Working Elkton’s Best Advertising Spot, the Philly Pretzel Man Puts His Product Before Customers

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In this age where Google has virtually become the mass media of the 21st century, advertising methods are undergoing a revolutionary change in Cecil County. Before this digital age arrived businesses had just a few traditional outlets, but now there are many emerging ways for promoting a product.

Still some people prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. One business that uses a method that’s been around for a century or longer is Elkton’s Philly Pretzel Factory on Bridge Street. Most days, the “Philly Pretzel Man” is seen on what has to be the county’s best advertising real estate hawking those tasty pretzels. Hour after hour, as cars rush by, he waves, holds up his sign, and uses some friendly antics to catch the eye of passing motorist. Over the weekend, he was out there in his Santa suit, which was getting lots of attention.

In an age when we hear about Facebook, Twitter, blogs, podcasts, streaming and much more, his style is almost a throwback to an earlier era of direct promotion, the old sandwich-board hawkers. It is apparently very effective as motorist look for that friendly wave while passing through the busy intersection. Something else that speaks to the effectiveness of this space as a form of direct advertising is the competition he faces for the valuable spot, especially during the election season. The Elkton FOP and many candidates for the town and county offices were out there taking over that premium medium-strip for a few hours. Sometimes instead of the friendly “Pretzel Man” passersby see a man “standing for freedom” with his flags and political signs about the president, congress or other matters of the moment.

Philly Pretzel Factory Gets Scrappy with Newest Product Launch

Growing Soft Pretzel Franchise Takes a Stab at Hard Pretzels; Experiments with Online Sales

Just six months after the launch of their revolutionary and wildly popular Pretzel Cheesesteak, Philly Pretzel Factory is at it again, and this time, you don’t need to go to a Philly Pretzel Factory location to get a taste. Philly Pretzel Factory introduces “Scraps,” the newest Philly Pretzel Factory invention.

While Philly Pretzel Factory head honchos have long pondered how to sell their original soft pretzel at top-notch quality outside of their locations, they’ve finally come up with the next best thing, and it’s tasty. Scraps are hard pretzel pieces packaged individually—but these are not to be confused with anything you’d get for free on an airplane. Philly Pretzel Factory’s Scraps come doused in five unique flavors: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, honey mustard and onion, cheddar cheese, and spicy buffalo.

The 120-plus unit franchise known for their original and authentic Philly-style soft pretzel wants to give customers a legendary Philly Pretzel Factory product that can be sold to last the test of time, and experiment with online retail sales.

“We envision reaching even more pretzel lovers with the launch of Scraps,” said Dan DiZio, CEO and Co-Founder of Philly Pretzel Factory. “While we’re still concentrating on expanding the brand up and down the East Coast, we are giving potential customers a chance to try us out before we even open stores in their locations. We think this will help build up a wider fan base and even contribute to franchise development.”

The decision to launch Scraps now was strategic for Philly Pretzel Factory. According to DiZio, they want to tap into the holiday retail sales market. “Scraps make a great stocking stuffer,” said DiZio.

And they’re not stopping with Scraps. More innovation is in the works for Philly Pretzel Factory as they test out several other new products to launch in 2011.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg for us. There’s so many ways to enhance the original pretzel and although I can’t say exactly what’s in testing phase, just be assured that your palate will be pleased,” said DiZio.

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 120-plus-unit franchise with plans to add 20 more locations in 2011.

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.

With its menu strategically priced for any economy, the brand continues to thrive in 2010, never wavering from its commitment to its customers.

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

Philly Pretzel Factory Featured Nationally on CBS Sunday Morning Show

Over the weekend, Philly Pretzel Factory was featured nationally on the CBS Sunday Morning Show. In the segment, Dan DiZio and Len Lehman discuss the history of the Pretzel in Philadelphia, their entrepreneurial story and how they have been able to sell 25 million pretzels. The segment can be found below and a corresponding article can be found by click here.

