World’s Largest Hot Dog Franchise YOY Sales and Transactions Up Despite Overall Industry Declines
Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise and home to America’s favorite chili dog, is proud to announce that 2016 marks the sixth consecutive year of same store sales increases for the 330-unit brand. Despite restaurant industry declines overall, Wienerschnitzel’s 2016 sales are up five percent and growing, while transaction counts continue to rise. The company attributes its success to a number of initiatives including constant enhancements to the guest experience, forward-thinking marketing campaigns backed by behavioral research, as well as continuous menu innovation.
“Our six consecutive years of sales growth are a result of strong strategy, with the most important being our overall approach. We are a 55-year-old brand with the mentality of a start up,” said Doug Koegeboehn, Chief Marketing Officer for Wienerschnitzel. “This means we work harder, we are willing to try new ideas and we aren’t afraid to do things differently. As a result of this approach, people have begun thinking of Wienerschnitzel as a lifestyle brand that they want to engage with, rather than just another limited service restaurant chain.”
Wienerschnitzel recently conducted an intensive segmentation study that revealed not only demographic insight of limited serve restaurant customers but, more importantly, an understanding of their attitudes and behaviors. This has allowed the brand to remain focused and implement ideas that resonate with their core audience in a way they can really get excited about. Recent areas of brand concentration include:
- Innovative Menu Developments such as the introduction of Loaded Chili Cheese Fries, as well as the addition of the Crowd Pleasers Menu, a wallet-friendly menu designed to feed the whole crew, are broadening appeal and generating more transactions.
- Celebratory Guest Incentives like offering free meals to Mom’s on Mother’s Day, free Root Beer Floats on Root Beer Float Day and military discounts on Veteran’s Day are implemented throughout the year to show guest appreciation, drive traffic and gain loyalty.
- Lifestyle-Oriented Commercials geared toward capturing tomorrow’s consumer, including the recent Crowd Pleasers commercial featuring Jeremy McGrath, the most winning motocross athlete in history, are attracting a younger generation of hot dog fans.
- Action Sports Activations and strategic partnerships with industry heavy hitters like Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross (JGRMX) and Tillys allow Wienerschnitzel to be where their fans are and engage in a meaningful, organic way.
- Philanthropic Efforts through Wienerschnitzel’s Hot Dogs For Homeless program, as well as charitable involvement with The Literacy Project, the Roc Solid Foundation and others, are boosting employee morale, generating goodwill and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars – helping Wienerschnitzel fulfill its mission of serving food to serve others.
- Employee Relations efforts are focused on listening to feedback and improving the lives of team members. In fact, CEO Cindy Galardi Culpepper recently appeared on the CBS hit series, Undercover Boss, where she gave nearly $700,000 to deserving employees!
- Franchise Growth with new building designs including the Heritage Prototype, a smaller footprint design structure inspired by the original A-frame build, are allowing new and existing franchisees to build where other brands will not.
“We are making a continuous effort to be where our fans are and support what they care about, and our impressive six consecutive years of sales growth proves that our approach is strongly resonating with consumers,” continued Koegeboehn. “The brand is evolving and taking pioneering steps to attract new fans, which is why our customer counts are up while others are declining. Life is good at Wienerschnitzel!”
As the brand continues to report strong financials, so grows the demand for the Wienerschnitzel concept across the United States. The company is poised for significant growth and is actively recruiting qualified, passionate franchisees to help continue expanding in both existing and new markets. To learn more about the benefits of owning a Wienerschnitzel franchise, please visit http://franchising.wienerschnitzel.com/.
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Founded by John Galardi in 1961 with a single hot dog stand in Wilmington, California, Wienerschnitzel (www.wienerschnitzel.com) is a bona fide pioneer of the limited-service food industry. Today, Wienerschnitzel is the world’s largest hot dog franchise and home of America’s favorite Chili Dog. Based in Irvine, California, the parent company, Galardi Group, franchises restaurants throughout the U.S., including Wienerschnitzel, Hamburger Stand, and Tastee Freez. An iconic American brand with a devoted following for over 50 years, Wienerschnitzel is poised for exponential growth, both domestically and internationally. With a refreshed marketing focus, Wienerschnitzel has received tremendous media attention and accolades including Franchise Times’ “20 to Watch” and voted Best Fast Food in Southern California by the readers of Los Angeles Daily News for five years and running. In 2016, Wienerschnitzel was ranked #146 in the coveted Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500. Additionally, the company recently introduced a unique next generation store design featuring a smaller footprint and a lower cost of entry; while the simple menu allows for easy execution and lower food costs. As a family owned and operated company, Wienerschnitzel is in a unique position to always put its franchise partners first and is actively recruiting passionate franchise candidates to grow with the brand during this very exciting time. For more information on owning a Wienerschnitzel, visit franchising.wienerschnitzel.com or contact Ted Milburn – Director, Franchise Development at franchising@wienerschnitzel.com.
