The Wienerschnitzel hot dog franchise is bolstering its non-traditional development with the opening of its first US military installation location at Naval Base San Diego through the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). This marks the Tustin, California-headquartered company’s broader strategy of meeting consumers where they live, work and travel.
Naval Base San Diego is home to one of the largest concentrations of United States active duty military personnel on the West Coast, giving Wienerschnitzel an opportunity to introduce its menu to Navy Exchange authorized patrons including service members, civilian employees and family dependents.
The military base opening builds on a period of significant momentum for the Wienerschnitzel chain. Over the past year, the brand has expanded into Walmart Supercenters in Tempe, Arizona; Puyallup, Washington; Alamogordo, New Mexico; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, with two additional Walmart restaurants expected to open later this year.
The new restaurant in San Diego eatures Wienerschnitzel’s full menu, including the Chili Cheese Dog, Junkyard Dog, Chili Cheese Fries and Jalapeño Poppers.
“Opening our first restaurant on a military base is an exciting milestone for our brand and another example of how Wienerschnitzel can thrive beyond the traditional restaurant model,” said David Winter, the company’s chief development officer. “Whether it’s a Walmart, travel center or military installation, we’re finding new ways to meet consumers where they already are while creating additional growth opportunities for current and future franchise partners.”
In addition to the expansion of its foodservice footprint, Wienerschnitzel’s original corn dogs and chili cheese-flavored corn dogs are available in the frozen food section of retail stores including Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Albertsons and Vons. The hot dog chain partnered with Golden West Food Group to make it happen.
