Schlotzsky's is an American franchise

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s, specializing in

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

es and pizza. The company is headquartered in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. Schlotzsky's has over 310 franchised and company-owned locations throughout the United States. Most locations are in the south and southwestern United States, but the company is expanding into areas across the country, particularly the north and southeast. Schlotzsky's is now owned by

GoTo Foods GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands) is an American company that currently owns the Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Auntie Anne's and Jamba brands. It is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and operates ov ...

History

In 1971, Don and Dolores Dissman founded the company in a "small, hole-in-the-wall shop" in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, on South Congress. The initial menu consisted of one sandwich, called "The Original," consisting of mixed meats, cheeses and black olives on a freshly made, toasted bun." It was based on the

muffuletta Muffuletta or ''muffaletta'' is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread, as well as a popular sandwich, created by a Sicilian immigrant to the United States, that was popularized in the city of New Orleans. Etymology, pronunciation, and orthog ...

sandwich. In 1981, the company had 100 franchise stores when real estate investors, John and Jeff Wooley and Gary Bradley, purchased the company for less than $3 million. Bradley split with the Wooleys in 1982, with Bradley taking the real estate business while the Wooleys kept the chain. The Wooleys expanded Schlotzsky's menu to include specialty pizzas, toasted wraps, salads,

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

s, and other items. The Wooleys also took the company public on 15 December 1995, trading as BUNZ on NASDAQ. Euless Texas Schlotzsky

The chain peaked in 2001 with 759 stores and over $400 million in sales, when same-store sales began to plateau. 2003 saw the company posting an $11.7 million loss; as a result, the Schlotzsky's board of directors relieved the Wooley brothers of day-to-day management on 17 June 2004 and named Sam Coats as the new chief executive officer of the company. The Wooleys eventually resigned from the board in July 2004. On August 3, 2004, Schlotzsky's filed for voluntary

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Antonio, Texas, reporting liabilities of approximately $71.3 million and assets of approximately $111.7 million. The company ceased public trading when Bobby Cox Companies acquired Schlotzsky's assets out of bankruptcy. Under new ownership and management, Schlotzsky's spent two years strengthening its franchise operations and restructuring the brand. The new owner operated the business under the corporate entity Schlotzsky's, Ltd., and began streamlining the menu. Schlotzsky's strengthened franchise operations and licensed new franchisees in Texas and other states. The company also planned to open several new corporate-owned stores. On 21 November 2006, Schlotzsky's was acquired by

Focus Brands GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands) is an American company that currently owns the Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Auntie Anne's and Jamba brands. It is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and operates ...

, an affiliate of private equity firm

Roark Capital Group Roark Capital Management, LLC, also known as Roark Capital Group or simply Roark Capital, is an American private equity firm with around $37 billion in assets under management. The firm is focused on leveraged buyout investments in middle-market ...

, parent company of

Moe's Southwest Grill Moe's Southwest Grill, referred to informally as Moe's, is an American fast casual restaurant franchise chain that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 9, 2000,FOCUS Brands press release, FOCUS Brands to Acquire Moe’s Southwest Grill' ...

, Carvel,

Cinnabon Cinnabon, Inc., is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is the cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there w ...

and

Auntie Anne's Auntie Anne's is an American franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix ...

. The following year, the company named Kelly Roddy as president, who joined Schlotzsky's from H-E-B Grocery Company. With Kelly on board, Schlotzsky's planned for growth and a system-wide reimage, which included updated restaurants, improved menus, table service, and the addition of Cinnabon. The company remodeled locations across the country with a "Lotz Better" look, which included bright, bold colors, circle-themed furniture and decor and playful slogans.

Slogan

The current slogan is "It's a mouthful", launched in 2021. Former slogans include "All 'Round, Lotz Better", "Lotz Better", "Every Bite Lotz Better", "Funny name. Serious sandwich", "No substituteskys", and "Just one sandwich, it's that good."

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Companies , Food Companies based in Austin, Texas Food and drink companies based in Atlanta Submarine sandwich restaurants Restaurants established in 1971 American companies established in 1971 1971 establishments in Texas Bakery cafés Bakeries of the United States Restaurants in Texas Fast casual restaurants Fast-food chains of the United States Fast-food franchises Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004 2006 mergers and acquisitions

History

Slogan

See also

References

External links