Communication Audit: Wienerschnitzel Company

Lauren McFadden

Ashley Baker

Autumn Munden

Kamille Ellis

Desiree Atkins

Eryka McInnis

Oklahoma State University

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Introduction

Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain that serves meals and snacks

internationally. Also known as the World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain, the decades-old company

run by The Galardi Group Inc involves itself in a variety of communication practices. This is to

maintain the company as a competitive chain option among other eateries. In this communication

audit, situations, practices and issues relating to Wienerschnitzel will be analyzed.

Corporate History

Der Wienerschnitzel was founded in Wilmington, California in the year 1961 by John

Galardi. John Galardi was an apprentice for Taco Bell founder Glen Bell. Bell and Galardi

formed a partnership and Bell later sold what would become the first Wienerschnitzel location to

Galardi for 12,000 dollars. Der Wienerschnitzel began with this single location in Southern

California located on Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington, California: a suburb of Los

Angeles. When the company was first founded, it was referred to as “ Der Wienerschnitzel” and

later renamed and shortened to “Wienerschnitzel” in 1978. Wienerschnitzel is recognized by the

"W" logo that was created by well-known graphic designer Saul Bass shortly after the company

name change in 1978. The Wienerschnitzel headquarters is located in Irvine, California. Over the

past 50 years, Wienerschnitzel has remained family owned and operated by The Galardi Group

Inc. Wienerschnitzel has grown to be the World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain serving more than 120

million hot dogs a year.

Primary Products

Primary products on the Wienerschnitzel menu include hot dogs, hamburgers and fries,

other various sandwich creations and Tastee-Freez. Tastee-Freez consist of various ice cream

and soft serve based desserts such as sundaes, shakes, cones, banana splits, etc.
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Locations

There are currently 356 wienerschnitzel locations spread out across the United States.

Many locations are located in the states of Texas and California. There are also two international

locations in the countries of Guam and Panama.

Audience

Wienerschnitzel has a main target audience of men and women 18 and up who are of the

working class. Wienerschnitzel also places an emphasis on families when communicating to

audiences.

Brand Identity

Wienerschnitzel identifies its brand with the “W” logo created by well-known graphic

designer Saul Bass shortly after the company name change in 1978. Its graphic identity includes

its color scheme of red and white. The company’s consistent graphic identity is essential to

building a strong brand image. Wienerschnitzel stays consistent with its brand message of

highlighting the importance of family and community as a key part of its brand and image.

Industry Trends and Issues

According to Business Wire, Wienerschnitzel was ranked the No. 1 quick service

restaurant (QSR) for the hot dog category ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine on January 16,

2018. “Wienerschnitzel is thrilled that Entrepreneur has recognized hot dog restaurants with its

own category- and even more delighted to be ranked No. 1 on that list,” said Ted Milburn,

director of franchise development for Wienerschnitzel.

In reading and researching about Wienerschnitzel and its purpose as a company, it seems

as a whole the company is continuously and vigorously looking for ways to improve, develop

and appeal to the public; in doing so the company sets goals to conquer and outdo itself from
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previous years. Wienerschnitzel is always making improvements and growing as a company.

Whether it be the company changed its name to be more memorable, changed the cosmetic look

of the company to make a statement and stand out or incorporated new food items to the menu to

appeal to everyone’s needs and wants, Wienerschnitzel is always looking for new ways to

improve, be recognized and stay relevant within the food market.

July of 2018 Wienerschnitzel opened four new “Heritage” restaurants; two locations in

New Mexico, and the other two locations in Texas. One of the locations in New Mexico, is the

first in the company to develop and revolutionize the Heritage “Plus” design. The “Heritage”

model of Wienerschnitzel is comparable and mimics the company’s original and iconic A-frame.

The “Plus” design incorporates inside dining like the traditional ‘Heritage’ prototype. The inside

dining of the “Plus” is more inclusive for customers with drive-thru and includes an outside

patio; all of these implementations maximize the customers access and enables the company to

give better service

Wienerschnitzel is constantly working hard to improve the cosmetic look of its

franchisees. It didn’t go back to the old A-frame entirely because the original buildings

conflicted with the Americans with Disabilities Act; the A-frames built before the Act were

grandfathered in. In building the new prototypes, the company has received more sales due to the

new features and outdoor seating that accommodates walk-up customers.

