Auntie Anne’s

Came in with my friend to get a pretzel, the place seemed like a typical Auntie Anne’s – similar layout, clean, and offered samples. The only thing was one of the employees kept glaring at me, staring daggers into the whites of my eyes. I didn’t recognize them, but I’m creeped out enough to not return for a while… At least they have nice little benches outside to enjoy your snack on?

I had already decided to get a pretzel, but the free sample @ the door solidified my decision. A tad bit on the pricey side for what it «really» is, but it is so good. I strolled in yesterday for a pretzel while my girlfriend shopped at Macy’s.
I sat outside on the bench and enjoyed the pretzel and the cheese dip. I have not had a Auntie Anne’s Pretzel in AGES and I must say that I’m sad that I did not go back sooner!
For less than $ 4, perfect snack between meals. If you’re in line for Hagen Daz… take a deep breath and feel yourself get pulled next door like a Jedi mind trick or a tractor beam (for both you Star Wars and Star Trek fans).

Good!!! If you are hungry and have someone to share it with, their pretzels rock! I so love the jalapeño pretzel, just the right amount of heat! Good for vegetarians!

First and foremost, I’ll start off by saying that Auntie Anne’s has always had a soft spot in my belly. I love love love their pretzels… So when Groupon came out with a deal for Auntie Anne’s, no question about it — I got one.
I’ve heard about the nightmare’s that Groupon causes and from what I saw, this was one of them. Apparently when the Groupon was posted, it wasn’t made clear of the «restrictions» of the Groupon deal. The deal: $ 6 for a six-​punch pretzel card. There were a ton of postings after the sale went live that all the pretzels had to be purchased at the same time. Then what was the point of getting a «punch card»?
Anyway, I went in one day when I was in the area, and the very nice manager there said not to worry and that he was going to give me a six-​pretzel punch card anyway because getting six pretzels all at one-​time would just be absurd. That was very kind, as I’ve often heard that Groupon puts business owners in quite a bind when having to tell customer’s that they «misunderstood the deal». Anyway, the pretzels were great, fresh, even though I came in at 8pm.
Love this place.

WOW. I couldn’t believe the service I was subjected to at this location. I ordered one of the pigs in a blanket /​pretzel dog hot dogs. There were 6 or 7 available, one had obviously been there for a very, very long time. It was wrinkled and shriveled and frankly unappetizing. The others looked fine.
I asked for a hot dog and the server quickly picked the worst of the bunch and put it in a small sleeve. Well it was one of the small hot dogs and you can’t see it buried in the sleeve so I pulled it out to confirm it was the old, shriveled hot dog; it was and so I immediately asked to exchange it for another.
The server’s reply «I can’t give you a new one. You already touched it!». WOW. I mean WOW. Really, the server hands me an unacceptable product and that’s the response? WOW. At MCDonalds I could have taken a bite out of it, said it was crap and exchanged it. No problem. Auntie Anne’s has worse service than MCDonalds? At Broadway Plaza? Really? WOW.

This place is full of yummy goodness. From the soft pretzels to the pretzel dogs, just thinking about this place gets my mouth watering like Pavlov’s dog. Just the thought of dipping a pretzel bite into the jalepeno cheese dip… YUM!
I also love the lemonade, but for a very special reason… I love the little «rat turd» ice that they put in their drinks! It is completely inefficient and the worst ice for your drink, but I love it. It makes any cold drink an awesome cold drink. I’ve gone in here just to get a cup of ice so I can pour my own cold beverage over the little bits of yummy crunchy ice.
So, why not a 5 star review you ask??? Because of the staff. They are so apathetic it verges on rude. I’ve even been SUPER friendly to them and they act like I am bothering them by just ordering. I have never seen a place that is just full of sour faces.
Despite the rudeness, they have the «rat turd» ice and the soft yummy pretzels… I’ll just have to put up with it.

Love their hot dogs — the bread always taste so good and fresh.

I asked the lady behind the register what which item is the freshest and she recommended the pretzel bites.
Oh my lord, those were the most perfect pretzels I have ever devoured. Just the right amount of salt, very buttery, tender soft on the inside and a light crisp crust! Perfection in every bite!

We can’t take a trip to a mall, any mall, without my kids asking for pretzel sticks. It’s become a pavlovian response to the mall for them. They even ask, «Can we go to the outdoor mall so we can get pretzel sticks?»
So of course, we stop in here often. Always friendly, always polite. Always makes my kids happy.

:(I love Auntie Anne’s with a passion and this one always disappoints me. Their customer service is decent but every time I get a pretzel here, it’s always dry and hard. :((Please stop over-​cooking your pretzels, I would really like to love this one too.

