January 2001

Wetzel's Pretzels brings a refreshing twist to downtown DISNEY® district

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Wetzel's Pretzels, the nationwide pretzel bakery chain renowned for its delicious '30 Minutes Fresh' hand-rolled soft pretzels, rolled into Anaheim, Calif., with the recent opening of its newest location at Downtown Disney® District. The 700-square-foot unit marks Wetzel's Pretzels 140th store opening since the company's founding in 1994 and is open from Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. - midnight. "We're proud to be a part of Downtown Disney, a fantastic retail, dining and entertainment destination," said Rick Wetzel, president and co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels. "Part of our growth strategy has been to expand beyond traditional mall locations, targeting high-end shopping centers and entertainment venues. We're extremely selective when determining the perfect locations for expanding our brand and are truly honored to team up with Disney."

Known best for its mouth-watering Original Wetzel's Pretzel, the company uses its own blend of high-protein, soft winter wheat flour and all-natural ingredients to serve up a variety of oversized, soft and chewy pretzels full of flavor. Hand-rolled and baked fresh, the company promises pretzels '30 Minutes Fresh' from the oven. If, after 30 minutes, someone hasn't given into temptation to buy that pretzel, it's fired! Yet with a menu of ten scrumptious pretzel flavors including MexiCali, Sinful Cinnamon and Three Cheese, few can resist the enticement of these aromatic, warm, melt-in-your mouth treats.

President Rick Wetzel brought his childhood taunts of "Hey Wetzel, you pretzel" to life when he and his partner Bill Phelps tied the entrepreneurial knot to form "Wetzel's Pretzels" in November 1994. Wetzel's Pretzels has quickly 'risen' to the top since the opening of its first unit and has become the model of a successful business. Based in Pasadena, Calif., the company was recently rated one of the Top 50 Food Franchises in the world (April 2000) and ranked in the top ten of the Nation's Top 10 New Franchises (Feb. 2000) by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Wetzel's Pretzels currently operates more than 100 units with locations throughout the United States, Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. In the United States, Wetzel's Pretzels units currently stretch across the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.

Located in the heart of the Disneyland® Resort, Downtown Disney® District is an entertainment mecca of themed shopping, dining, nightclubs and other entertainment venues, all within walking distance for guests, conventioneers and local residents. Downtown Disney will become a unique gathering place, connecting two theme parks - the all-new Disney's California Adventure™ park and Disneyland® park - along with the Disneyland Resort Hotels.

For Wetzel's Pretzels media information or interviews please contact Summer Heying of Morgan Marketing & Public Relations at (949) 261-2216 or click on www.wetzels.com. For more information about Downtown Disney, call John McClintock, Disneyland Resort Press & Publicity Manager, at (714) 781-4500.

Contacts:

Summer Heying or Janice Callado
Morgan Marketing & Public Relations
(949) 261-2216 / summer@morganmarketingpr.com