- Wetzel's Pretzels is launching a new store concept that will sell innovative takes on the typical pretzel.
- Twisted will sell pretzel cones filled with ice cream and sweet and savory pretzel versions of loaded fries.
California pretzel chain Wetzel's Pretzels is launching a new store concept specifically targeting Gen Z and millennials.
Twisted by Wetzel's, as the new stores will be called, will sell innovative takes on the typical pretzel. There'll be both sweet and savory options available, ranging from pretzel chimney cakes – ice cream served inside a cone made from sugar-coated pretzel dough – to a pretzel version of loaded fries, with toppings including bacon and s'mores ingredients.
Other menu items include $7.99 cheese-stuffed pretzel twists and hot dogs served in pretzel buns with spicy toppings.
Wetzel's Pretzels currently has around 370 stores, with 40% located in California. Most of its stores are in malls, though some are in store-within-a-store formats, like in a Walmart or Macy's, or at locations like Disney World, Universal CityWalk, and LAX airport.
But people aren't shopping at malls as much anymore. Changes in shopping habits, including online retail, have led to the closure of hundreds of malls across the US.
Twisted will be steering clear of shopping malls. Wetzel's Pretzels CMO Kim Freer told Insider that the company would instead target college towns and power centers, which are outdoor shopping centers with multiple big-box tenants.
"Twisted was created for a Zillennial guest," Freer said. She said that the stores – each around 1,200 square feet in size – would feature bright colors and eye-catching decor. They'll also have open kitchens where customers can watch their pretzels being baked and decorated.
The first Twisted store will be open 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., but Freer said that she expects it to be at its busiest in the late afternoon and evening.
Though pretzels are generally seen as a snack item, Freer said that some of the items on Twisted's menu were bigger portions that could take the place of a meal. "Pretzels can be so much more," she said.
Freer noted, however, that during the pandemic people had been snacking more and "grazing throughout the day," pushing up Wetzel's Pretzels 2022 sales to around 35% higher than in 2019.
Freer said that Wetzel's Pretzels planned to open around 40 new stores between now and the end of 2023, with at least three being Twisted stores. The first will open in Orange County in May, with two more following later this year in California and Arizona.