Wienerschnitzel is, arguably, fast-food royalty. The world�s largest chili, corn and hot dog chain was founded by a former Taco Bell employee and was named by the wife of the Mexican food franchise�s founder.
 
The first store opened on the Pacific Coast Highway in 1961, and seven years later, the Der Wienerschnitzel name (the �Der� was dropped in 1977) was emblazoned on 200 restaurants, which were popular sites for car clubs, inspiring the drive-thrus that are now a staple of the fast-food industry.

Then, in 2003, Wienerschnitzel added another fast-food legend to its lineup with the acquisition of Tastee Freez, whose signature soft-serve ice cream, first offered in 1950, actually outdates the Wienerschnitzel brand.

Wienerschnitzel offers three dining-room store types varying in size from 1,250-2,000 square feet. Drive-thru locations are only considered in fair-weather climates.

Investment Required
The fee for a Wienerschnitzel franchise is $32,000. Additional units are available at a cost of $20,000. Franchisees can open a Wienerschnitzel co-branded with a Tastee-Freez for an additional cost of $5,000, which includes training.

Wienerschnitzel provides the following range of investments required to open your initial franchise. The range assumes that all items are paid for in cash. To the extent that you choose to finance any of these expense items, your front-end investment could be substantially reduced. The following figures refer to the opening of a full franchise.

 

On-Going Expenses
Wienerschnitzel franchisees pay a national advertising fee equal to 1% of gross sales, a local advertising fee equal to 3-5% of gross sales and a service fee equal to 5% of gross sales. Additional costs include those for manager and new employee training, management certification and a management-development program.

What You Get�Training and Support
Wienerschnitzel training lasts six weeks, during which operators learn how to run daily business with lessons that cover basic floor skills, paperwork, ordering and receiving, labor laws, team training, accounting, sanitation, inventory, customer complaints, interviewing, marketing and preventive maintenance. The training is intense, but thorough. During six-day workweeks, new franchisees will spend 10 hours a day in learning situations, not including time for additional reading and home study. After five days in the classroom, franchisees move to operating restaurants, where they complete the training process. That is, unless they are also opening a Tastee Freeze unit, in which case additional training is provided on-site three weeks before opening.

Architecturally, Wienerschnitzel provides assistance with prototype building drawings, equipment, computer and sign vendors and site review and approval based on demographics, traffic reports and aerial photos.

Ongoing assistance with daily operations, training and marketing is also provided.

Territory
Wienerschnitzel grants exclusive territories encompassing the area within a �-mile radius of the franchisee�s restaurant, or within 1 mile along the same street.