Twisting for a Cure: Philly Pretzel Factory Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is an important month for Philly Pretzel Factory. Not only is it national pretzel month, but it is also breast cancer awareness month and local owners are committed to twisting for a cure.

During the entire month, Philly Pretzel Factory will sell pretzels shaped as ribbons to raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer awareness. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the pretzel ribbons will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help fund breast cancer research. Once a customer buys a signature pretzel ribbon, that customer will receive a paper pink ribbon which they will sign and place on Philly Pretzel Factory’s “Wall of Fame.”

Last year during their breast cancer awareness month campaign, Philly Pretzel Factory raised over $11,000. The goal is to be able to donate at least $20,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation this year.

“Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers today and we feel a profound sense of responsibility to support causes that are so close to our franchisee’s and staff’s hearts,” said Dan DiZio, CEO and Founder of Philly Pretzel Factory. “To us, there’s a reason why National Pretzel Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month are the same month.”

Dan 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.

Franchisee Profile: Lou Sist of Philly Pretzel Factory Bluffton, SC

Recently we have highlighted some of our Philly Pretzel Factory franchisees. Today the spotlight is on Lou Sist, the franchisee of the Bluffton, SC Philly Pretzel Factory.

Franchise Location: 50 Burnt Church Road, Bluffton, SC 29910


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How Lou Sist Got Started with Philly Pretzel Factory…
Lou’s wife Jennifer grew up in Philadelphia, just two blocks from the original Philly Pretzel Factory location. Although a Detroit native himself, he soon learned of the delicious pretzels made by Philly Pretzel Factory.

What Intrigued Lou Sist about Philly Pretzel Factory…
Lou was amazed by the outstanding quality and value of Philly Pretzel Factory’s products. He says there is nothing else you can buy for so little that will fill you up. In addition to his strong belief in the product, Lou liked the benefits that come with being a Philly Pretzel Factory franchisee, including branding, support and guidance.

Something Interesting about Lou Sist’s Story…
Lou has an amazing life story. He spent seven years in college with the intent of becoming a medical doctor, but in the end decided medical school wasn’t for him. He then opened a tanning salon in Detroit which he ran for 10 years. Ever the entrepreneur, his next venture was a successful floor tiling company. Recently, the rough economy’s affect on the construction market forced him to scale back his enterprise. He decided to open a Philly Pretzel Factory franchise to provide his 6-year-old daughter with future financial stability.

Lou also believes in actively participating in his store and the surrounding community. He puts in 100 hours a week at the Bluffton location and knows many of his customers by name. Lou also sponsors a T-ball and soccer team, as well as providing catering for charity events.

Lou sees great expansion possibilities in the Charleston and Savannah markets. Both feature large quantities of foot traffic and hungry college kids, two factors Lou thinks would make Philly Pretzel Factory locations in those markets a huge success.

Where specifically did Lou Sist learn about Philly Pretzel Factory?
Lou was first introduced to Philly Pretzel Factory as a consumer. He later decided to open a franchise after researching the market and brand.

Franchisee Profile: Francine Petrone, Franchisee of the Lawerenceville, NJ Location

Recently, we have been highlighting our Philly Pretzel Factory Franchisees. Today, we are putting the spotlight on Francine Petrone, franchisee of the Lawerenceville, NJ location.

Franchise Location: 2068 Brunswick Ave, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648


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How Francine Petrone Got Started with Philly Pretzel Factory…
Francine was born and raised in northeast Philadelphia. She remembers Philadelphia soft pretzels being a part of her life as early as her childhood. Growing up and living in the area as an adult, she became familiar with the Philly Pretzel Factory brand as it continued to expand and saturate the area around her. Francine was a loyal Philly Pretzel Factory customer before becoming a franchisee.