Wienerschnitzel is a company that gives back to the community and its customers in the

best way that it can. In December of 2017 a handful of Wienerschnitzel franchisees gave back by

providing free meals to those who needed one on Christmas Day. “No One Goes Hungry on

Christmas” is an annual project that some of the Wienerschnitzel franchisees participate in; in

doing so some of the businesses give away two hot dogs, a small French fry and drink as well as
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an ice cream cone from 11am to 1pm. In addition to the free meals, the company hires a Santa

and “helpers” to distribute gifts.

Wienerschnitzel company also incorporated a “HotDogs4Homeless” tour in 2015. In

implementing the tour Wienerschnitzel teamed up with Skate For Change, a non-profit

organization that encourages youth to give back to the homeless and lesser fortunate in their

communities. The company has a Wienerschnitzel-wrapped RV that travels to some cities with

the highest populations of homelessness, and in doing so they provide hot meals and lift spirits.

The proceeds that they make from raising money is given to Skate For Change. Not only does

the initiative affect and make a lasting impact on the community for those who are homeless, but

it also inspires the youth to create positive change within their communities.

Wienerschnitzel is a fast-paced growing company who cares about its market, consumers and

community as a whole. Not only does the company think of ways to improve upon, but it tries to

change the lives of others and give back to those who really need it. Wienerschnitzel has a trend

of giving and improving to meet the needs and wants of its market.

As for industry issues, Wienerschnitzel has done a good job at maintaining and sustaining

company values and making changes when issues become apparent.

In 2012, Wienerschnitzel - alongside other popular fast food restaurants such as

McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s - decided to announce the company will only purchase

pork from suppliers that plan to move away from the use of pregnancy gestation crates of their

animals. The tight caged system is used to prevent a pig from turning around during her 4

months of pregnancy. Once she gives birth, the pig is prepared for another pregnancy and put

back into the gestation crate, causing it to be caged in a cycle for the remainder of her life.
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“The move toward a gestation crate-free environment is consistent with

Wienerschnitzel’s commitment to provide the highest-quality food,” Wienerschnitzel’s Director

of Purchasing and Product Development Aline Cline states.

This move is highly praised by the Humane Society of the United States. Kristie

Middleton, outreach manager for the Humane Society of the U.S., stated they are proud

Wienerschnitzel is in support of these values for the improvement of the animal’s lives.

Middleton believes consumers care a great deal about the treatment of these animals and is proud

Wienerschnitzel is taking notice and action for their well-being from here on out (Humane

Society, 2012).

Another issue Wienerschnitzel faces is attracting young customers. The company is

looking to attract a younger generation, whereas they were catering toward the Baby Boomer

generation previously. J.R. Galardi, son of founder John Galardi, is promoting a new “Visionary

Department” that will implement tactics toward digital marketing, social media and even event

sponsorships. The purpose of the marketing department is to attract and form relationships with

youths while tapping into their lifestyles and interests. Galardi stated that Wienerschnitzel is

looking to build relationships and reach out to companies that appeal to a younger generation.

This includes reaching out to athletes, fans and musicians in the community and working with

developers to create Wienerschnitzel merchandise. Galardi hopes to connect with a younger

generation by creating real, genuine relationships with people and looking to use a more organic

approach in reaching customers besides promotional ads.

However, with the goal of trying to attract a younger generation, Wienerschnitzel is

looking to take their recognizable brand up a notch to give customers something else to

remember and come back to. Questions to bring innovative items to the company and new tastes
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to the menu are a good starting point. Galardi says they are in the works to develop new menu

items and creative twists on its old food classics (Pham, 2014).

In 1984, John Galardi stated in an interview with Times that "in this industry, we all have

basically the same food, cooked in the same machines and sold by the same computers," Galardi

said. "It gets down to a corporate identification and a couple of meat items."

In the company’s early days, Galardi used chili to distinguish his hot dogs which became

a huge hit. However, this is something that his son will need to look into expanding for the future

innovation ideas for Wienerschnitzel (Chawkins, 2013).

Furthermore, Wienerschnitzel ran into another issue regarding the growth in stature for

the chain locations of the company. Prototypes to kickstart the chain’s growth are in innovation.

“Our costs of entry were high given our average sales volumes,” Geoff Ingles said,

director of real estate and franchise development for Wienerschnitzel.

By creating a graduated royalty program, the franchises could create new unit openings

by paying low royalties on them. This is program was able to boost growth in units, and they can

cancel it until it is not needed. The new and improved units cost $500,000 in building fees

whereas the original A-frame model of the restaurant cost 1.2 million to build. A cheaper

restaurant innovation could be promising for the restaurants chain’s growth in the future (Maze,

2014).

