Wienerschnitzel

Hot dogs, ice cream
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2024 Franchise 500 Rank
#101 Ranked #117 last year
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Initial investment
$499K - $2M
Units as of 2024
320 Decrease 3% over 3 years

Wienerschnitzel was started in 1961 with a single location in Southern California, established by John Galardi. After more than 60 years, the restaurant has grown to hundreds of locations across the United States.

Wienerschnitzel offers multiple varieties of hot dogs using USDA-approved cuts of quality meat. Hot dog varieties include chili cheese dogs, Chicago dogs, and corn dogs. The restaurant also offers a breakfast menu, to go along with burgers, sandwiches, fries, snacks, and a variety of ice cream snacks from Tastee-Freez that may old-fashioned sundaes, shakes, root beer floats, banana splits, and southern lemonades.

Why You May Want to Start a Wienerschnitzel Franchise

If you like to make people happy and love running a restaurant, starting a Wienerschnitzel franchise may fit you well. The company prefers franchisees who have had previous restaurant operations experience. However, they will consider most professionals with previous business ownership, high-level retail, or management experience.

Wienerschnitzel is all about comfort food. It also believes it may appeal to a niche of people looking for nostalgia. You will not find fancy or complicated foods at Wienerschnitzel; only the best in classic hot dogs, burgers, and ice cream. These are all foods that have brought families and friends together for decades, which may be why Wienerschnitzel has been in business for over five decades.

Wienerschnitzel has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 many times in the past few decades. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

What Might Make a Wienerschnitzel Franchise a Good Choice?

Point blank: people love hot dogs. The company sells more than 120 million hot dogs a year. People also love fun foods, including burgers and, of course, a wide selection of ice cream products. The company continues to succeed thanks to its food offerings.

However, according to the company, the best-growing franchisees are the most active in their businesses. This means the franchisee is expected to be in their restaurant daily to ensure their staff is performing well and their customers are in good hands.

To be part of the Wienerschnitzel team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth and liquid capital requirements. 

How To Open a Wienerschnitzel Franchise?

Before deciding on pursuing the opportunity of opening a Wienerschnitzel franchise, you should look at the states available for expansion opportunities. Wienerschnitzel may have customizable restaurant models for any market, including models for new construction, conversion, and end caps for existing buildings.

Wienerschnitzel provides a comprehensive multi-week program that addresses all facets of running a restaurant. The training is provided for the franchisee and the general manager of the store. This training will include classroom training and on-the-job training. Franchisees must finish all training before the new store’s opening. Additionally, the company provides on-site grand opening support and training assistance for new employees.

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Company Overview

About Wienerschnitzel

Industry Food
Related Categories Hot Dogs, Hamburgers
Founded 1961
Parent Company Galardi Group Franchise Corp.
Leadership J.R. Galardi, President & CEO
Corporate Address 1775 Flight Wy., #125
Tustin, CA 92782
Social Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since 1965 (59 years)
# of employees at HQ 62
Where seeking

This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Asia, Middle East, Europe (Western), Central America, Canada, South America, Mexico

# of Units 320 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Wienerschnitzel franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Information Circle
$10,000 - $32,000
Initial Investment Information Circle
$499,100 - $1,962,100
Net Worth Requirement Information Circle
$1,000,000
Cash Requirement Information Circle
$300,000
Veteran Incentives Information Circle
25% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Information Circle
5%
Ad Royalty Fee Information Circle
1%
Term of Agreement Information Circle
20 years
Is franchise term renewable? Yes
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Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

In-House Financing Wienerschnitzel offers in-house financing to cover the following: equipment
Third Party Financing Wienerschnitzel has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training 480 hours
Classroom Training 56 hours
Ongoing Support
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Lease Negotiation
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed? No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Information Circle
No
Can this franchise be run part time? Information Circle
No
Are exclusive territories available? Information Circle
Yes
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Franchise 500 Ranking History

Compare where Wienerschnitzel landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.

Additional Rankings

Curious to know where Wienerschnitzel ranked on other franchise lists? Find out below.

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Disclaimer
The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022