Wetzel’s Pretzels announced today that it has recently teamed up with Thirst, which has inked a franchise agreement to co-brand within a newly-launched Wetzel’s Pretzels food truck. The Wetzel’s and Thirst mobile unit has quickly leveraged its local fandom, becoming a must-have at events and group gatherings.
Thirst has built a loyal fan base with five Salt Lake Valley locations, and sought to bring its food and beverage snacking experience to a mobile platform. The rapidly expanding Wetzel’s food truck model fit perfectly with what Thirst founder Ethan Cisneros wanted for the next evolution of his brand. Now, Wetzel’s Pretzels powered by Thirst has hit the road and it has become a celebrated addition to the community, as can be seen on the truck’s Instagram channel @wetzelsthirsttruckutah.
“Both Thirst and Wetzel’s Pretzels set out to channel unfettered happiness – it’s a beautiful marriage of brands. Plus, when you match our sweet treats and refreshing drinks with Wetzel’s, we can satisfy just about everybody’s snack cravings with speed and convenience,” says Cisneros, who co-founded Thirst with his business partner Sierra McCleve. “And, the Wetzel’s food truck format made it a breeze to hit the road. The simplicity of operations, flexibility, lower cost and supportive team have helped our truck quickly become a prized part of events around the Valley and beyond. We’ve even gone four hours southwest of Salt Lake to St. George with it!”
The Wetzel’s food truck is the brand’s hottest new concept, presenting an extremely flexible, creative and interactive experience, for both customers and franchise owners. Franchisee candidate demand for the concept is high, as Wetzel’s food trucks are the perfect entry level business for people deeply engrained in their communities, such as Cisneros.
“Ethan impressed us from the moment he expressed interest in launching a Wetzel’s food truck. He prioritizes exactly what our food truck owners need to in order to engrain their trucks into their communities. He’s engaging fans, eager to get out in front of local residents, events, groups and businesses, and he’s savvy, especially when it comes to social media,” says Jon Fischer, Chief Development Officer for Wetzel’s Pretzels. “His ambitious nature has helped formulate a blueprint for building meaningful community ties with our food truck model. And with a strong future ahead for Wetzel’s food trucks, Ethan’s remarkably innovative use of social media to drive excitement and sales for his mobile unit will be a great source of inspiration for us.”
The new food truck continues Wetzel’s mobile expansion and nontraditional growth that is gaining popularity across the country. It expands the brand beyond four walls, creating revenue streams through a mobile model that brings snacking closer to fans at their homes, places of work or other convenient neighborhood spots.
With more than 30 locations in its development pipeline and dozens of recent or near future openings, Wetzel’s is successfully expanding its presence in malls, outlet centers, food trucks, stadiums, boardwalks, convenience stores, Walmart and transit destinations.