Communication Strategies

Wienerschnitzel Company’s internal and external relations require communication

strategies. These plans allow the company to understand the effectiveness of the procedures in

place, as well as how to improve upon areas of weakness if applicable. Five types of relations

carry across the company to develop its successes in the area of communications; employee,
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community, consumer, media and investor relationships are involved. Since communication

affects aspects such as marketing, productivity and buyer-responsiveness, it is important to

understand the usefulness of conveyance within these channels.

Employee relations necessitate the relationship between the company and its hirees

(Doorley and Garcia, 2015, p.155). Organizational communication can be considered with this

topic, too. The world’s largest hotdog franchise asks potential employees to directly submit job

applications in person. Although the application can be found online, the company requires

submitting the application at the location one has interest in because the restaurants are

individually owned and operated. In-person submission before employment provides the

opportunity to connect with potential hirees, whereas online submissions are not personal. At

Wienerschnitzel, employee relations begin before the actual hiring process.

After onboarding employees, workers have opportunities to engage in volunteering

around the communities their franchise is located in. Wienerschnitzel’s division called the

Visionary Department “[utilizes] tactics including social media, strategic partnerships, digital

marketing, and event sponsorships,” according to its website. The inclusion of employees in

these tactics are critical in maintaining a progressive environment focused on the community it

serves.

Additionally, Wienerschnitzel continually experiences media representation on social

media, radio and television. According to Wienerschnitzel’s website, the 100th episode of

“Undercover Boss” premiered on CBS in 2016 featuring the hot dog company’s chief executive

officer. CEO Cindy Galardi Culpepper got an insider’s view of the activities that occur between

employees of different levels. The end of the episode granted Culpepper with insight into the

company, and it gave employees a chance to speak with the woman who runs the business. This
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level of commitment to employees presents the Wienerschnitzel employer as an attentive CEO

who wants the best for the people that keep it running. Getting on the level of workers, if even

for a few days, proved her commitment to the company’s people in a unique way. Not limited to

employee appreciation, this display also showed the world - and especially customers - her

commitment as she represented the company. Although it’s out of the company’s hands, reruns

of this program is beneficial for the company as it provides viewers with the mentioned

takeaways.

Another aspect important in business communication includes community relations.

Community relations involve “the strategic development of mutually beneficial relationships

with targeted communities toward the long-term objective of building reputation and trust”

(Doorley and Garcia, 2015, p.210). Involving itself, Wienerschnitzel sponsors professional

athletes including Vicki Golden, Travis Pastrana and Scotty Lago who serve as ambassadors for

the fast food chain. These partnerships are supportive in nature to promote the business’ or

professional’s objectives as a restaurant or athlete.

The organization is also involved in community relations activities. Their involvement is

represented by investing money in charities such as The Literacy Project. The company’s

involvement is helpful for both charities’ monetary gain and Wienerschnitzel’s reputation as a

community-focused, giving business. Hosting restaurant night fundraisers where organizations

get a percentage of money for each purchase made benefiting institutions like schools also

contribute to Wienerschnitzel’s community relations practices. Combined, the implementation of

these relational activities connect customers with the brand to stress loyalty from both parties.

The company and customers need one another to fulfill goals, and this interaction leads into the

topic of investor relations.

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Another heavily relied on factor for businesses include investors. Investor relations is

“the subset of public relations and corporate communication that deals with a company’s

relationship with the investment community,” according to Reputation Management:The Key to

Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication (Doorley and Garcia, 2015, p.227).

Wienerschnitzel Company is privately held and the reports detailing investment information are

not available to the public. The annual report describing Wienerschnitzel’s documentation of the

company’s activities throughout the year might also detail its income, statements and other

financial information. Since the reports are not available to the public, people must refer to

public information such as media reports and financial sources. A web search shows limited

information pertaining to Wienerschnitzel’s investor relations. Despite the lack of publicly

available information, investor relations are important in communicating important information

about the company’s activities, investments and more.

Furthermore, media relations are imperative to engage in for Wienerschnitzel’s success.

Media relations include “all the ways an organization interacts with the news media” (Doorley

and Garcia, 2015, p.94). Press releases and industry news can be found on Wienerschnitzel’s

website; they detail important information that investors, consumers, shareholders and more

might find valuable. Though the website is informational, one of the best ways to stay in touch

with the business is through social media.