Mmmmmm… with carmel dipping saucing… who invented this sooooo good.

Auntie Anne’s just moved to a new location, a few stores down from the old one. It makes sense because the line is usually out the door, especially on busy shopping days, and I hate being stuck on a busy street in line waiting for a big messy pretzel with mustard. The pretzels are pretty delicious, but there isn’t must that’s remarkable about it other than them.

I think this is the best pretzel place I’ve been to, but I think I’m just comparing to Wetzel’s which is not too great in my opinion. I really like the Whole Wheat Pretzel with no salt with mustard if I’m trying to be slightly healthier, and the Almond Pretzel if I want something a bit sweeter. These pretzels are slightly thinner than Wetzel’s, and the quality is just overall better. It’s also a pretty inexpensive snack for a shopping break.

Another Saturday, another day spent sitting on a bench while my beloved shops. That’s right, there is no age limit for men sitting on benches waiting for their women. From ages 5 to 95, we’re stuck, waiting and waiting and waiting. Waiting for them to show up so we can carry the bags and pretend to listen about all the great deals they found. Here in Walnut Creek, you have your 40 something blond with credit cards that haven’t melted yet from the spending, but the blondies are sure trying. You’ve got your Asian and South Asian families walking together on their way to a restaurant or on their way from a restaurant. You’ve got high school and college couples, and the men haven’t learned that walking with the women and shopping with them only pisses them off, because «YOU’RE RUSHING THEM!»
So, what do you do? You go over to Annie’s, get a pretzel, (I always get a cinnamon) and a soda/​lemonade and find an empty bench and try not to stare or fall asleep like the old guy sitting right next to me right now. With the right pretzel, you can reach that transandential state where time flies and your butt doesn’t hurt from those hard wooden benches.

Cinzia and Reno love these pretzels. They start growing weary of a shopping trip an hour or so into it and I know The Cure. A quick stop here will buy me another hour.
Depending on how much they’ve eaten so far that day, and how much actual cash I have on hand, they’ll either split one or each get their own. They get the standard salted and eat it up like there’s no tomorrow. Me? I’m not a fan. Jack snipes bites though (the «papa tax.»)

Working in the plaza, you’re limited to a very few eateries… cheap eateries that is.
I like Auntie Anne’s Almond Pretzels (AMAZING) and regular salted pretzels with hot salsa cheese (yuummmm).
Just don’t come an hour — an hour and a half before they close. The pretzels are hard, stale and pretty much taste like paper.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had a hard or stale pretzel from Auntie Anne’s — I’ve only had the cinnamon-​laced, lip-​smacking goodness that they dole out daily.
The salted pretzels have just the right amount of salt, and I can always feel good about the purchase when it doesn’t break the bank.

I admit it. I’m weak.
I’m human after all. I’ll be doing so well, eating healthier, exercising,
and then my stomach will say,
«Hey, Loli. A pretzel sure sounds nice right about now doesn’t it?»
and then I figure. Well, one wouldn’t hurt.
Then when I get there, my stomach says,
«Well, since you’re here, you might as well just make it a lunch.»
To which I either:
A) Cave in an order a pretzel-​dog
B) Stick with the original plan and get the pretzel
At the end of the day, when I feel I should be feeling kind of guilty about it,
I reassure myself… and figure I have only a few more trips to go until I score my next free pretzel :)

The smell of this place sucks you in before you have the chance to say no. But this time I actually headed here on purpose.
I set out to H&M for an afternoon of spending money on things I don’t need but I realized I’d only eaten half an apple before I left the house (how uncharacteristic of me!) and I knew I’d need more energy that that or else I’d become faint carrying 14 garments to the fitting room.
Auntie Anne’s solved my problem. They’re fast and efficient, if not exactly warm and friendly. Normally I can’t get enough of these addictive-​as-​crack (not that I would know) pretzels, but I think I got a dud on Sunday. I saw a sesame pretzel eyeballing me back from the little glass case on the counter so I snatched it up like a puppy dog in a window. But the sesame was a bit unfulfilling and almost tasted a bit burnt. I still devoured it in about three minutes or less, though (while window shopping at Betsey Johnson). I think it was just a «miss» because most other pretzels from here are «hits!»

Best advice ever: Get an Auntie Anne’s punch card for free and get a free pretzel every ten you buy.
I like this place. The pretzels are better than other Auntie Anne’s i’ve frequented and the people here are polite and quick.
I love discovering that I have a free pretzel coming to me. Nice treat on a cold, windy day.