Philly Pretzel's newest location in Harrisburg featured on Fox 43

Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured in a live-on-the-scene four-part segment (adding up to a total of 8 minutes on the air) at the newest Philly Pretzel Factory in Harrisburg! The four segments aired live on Fox 43’s Morning News yesterday morning, and featured new Philly Pretzel Factory owner/operator Steve McDaniel. In the segments, Steve gives a great overview of all the products PPF has to offer, from their award-winning soft pretzels to their Philly Cheesesteak Pretzels to their butter cream dipping sauce! He lets the news anchor, Melanie Gardner, test out the products and then proceeds to show how the pretzels are made, from mixing up the yeast and flour and water to rolling out the dough into PPF’s signature shape. Then, Melanie gets to try her hand at pretzel-rolling and Steve unveils some special customized Fox 43 pretzels made just for the show. Posted below are the four segments which aired live on Fox 43.

Philly Pretzel Factory Featured in York Daily Record

Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured in the York Daily Record in an article entitled "Former state cop is now 'the pretzel guy' in Windsor Twp." The article features Greg Mitchell, the franchisee of the Windsor Township location. It focuses on his entrepreneurial story in which he was a police officer for 30 years before becoming a Philly Pretzel Factory franchisee. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Former state cop is now 'the pretzel guy' in Windsor Twp.
By Kevin Horan

During his 30 years with the Pennsylvania State Police, first in York and then in Harrisburg, Greg Mitchell noticed that many people feel apprehensive talking with a police officer.

Even his neighbors chose their words carefully around Mitchell, he said. If they discussed going out the previous night, they were quick to add, "I only had one drink." If they said they were speeding, they made sure to include, "it wasn't very fast."

Mitchell retired from the force in 2008 and entered a new line of work.
The apprehension that once marked his day-to-day interactions with the public, he said, is no more.

"Most people know me as 'the pretzel guy' now," he said.

(Read More)

Philly Pretzel Factory Featured in Egg Harbor Township

Philly Pretzel Factory was featured in the Current of Egg Harbor Township entitled “Breast Cancer Fundraiser with a Twist.” The reporter interviewed Eileen and Ed Diacovo about the breast cancer fundraising initiative where they are selling pretzel ribbons to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The article is accompanied by a photo of Eileen and Ed with ribbon-shaped pretzels. The Diacovo’s talked about their participation with Philly Pretzel Factory in this campaign for the past four years. This article will raise awareness of this campaign and drive traffic to their location! Check out the image below and click on it to read the full article on page 20.

Philly Pretzel Factory twists for the cure

The Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured in the Appen Newspapers in an article entitled “Twist for the Cure.” In an effort during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Philly Pretzel Factory has partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation in efforts to help raise money for breast cancer research. This fundraiser is especially meaningful to local Milton franchisee, Jill Erhardt as she is a cancer survivor herself and understands the importance of the Susan G. Komen foundation. To support this cause, the Milton Philly Pretzel Factory will be donating 50% of the proceeds from the ribbon shaped pretzels to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, in addition to giving guests a pink ribbon to place on their wall of fame. Jill also discusses that 99% of her business is making custom shaped pretzels such as falcon for the Falons game or a GT for Georgia Tech. Check out a portion of the story below or read the full article here.

Twist for the Cure
by Jonathan Copsey

October is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness, and the folks at Milton's Philly Pretzel Factory have taken the message to heart by baking ribbon-shaped pretzels and donating half of the sales of these pretzels to cancer research.

Jill Erhardt is one of the owners of the Milton location and is also a cancer survivor, so helping the cause is an important one for her.

"I've been cancer-free for 11 years now," said Erhardt. "It's very important for me to make people aware to do all the things you need to do to stay healthy."

Whether it's eating a fat-free pretzel from the PPF or leading a healthy lifestyle, Erhardt wants to help the cause, however possible. So her shop will be making pretzels in the shape of the pink breast cancer ribbon throughout the month.

"Ninety-nine percent of our Business is making custom shapes," said Erhardt. "Whether the ribbon or the 'GT' for Georgia Tech games or a falcon for the Falcons game, we make all sorts." (Read More)