Jennifer Schuler takes over for Bill Phelps, who is stepping down after 25 years

After more than two decades, Wetzel’s Pretzels has a new CEO. According to a recent Nation’s Restaurant News article, brand president Jennifer Schuler will take over as CEO for co-founder Bill Phelps, who has served in the role for the last 25 years.

Schuler, who assumed the role on Jan. 1, becomes just the second CEO in the brand’s history. She joined Wetzel’s Pretzels in 2014 as CMO before becoming brand president in 2017.

The California-based pretzel chain currently has 340 units, most of which are franchised, operating across the country. Schuler, who owns two franchise units in the Mall of America in Minnesota herself, told Nation’s Restaurant News that she plans to add 25-30 units in 2019 with a focus on premium shopping center locations and non-traditional venues like airports and stadiums.

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