Why Invest in a Wienerschnitzel Franchise?

Americans love hot dogs – and in a time of national crisis, Americans ate more hot dogs than ever before. Business Insider named the hot dog, “the best food of the pandemic,” reporting that hot dog sales soared 120% during the height of the lockdowns.

 

Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise, has experienced a dramatic uptick in sales. With several months of double-digit sales increases and many of our franchise owners reporting their highest sales, 2020 and 2021 were our best years in business ever. Americans love hot dogs – and in a time of anything but normal, Americans ate more hot dogs than ever before. Business Insider named the hot dog, “the best food of the pandemic,” reporting that hot dog sales soared 120% during the height of lockdowns.

After more than 60 years in business, the best is yet to come.

The reason behind our sales increases is simple: new customers are flocking to our locations in record numbers because they want to try our unique and innovative menu. We elevate the hot dog to star status, and with tried-and-true classics such as the original Chili Dog, All-Beef Dog, Polish Dog, and Corn Dog, customers can’t stay away.

“You can’t eat a hot dog without being happy,” says Cindy Galardi Culpepper, CEO of Wienerschnitzel. “You can eat lettuce wraps and be sad, and you can eat a hamburger and be sad — but you can’t eat a hot dog and be sad. Our hot dog is the very best in the industry. We have franchisees who go back almost 60-years, and we have new franchisees who are opening new restaurants now, which just proves our staying power and relevancy. As we move forward into the future, we’re staying true to our roots of delivering an exceptional product, an exceptional customer experience, and combining that with a 21st-century approach to marketing, training, and helping our franchisees maximize profitability.”

Wienerschnitzel is a simple business to own and operate

In the QSR industry, the cost to invest in a new restaurant can be staggering. Wienerschnitzel is proud that we’re an affordable franchise opportunity in the quick-service industry. With the total investment necessary to begin operation of a new Wienerschnitzel® ranging from $303,600 to $1,443,000, the cost to entry is kept low for one reason and one reason only: we want to help as many entrepreneurs thrive in business as possible.

The low cost to own a Wienerschnitzel is likewise reflected on an ongoing basis. Because we have a dedicated team that is entirely focused on helping franchisees maximize the profitability of their restaurants, operating costs are closely monitored; and because we’re a family-owned business, we’re nimble in the way we can leverage our tremendous buying power to reduce food and paper costs on behalf of our franchisees. From an operating perspective, Wienerschnitzel’s proven business model emphasizes simplicity above all else. All of the food we serve requires very little prep work. This makes it easy for you and your team to concentrate on delivering an incredible guest experience.

As a result of our focus on simplicity, Wienerschnitzel is also easy to scale — in fact, ownership with Wienerschnitzel becomes even more affordable when you scale up to multi-unit ownership. If you invest in a second franchise location, the initial franchise fees are reduced by 50% (thus $16,000) per restaurant.

“We do everything within our capability to ensure that our franchisees are as successful as they can possibly be,” Galardi Culpepper says. “Being a family business, we prioritize our franchisees. We’re one big family. I treasure the franchise owners who take care of their businesses because, without them, we’re nothing. We also do everything we can to ensure that the staff our franchisees employ have everything they need to be successful. We offer training, scholarship programs, and more. If your franchisees are happy and their employees are happy, we believe that they’re going to make the guests happy.”

Wienerschnitzel has tremendous brand equity

You can’t be in business this long without getting a few things right — and winning over a tremendous number of people. In Southern California, where Wienerschnitzel was founded, our brand is a part of the fabric of the culture. In fact, Los Angeles County named the very first Wienerschnitzel location as a historic site, an honor that only one other restaurant has received. Since Wienerschnitzel has expanded to 325 locations throughout 10 states, we’ve won millions of fans in the process.

While the affordability and quality of our brand is hard to beat, Wienerschnitzel ensures that our brand is always connecting to a new generation of fans, especially millennials and Gen Z, through hilarious television and social media advertising campaigns. Wienerschnitzel sponsors popular X-Games athletes, and other key influencers, to engage with a younger demographic in a way that is lighthearted, sincere, and true to our core values.

“We look at ourselves as a start-up with a 60-year-old foundation,” says Cindy Galardi Culpepper, CEO of Wienerschnitzel. “The whole attitude of ‘we’ve done this before,’ is unacceptable to us. If you’re not constantly moving forward, if you’re not investing in the cutting edge, you’re going to get left behind. We’re hungry for new ideas, and because we’re family-owned, we can easily adapt when we discover new avenues of franchisee revenue and operational efficiencies. At the same time, we stay true to our core values, true to our core product line, and as a result, we don’t have any competition in this space. We’re proud that we’re different, and we’re going to expand our marketing direction and evolve with the times. The future is bright.”

Ready to invest in a Wienerschnitzel franchise?

With open territory, new store designs, and a new generation of nostalgia-driven consumers, Wienerschnitzel is a worthy investment for an entrepreneur who wants to bring the best tasting hot dog on the planet to their community. With industry-leading support, a proven business model, and 10 years of continual same-store sales increases, the time to invest in a Wienerschnitzel franchise is now!

* National Hot Dog and Sausage Council