Before Auntie Anne's, This Mall Pretzel Chain Was A Must-Visit

You might not realize it today, assuming you've even been to a mall in the last decade, but the mall pretzel chain used to be a staple of the shopping experience. Alongside Cinnabon and the Orange Julius, pretzel kiosks were a seminal part of the mall in the 1980s and beyond. Whether you went for Pretzel Time, Wetzel's Pretzels, or Auntie Anne's, you could find a hot, soft pretzel in nearly every shopping center across the country. The pioneer of the mall pretzel was Hot Sam Pretzels, but now it's little more than a piece of nostalgic trivia.

When it comes to mall pretzels, Hot Sam was the trendsetter. Founded in 1967, the chain offered mallgoers plain pretzels, ones with mustard, or sweet cinnamon sugar-covered versions for a quick snack on the go. By the 1980s, they also came with savory toppings like cheddar, nacho, or cream cheese, and sweet option additions like hot fudge and strawberries.

Amazingly, these pretzels weren't freshly made in the store. They were pre-baked, brought in frozen, and then heated on a revolving drum. Hot Sam customers had to wait a full 16 minutes for their hot pretzel. Despite that, these pretzels were extremely popular and must have tasted incredible, since some stores were selling up to 1,000 in a single day.

The popularity of Hot Sam might have been thanks to the fact that they were the innovators. Pretzels had long been a street food, and in the early days of malls, food courts were far simpler than they would become in the late 1990s and early 2000s. People didn't go to the mall for full meals, so a pretzel was an easy, hot snack on the go.

As more competition appeared, Hot Sam began to fade from the public eye. Competition came in the form of Pretzel Time and Pretzelmaker, two chains that grew rapidly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By 1997, both Pretzel Time and Hot Sam were acquired by cookie giant Mrs. Fields, which also purchased Pretzelmaker.

In 1985, there were 175 Hot Sam locations nationwide. By 2005, there were only 10 left, and Mrs. Fields soon converted them into Pretzel Time stores. From a business standpoint, one hot pretzel is probably as good as another. Many people today don't know the difference, having never experienced a Hot Sam pretzel alongside brands like Auntie Anne's.

Back in the 1980s, the company that produced 18 million pretzels per year for Hot Sam acknowledged there were faster ways to make them, but there was a distinct charm to the old-fashioned way the company did things. Unfortunately, old-fashioned pretzel goodness just couldn't keep up with the modern world. If you ever enjoy a soft-baked pretzel at the mall these days, take a moment to appreciate that Hot Sam paved the way.