What Intrigued Francine Petrone about Philly Pretzel Factory…
Francine was intrigued by the fast expansion and growth of the Philly Pretzel Factory brand. She witnessed firsthand the growth and expansion possibilities in her hometown of Mayfair, Pennsylvania and knew that a location would be successful in Lawrenceville. It only took one talk with Dan DiZio for Francine to realize this was the business for her. She was intrigued by the passion Dan had for the brand and the support that the franchise system offered her. After working as a physical therapist for close to twenty years, she decided to live her entrepreneurial dream and open her location in Lawrenceville in June of 2007 with her husband, Keith.

Something Interesting about Francine Petrone’s Story…
Francine is deeply involved in the community. She regularly hosts “Pretzel Tours” for her location, where local children are allowed to tour the location and learn how to twist their own pretzels. She is also involved in local businesses and schools.
Where specifically did Francine Petrone learn about Philly Pretzel Factory?
Francine was first introduced to Philly Pretzel Factory as a consumer. She was surrounded by the growing brand and witnessed Philly Pretzel Factory’s expansion firsthand in northeast Philadelphia.

Philly Pretzel Factory Featured in Eating Everywhere

Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured in a great Q&A article about on the Eating Everywhere website. This article that was built from an in-depth interview with Dan DiZio, Len Lehman and Marty Ferrill. It covers all topics that consumers would want to know about Philly Pretzel Factory, including the history, Dan and Len’s entrepreneurial stories, and where the brand is today. Below is a portion of the article and the entire article can viewed by clicking here.

PHILADELPHIA, PA | PHILADELPHIA PRETZEL FACTORY

The Philadelphia Pretzel Factory pretzel is served hot in a brown paper bag and carried across the city.

Hand-twisted to aid plumping in the oven and baked golden brown. Solid, moist, and chewy, the traditional method of preparing the pretzels has kept Philadelphia Pretzel Factory (PPF) a favorite in a city with a strong Pennsylvania-Dutch lineage. The Philadelphian public has grown with these three for $1.50 pretzels, and today they are as common as the birthday cake at parties.

PPF hit the scene in 1998 with an avenue front store across from Philadelphia’s Mayfair Diner in Northeastern Philly. The flagship still stands, bedecked in the green and white checkerboard pattern that has become a PPF trademark, which today has over 100 locations.

It was at this flagship that I had the pleasure of meeting with Company Founders Dan DiZio and Len Lehman, and Vice President of Operations Marty Ferrill, to talk about their pretzels.

(Read More)

Philly Pretzel Factory Featured in the Bridgeville Area News

Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured in an article in the Bridgeville Area News called “Pretzel logic appears to have worked at pretzel factory,” which published July 22. The article talks about the success of Philly Pretzel Factory’s expansion to the Pittsburgh market with a recently-opened corporate test store in Bridgeville, PA. Dan DiZio was interviewed to discuss why Bridgeville was selected as a point of expansion for Philly Pretzel Factory, how the new location has benefited the brand, and the plan to bring 10 more locations to the area. A portion of the article is included below. To view the full article, click here.

Pretzel logic appears to have worked at pretzel factory
by Dan Sleva

Dan DiZio started selling pretzels on a street corner in a suburb of Philadelphia when he was 11 years old.

Now, his company is selling them throughout the Northeast and is moving into the Pittsburgh market with a corporate test store in Bridgeville.

"We wanted to expand out into Pittsburgh and began driving around," DiZio, president and co-founder of Philly Pretzel Factory, said. "We liked the Bridgeville location because it is a former Dunkin' Donuts that had a drive-through, which is good for the cold Pittsburgh winters."

As a corporate test store, the location at 1150 Washington Pike usually gets new products about three months before most of the company's 125 other locations.

"There are a lot of benefits for us by having the Bridgeville location," DiZio said. "One of those is that is an outer market away from Philly."

(READ MORE)

Philly Pretzel Factory Featured in The Trentonian

Franchisees come from many different backgrounds. Mark and Karen Cooper were both white collar workers in corporate America before opening their first Philly Pretzel Factory location in Ewing in 2007. Mark recently spoke with The Trentonian in an article called “Ewing pretzel shop owners to open second location,” which published July 21. The article sheds light onto Mark and Karen's entrepreneurial story, how they stormed the tough economy and how they are now expanding and opening their second location in Flemington. A portion of the article is shared below and you can view the full article from The Trentonian by clicking here.

