Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps: The Founders of Wetzel’s Pretzels

                                                      Original Content: Business Upside

Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel were employed with Nestle when the idea for Wetzel’s Pretzels came to their mind. Both of them were on a business tour while Rick told Bill about a concept borne by his wife. The concept was to manufacture large and soft pretzels for marketing at the mall. That very night, they took their seats at a pub and chalked out their business strategy on a paper towel. 

Rick Wetzel sold off his Harley Davidson motorcycle to aid in accumulating funds for the entrant business venture that they began in their free time. They also introduced a partner to assist in making the cooking formula in Phelps’ Kitchen. At the time to start their first outlet, Wetzel and Phelps convinced the proprietor of a shopping mall to visit their house and taste their conception. The proprietor liked it very much and was ready to let out Wetzel’s Pretzels its first outlet.  

This happened way back in 1994. Around a year after that, luck favored Phelps and Wetzel when they received a golden handshake package from Nestle. Before deciding to franchise in 1996, they launched many more outlets. By 2012, there were around 250 Wetzel’s Pretzels outlets throughout the United States with plans to launch services in India and Japan in the same year. The company netted over $100 million through online sales and in 2011 same-outlet sales were higher by 9%. 

The Success Story of Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel

Wetzel’s Pretzels is a US-based franchise quick-service restaurant chain that was set up in 1994. The food chain kick-started its operations at South Bay Galleria, Redondo Beach, CA. 

At present, Wetzel’s Pretzels has expanded operations to more than 300 locations across 28 states of the US. Besides, it has an overseas presence in six other nations. 

Wetzel’s Pretzels outlets are present in shopping plazas, amusement parks, outlet hubs, particular discount retail shops, airports, and train stations.  

Phelps and Wetzel went for franchising of their brand in 1996 and they are in co-branding association with leading names like Swensen’s, Juice It Up!, Cold Stone Creamery, and others. 

In 2019, Bill Phelps quit as CEO of Wetzel’s Pretzels following an extensive stint of 25 years. After him, Jennifer Schuler took up the responsibility of the CEO. Bill Phelps stayed as a prominent investor in the company. The headquarters of the fast-food restaurant chain is based in Pasadena, California.

When they launched the first Wetzel’s Pretzels bakehouse in Redondo Beach, CA, way back in 1994, Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps equipped themselves with a dream and a yummy recipe for delicate pretzel flawlessness. They did not have to wait long for extensive queues of voracious customers, created and drawn by lip-smacking delicate pretzels that were hand-tossed, fresh-baked, and spicily served straight from the kiln. 

As the word-of-mouth about the quality of their golden-on-the-outside pretzels dispersed widely, Wetzel’s Pretzels included extra items to their menu.

At present, Wetzel’s Pretzels has a robust presence in over 340 fresh bakeshops throughout the United States and across the world. It has set up outlets at prime locations such as Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, California. 

Every bakehouse of Wetzel’s Pretzels survives by the novel imagination of its originators. From the very beginning, they decided that every superior-quality pretzel will be made from fresh bread and baked in-shop unfailingly round the day, to make sure a tasty offering for every customer, no matter when he or she feels satiated for a pretzel.

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