookies and pretzels were the only thing holding my sanity together while flying on non-revenue stand-by.
On another note, there's a huge mall in my area called the Del Amo Fashion Center where they have not one, not two, but THREE different Wetzel's storefronts in this mall. They also have one Auntie Anne's/Carvel/Cinnabon stand that recently opened up in the newer section of the mall. I had one of Auntie Anne's pretzels not too long ago. I was disappointed, the pretzels had been sitting there under the heat lamps for a while, they weren't fresh, and they were kinda skinny and under-proofed too. Compared to the much busier and popular Wetzel stores in the mall, my favorite it easily Wetzel's. Their Cinnamon Sugar pretzels taste better too, in my opinion.
My Auntie Anne's has that, Carvel and cinnabon all in 1 location, I think they're better then Wetzel's, mostly because of the rewards program. If I want ice cream, I can get that at Anne's, still get points and redeem for a pretzel item. Also I like Auntie's app UI more than Wetzel's, Wetzel's isn't bad by any means, but Auntie Anne's seems better to me. Also I can think of 3 Auntie Anne's, to 1 Wetzel's in the Boston MA area, I'm sure there's more of each, but that's all I know off the top of my head.
Omg you still have a CARVEL?!? I haven't seen one of them in forever. What an amazing combo 😍
bros comparing the uis for pretzel apps
Reading the comments section I am amazed by two things:
1. The amount of people that still go to malls.
2. The amount of people that actually pay $5-10 for a pretzel lol
Living on west coast Canada and US, I have never seen either in person and only know Wetzel's because of Robin Sparkles.
I used to work at a mall till closing time and would usually get free pretzels or pretzel dogs from Wetzel's Pretzels. What a nice manager he was!
Fun fact: A store at my mall has an aunt aunties and a Cinnabon in the same room.
Mine too
Heaven
I've only ever heard of Auntie Ann's but I'm in PA and they're everywhere.
My biggest surprise was how much smaller Wetzel's is than Annie's. I guess it's because I've lived my whole life on the west coast but I always thought of them as equally ubiquitous and figured they were pretty even competitors. Turns out Annie's is way bigger.
Happy New Year Company Man I hope you bring more nostalgia videos in 2023👍📲📰🗓️
I remember Hot Sams. I was wondering what happened to them. Thanks!
Mrs. Field's bought them out, and pretty much all of them (like the Galleria at Crystal Run location in Middletown, NY) are now Pretzelmaker.
Hot Sams were good! My old local had them, but, now it has Auntie Anne and Wetzel Pretzels 🥨. I like Wetzel Pretzels as well.
When I was a wee lad, I went on a field trip to a pretzel bakery, and we got to make our own soft pretzels. Very fun memory!
I remember Hot Sam's. They used to have a giant pretzel in the shape of their mascot. Loved those as a kid.
They are right. Auntie Anne's pretzels are the only reason I go into the mall...that and this Teriyaki Chinese food place 😋. When I'm craving that, I usually go around the corner and get a pretzel.. or just go get a pretzel alone. Love their hot dog and pepperoni pretzels 😋
I usually only have one at the ballgame or on vacation. I don't use the cheese dip and I only have some salt. They usually put on too much.
Could you imagine!! A store with Auntie Anne’s Cinnabon and Cold Stone together!!!
Pretzels always makes me think of that episode where Marge becomes a vendor of pretzels
I was surprised to learn that there really was a pretzel boom in the '90s that it was referring to. I was a teen in the '90s and never really noticed it happening. Definitely not when that episode first aired.
My 2 local malls has WELTZZEL PRETZELS. They are always packed, the pizza pretzels are always in everyone’s hand. I know when I was Christmas shopping I bought a pizza pretzels
I don't mess with sweet pretzels. I haven't had either of these brands since I was much younger. But the Philly Soft Pretzel Factory literally *kept me alive* when I was a broke college kid. The free daily paper in Philadelphia had an ad every single day and coupons. It was my regular diet and the nostalgia is strong. Between that and the height of the $5 foootlooooongs in 2006 I was thriving on trash food for cheap.
Auntie Anne's is doing a lot of expanding into Singapore and Indonesia currently and I'm loving it
I've never heard of either of them. Although I don't live anywhere near a mall. In fact, the only place I can think of near me that sells soft pretzels would be the movie theater. Edit: After googling both of them, there is an Auntie Anne's in the nearest town. It's actually closer to me than the previously mentioned movie theater.
Damn you must live in the middle of nowhere and in a bubble. Not trying to offend or anything. but how could you not have heard of a least one of them?! Auntie Anne's are EVERYWHERE.
As a PA resident, iv seen maybe one or two wetzels pretzels but dozens of auntie Anne’s , she’s a icon I love her and she will always be one of our food stables
Auntie Annie’s is the first stop when we go to the mall. The FIRST. STOP! 😂
I don't think there's a better smell than an Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's Pretzels in a mall. Great video!
Auntie Anne's is the best imo. Those cinnamon pretzels are amazing.
Great video! Thanks for including Hot Sam (the original)!
I grew up in Michigan and am very familiar with Hot Sam's. Their pretzels were A LOT better than Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's. The greasy butter topping just isn't as good.
I see…..you’ve chosen war
@@malcolmhodnett8874 I'm from Pontiac. I know no other way, LOL.
Mike,
I really like what youve been doing with the pain to triumph perspective. Annes hard times give us what we all need right now... Hope.
I've never wanted a soft pretzel with cheese more.
Some of my earliest memories are eating Auntie Anne's pretzels in the Downingtown Farmer's Market where the first store was located. They even came to our class in elementary school just down the street to show us how to make pretzels. Hard to imagine it all started in that still sleepy little town!