Ewing pretzel shop owners to open second location
By JOAN GALLER

EWING — Four years ago, Mark and Karen Cooper decided that making money at their respective jobs in corporate America wasn’t enough, they wanted a new twist on life.

Little did they know that their dream of economic independence — as franchise owners of a Philly Pretzel Factory outlet, which they opened in 2007 in Ewing — would materialize just as the nation was plunging into the worst economic recession in half a century.

Yet, this long-married couple from Cherry Hill persevered, weathered the storm and are now poised to expand from their store at 1400 Parkway Ave. to a second location in the Hunterdon County community of Flemington. The official opening is set for Aug. 1.

As Mark tells their story, he and wife Karen, both 49, worked for decades in white collar office jobs: She was an area manager for Wawa, running many stores, and he worked for a company that encrypted data networks.

“We were at a point where money was less important than being together, working together, doing something that was fun and rewarding at same time,” said Mark.

(READ MORE)

Franchisee Spotlight: Ron Heial and Gary Nolan, Owners of 13 Philly Pretzel Factory Locations

Each week we highlight some of our Philly Pretzel Factory franchisees. Today, Ron Heil and Gary Nolan , Owners of 13 Philly Pretzel Factory locations, are in our franchisee spotlight.

Locations: 11 locations in Pennsylvania and 2 in Jersey

132 S. 11th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

1500 JFK Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19102

1600 JFK Bvld
Philadelphia, PA 19102

1839 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

34 W. Lancaster Avenue
Paoli, PA 19301

625 MacDade Blvd.
Folsom, PA 19033

608 Lancaster Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

700 Baltimore Pike
Springfield, PA 19064

2500 W. Chester Pike
Broomall, PA 19008

1015 E. Baltimore Pike
Media, PA 19063

1532 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

373 Egg Harbor Road
Sewell, NJ 08080

1010 Cooper Street
Deptford, NJ 08096

Something Interesting About Ron Heil and Gary Nolan’s Story…
Founding Philly Pretzel Factory was exciting for Dan DiZio and his buddy Len Lehman not just because of its eminent success, but also because it allowed them to turn their college friendship into a successful business partnership. When they started franchising, Dan and Len were able to employ some of their other close friends from college, including Ron Heil, one of their fraternity brothers. Ron would go on to be a very successful franchisee, opening five Pennsylvania locations on his own and six more with his friend, Gary Nolan. Ron and Gary also opened two more locations in New Jersey, for a total of eight joint locations. Their success has inspired them to expand even further: the duo plans to eventually co-operate up to 12 locations in the area within the next few years.

What Ron Heil and Gary Nolan Did Before Philly Pretzel Factory…
Before they got into the pretzel business, both Ron Heil and Gary Nolan had quite a bit of work experience. Ron was a high school teacher and a coach, while Gary was the manager of a family-owned construction company, a position he still holds today. In fact, while Ron tends to his other franchises, Gary splits his time between the family contracting business and the Philly Pretzel stores.

Why Ron Heil and Gary Nolan Love Being Philly Pretzel Factory Franchisees…
Ron and Gary love being Philly Pretzel Factory franchisees because it allows them to enjoy daily interactions with customers, not to mention the chance to forge business partnerships with their friends. Furthermore, they stand behind their product, and have a great time doling out their delicious pretzels.

Community Involvement…
Community involvement is knit into the very fabric of Ron Heil and Gary Nolan’s franchise. With their delicious pretzels and their friendly, laid-back atmosphere, they have earned quite a loyal following, especially in the Philadelphia area, where the company was born. They’ve won numerous awards since opening their first joint pretzel shop in 2005. Ron and Gary continually donate to schools and sports teams, and strive to give back as much as possible to a community that has always supported them, helping Philadelphia live up to its reputation as the city of brotherly love.