Philly Soft Pretzel Factory featured in BusinessNewsDaily

Philly Soft Pretzel Factory was featured in an article in BusinessNewsDaily entitled, “Groundhog Day: 25 Predictions for Spring’s Small Business,” which published today, February 2, 2011. The article was written by Cynthia Bunting and built from several interviews, including one with Philly Pretzel Factory’s VP of Franchise Development Marty Ferrill, who gets the last word on small business predictions for Spring 2011. Click here to view the full article.

Groundhog Day: 25 Predictions for Spring’s Small Business
By Cynthia Bunting

It’s Groundhog Day, and while Punxsutawney Phil may have a lock on predicting the weather, we think our own readers are best suited to predict what the spring holds for small business.

When the snow melts and the daffodils bloom, business owners will be ready to reinvest, reinvent and redouble their efforts to break new ground, grow and even flourish.

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Philly Pretzel Factory Featured on Tablematters.com

Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured in an article posted on Tablematters.com entitled, "The Cheesesteak Pretzel: Really? A Stuffed Pretzel?" The article was built from an interview with Marty Ferrill, Vice President of Operations and focuses on the new Philly Cheesesteak Pretzel including the pretzel’s nutritional information and ingredients, why Philly Pretzel Factory decided to make the Cheesesteak Pretzel and how it’s made. Below is a sample of the article along with a link to the article in its entirety.

The Cheesesteak Pretzel
Really? A stuffed pretzel?
By Meg Favreau

The Snuggie, I think we can agree, is not an amazing product. But the TV-advertised sleeve-blanket that makes the wearer look like a fuzzy Jabba the Hutt captured American hearts, minds, and media outlets last year. Suddenly, the Snuggie was everywhere. TV news, late-night comedy shows, and magazines all wanted a piece of it. Here in Philadelphia, there was even a Snuggie bar crawl (I cringe thinking about how much spilled beer a Snuggie could absorb). Was the Snuggie useful? Mildly. It's hard to imagine someone could be so inconvenienced by using a blanket or wearing a robe that they need a sleeved blanket. Was the Snuggie original? Nope, the first Slanket was made in the late 90s. But did the Snuggie have a gimmick that caught people at the right time?

Oh, yes.

The Philly Pretzel Factory's new cheesesteak pretzel is the Snuggie of the Philly food world. It's not amazing, and it's certainly not necessary, but it is gimmicky enough to show up in papers and on websites (including this one, hi!). Don't get me wrong, eccentric food items are always fun to read about, and sometimes even to eat. Guinness-Record-breaking pizzas, deep-fried Oreos, and the mile-long hoagie Wawa is going to trot out for this year's Welcome America Festival all get me excited. And for Phila-specific offerings like Square Burger's (in Franklin Square Park), Tastykake shakes, or Bassett's ice cream’s mildly hilarious WHYY Experience (the pretzel bits must symbolize Marty Moss-Coane’s journalistic crunch) — I'm on board.

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Taste Stimulus, Philly-Style: Philly Pretzel Factory Feeds Fanatics

Taste Stimulus, Philly-Style: Philly Pretzel Factory Feeds Fanatics
To Celebrate National Pretzel Day, April 26, 100-Plus-Unit Booming Franchise to Give Every Guest Free Pretzel

PHILADELPHIA– Whoever said there is “no such thing as a free lunch” will eat their words on April 26 when Philly Pretzel Factory gives away a free pretzel to every single guest who enters the store, all in celebration of National Pretzel Day.

“We have an incredible fanatical following. This day is about us having a little fun, giving back, and feeding our guest’s need for great taste,” said Dan DiZio, President and co-founder of Philly Pretzel Factory, a 100-plus-unit chain born and raised in Philadelphia.

The anticipation has already heated up, as the brand’s fanatical following has posted dozens of excited messages on the official Facebook Fan Page, just another way the brand connects, interacts and builds a bond with its fans.

“Our fans have always been loud and proud of our food, but now we see it left and right through the power of Social Media,” said DiZio, noting he expects smiling fans to tag photos of themselves eating the free pretzel. “It is amazing how our relationships with our customers can extend into their personal worlds through this powerful form of technology.”

Founded in 1983, National Pretzel Day was created when Rep. Robert S. Walker declared his favorite food was deserving of a holiday. In April of 2003, Pennsylvania’s Governor Ed Rendell joined the bandwagon by re-declaring the unofficial national holiday.

Right around the first declaration and long before Philly Pretzel Factory was built, DiZio had already seen his vision. At the tender age of 11, DiZio would ride his bike to the corner of Southampton and the Boulevard to sell his own pretzel concoction in Philly. The young entrepreneur would sell 1,000 pretzels a day at five for $1. After giving a cut to the supplier, DiZio would pocket $100.

Those days are long behind him, as DiZio teamed up with college buddy Len Lehman in 1998 to create the first blueprint of the Philly Pretzel Factory. Today, the brand has grown from a single location in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia to a 100-plus-unit franchise with its eyes set on adding 10 more locations in 2010.

With its menu strategically priced for any economy, the brand continued to thrive in 2009 and onward through the beginning of 2010, never wavering from its commitment to its customers.

“Our founder’s principal of giving our customers great Philly-based tasting treats has caught on nationally. With an incredible following, we are positioned for steady growth throughout this year,” said Marty Ferrill, VP of Operations.

As the world’s largest Philly-style bakery, Philly Pretzel bakes fresh, delicious soft pretzels delivered to customers “Hot Outta The Oven.” Each pretzel, made from a mix of only the finest pretzel ingredients, is hand twisted to ensure quality and freshness.