Few brands were as prepared for the pivot to off-premises channels as Wienerschnitzel, a 335-unit legacy brand that serves over 120 million hot dogs per year. With drive thrus at nearly every location, the pandemic did not affect Wienerschnitzel the way it affected some other brands.

That momentum has continued at a breakneck pace. Impressively, Wienerschnitzel managed to post record-breaking sales figures in 2020, up 16.8 percent from 2019. That trend has continued into 2021, and Wienerschnitzel recently signed a 20-unit deal with new franchise partners in Louisiana, in addition to a seven-store deal in Houston and a three-store deal in Boise. 

“When guidelines shifted and drive thrus became the primary mode of doing business, our sales took off,” says Rusty Bills, vice president of operations at Galardi Group, parent company of Wienerschnitzel and soft-serve dessert concept Tastee Freez. “But this was what we were already working toward. We had launched third-party delivery prior to the pandemic. We’ve gotten Olo online ordering off the ground. We have transformed ourselves from a nostalgic, heritage, legacy brand, to a brand with that same name recognition in addition to all of the new technology that is making restaurants successful in 2021.” 

the Wienerschnitzel website.