Yep. Sometimes my parents will go out to the mall, and if they ask if I want anything cuz my little sister is gonna get food, the first thing that comes to mind is Auntie Anne's mini corndogs lol
Being from the West Coast I always find myself glancing over at Cinnabon / Auntie Anne’s as I’m looking for the Wetzels’ Pretzels. Thank for the video Company Man!
Whoa, this was confusing but satisfying. I prefer wetzels pretzels to be honest!
Yeah cause you like the Dodgers and there’s a Wetzel’s at the park so it’s natural you would according to association.
@@Punk_On_Demand That and also We got a lot here in California
Since going on a low/reduced carb diet (due to being diabetic), I've REEEALLLY been missing Auntie Anne's Almond Crunch Pretzels
Your intro somehow always hits and the videos are always worth a watch
Ok zoomer like no cap right?
@@darealberrygarcia that intro is just fire on no cap
First video I have seen of yours. Truly interesting story to hear! I need to watch more of your videos!
In the UK and Ireland, Auntie Anne's has over 40 stores. The closest to me is the Highgate Mall in Leicester.
Damn bro, theres more than 40 in my neighborhood lol
coming from someone outside of the US, how do you like them? are they as good as they are here in the states?
@@subservient8 I went into Leicester yesterday and bought an original salt one and a pepperoni. Tasted good but was a bit expensive. Can't make any comparison as that is the only ones I have had.
@@robertfletcher3421 Nice! those are the best along with the cinnamon IMO. We have a bit too expensive in common unfortunately. For what you get. That is sadly, why I rarely get one. Also the long queue lines.
Auntie Anne’s will always be my favorite soft pretzel stand. Growing up, there is this AA stand at the mall near me and whenever I get close to the place, I could always smell from the distance that would cause my mouth to water.
The stand is still in that mall today and I would always still smell the pretzels when I’m there.
Auntie Anne's definitely needs to work on their price at this point and also may need to check their rep outside Pennsylvania. I and many people I know had no idea the history behind Auntie Anne's nor recognize it as a women lead business any more than other companies. The other brand I've never actually seen before... Like ever. But anyways AA I think needs to do better to express their history because having two of them in some malls seems to work fine but in some they seem like a huge waste of money. Maybe they should be more active on social media and start talking like Wendy's.
@@mikes3623 thats fine im still js it doesnt seem to be as big of a deal of a brand as made to be. I imagine the minute a more popular chain such as McDonalds offers pretzels that may cut into them sharply.
Auntie Anne’s is a staple in the culture! Always consistent with the quality. The best
Sometimes 😢
The pepperoni pretzels from auntie Anne’s 😮💨
Pepperoni pizza and appetite yum
Im glad you made this because living in california i grew up with Wetzels Pretzels then moving to Florida i actually worked at Auntie Ans and would still always call it Wetzels
Great job
I've never been a pretzel fan. I pass up every single pretzel store every time I visit a mall. However, one time I had accompanied a friend who wanted to go to the mall one day. While doing our shopping she wanted to stop by Wetzel's, and despite my initial protests she got me to try a few of the pretzels she has purchased. I don't remember what she even ordered, but they were these small donut hole like pretzels in a small bag. They were extremely good. I was surprised I had put off ever going to a pretzel shop my whole life. If I ever visit a Wetzel's Pretzels again I might go ahead and purchase a small little bag of those pretzels again.
I did get the change to try Auntie Ann's a month or so ago for the first time as well, and I gotta say it just wasn't as good as the Wetzel's ones my friend had given me. Though my boyfriend is a huge fan of the Auntie Ann's ones. I feel like it might be a bit overhyped?
I got to give you props for not mentioning The Simpsons episode all about this
I was hoping for a Marge's Whitey Whackers reference.
The....what?
@@TheCrazierz in the episode Marge starts a pretzel business. She gives free samples at a baseball game. But when Burns wins the car in a give away, the crowd throws them at the car. Whitey Ford pleads to the crowd, but is knocked out by the pretzels. Later Homer suggests calling them Whitey Whackers.
I love the comment sections on this TH-cam Channel they’re always filled with fair and honest people.
Man I love mall pretzels they're so awesome
Here in Germany, Ditsch is the Brätzel king. It was founded in 1919. and has around 200 branches.
I remember getting auntie Anne’s all the time back then, I especially like there pizza pretzels.
omg i hear pizza pretzel i want pizza pretzel omg
The two things I enjoyed getting at the mall when I was a kid were a soft pretzel with nacho cheese and an Orange Julius. I also remember those giant chocolate chip cookies that were the size of a large pizza that you could customize to say "Happy Birthday" among other things.
Wetzel has always been my go to when I visit the mall and I thought they were the more popular pretzel makers. My favorite is the almond crunch! I would love for them to start selling them outside the mall .
Downingtown Native here! 👋 I actually didn’t know that Auntie Anne’s came from Downingtown until later in life, I had driven by their HQ in Lancaster tons of times, but the farmers market has been gone for a while now and the closest Auntie Anne’s location is in a local Walmart, but Auntie Anne’s is the favorite hands down!
These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty
Most iconic cinema one liner in history
In southern Illinois, there is an Auntie Anne’s food truck that travels around to all the small towns. They announce where they will be ahead of time and there is always a massive line when the truck comes to town despite rain, snow, or cold!
Saw it in Mount Vernon in the Crossroads hospital parking lot a few months ago.
Wetzels is my favorite… because of the Pretzel Dogs!!! Soooooooo good!!!
So pumped for this video
auntie anne's definetly
You are the weakest link...good bye
At the mall near me, we have an Auntie Anne's on one side, Wetzel's on the other, & in between is a Nestlé toll house. No matter what time of day, all of them are the most crowded. The smells are top notch!