Social media is important in reaching audiences across the world, and especially the

company’s largest market here in the United States. Wienerschnitzel is predominantly active on

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. These accounts are used to socialize with fans

across the world. Worldwide reach is a great aspect of social media, as the business and fans can

interact through comment sections, groups and more. Mentions are also prevalent on the
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platforms the hotdog business partakes in. People post photos of their meals, rant and rave about

restaurant experiences and more. Getting engagement with the franchise is important, as is

becoming top of mind when considering foods sold including hot dogs, bratwursts and more by

using these programs.

Media relations are not limited to social media. Journalists are heavily involved in this

aspect of running a business like Wienerschnitzel. The relationships between reporters and

spokespeople are important in maintaining positive awareness of companies while gaining

loyalty. Aside from journalists, people around the world are not limited in sharing their own

findings on companies anymore because we have social media platforms to share information

and opinions across. For this reason, college students have notable interaction with the company.

Current news coverage of Wienerschnitzel involves college student involvement in upgrading

the hotdog taste experience. Another article cites the National Student Ad Competition of 2019

as being sponsored by Wienerschnitzel. Young people’s involvement and feedback is beneficial

for the company, and interaction regarding media relations can help guide those conversations by

providing important information to the common people.

Examining Wienerschnitzel’s communication strategies enables the communication

manager to understand the company’s successes, as well as downfalls due to the level of

communication they’ve provided. For instance, the company’s current stock value has increased

by 7 %. Their increase is attributed to changing the color of the Wienerschnitzel brand (Mario

De Bortoli & Jesus Maroto, p.8). The following is based from translating colours in interactive

marketing communications. The colour of a company communicates what the business is about

and oftentimes when one changes the colours of their company, it has the tendency to increase its

value. Wienerschnitzel’s method of communication is also extended to government.

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Wienerschnitzel’s level of communication extends to governmental security and practices

that serves as protection for the company. The business’ governmental relations consist of direct

contact between both the government and Wienerschnitzel’s communications manager. This

equips the company to obtain legislative information, which applies at the corporate level. The

relations are important because governmental support allows a company substantiated growth

and independency that has the potential to produce longevity (Korten David C., p. 250).

Unbenounced to governmental relations, media relations are gaining prominence in fast

food success as well. It is important to cater to media audiences because majority of the

population has a social media account and if a company is no longer relevant than the company

short circuits their profit greatly. Wienerschnitzel’s media presence is grand by communicating a

message of community through their advertisements. The business’ media advertisements reflect

the people of California by showcasing them engaging in the local activities such as

skateboarding and surfing all while enjoying a Wienerschnitzel chili cheese dog and drinking the

Tastee-Freez soft drinks. Wienerschnitzel’s advertising method is important to note because it

supports their brand as a family company. It also communicates to consumers that

Wienerschnitzel is for the people by showing the people, which makes them seemingly more

personable.

Overall, Wienerschnitzel’s key message for consumers is intertwined between

community and family. It is a family run company - a practice that is non-negotiable. A family

started this company, which they are proud of. The company wants to maintain this family

principle throughout the franchises and public communicative depictions. This message is well

publicized by outwardly showcasing a sense of family and togetherness. The longevity of this

company is arguably attributed to its family nature. It is expressed on the company’s website that
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a lot of their customers grew up eating their chilli cheese dogs and fries, which is a testament to

the previous statement.

Communication in business is critical in relation to community, investors, media,

employees and consumers. Communication is stressed throughout the company’s policies,

advertisements and activities to ensure the goals of the company and the individual are met and a

relationship is built between the two. Therefore, it is imperative to examine Wienerschnitzel’s

communication strategies to uncover the foundation of these relations.

Company Analysis

The key message the company displays is that the primary product, the variations of hot

dog options are very highly sought after and that is why they are best selling. The inclusion of

the quote “ World’s Most Wanted Wiener” on a variety of media including the website shows the

idea that the company's product is the best in the market to be true. Another key theme that

relates to the overall message is the emphasis on family and community importance. The

reasoning behind these strategies is to draw in the target audience which is primarily focused on

working class men and women with children who would also provide profit for the company and

to keep these customers coming back time and time again.

The chart below categorizes the tone and mood of the company’s practices through

advertising, social media and other communication practices.

Volume Whispered Soft-spoken Conversational Loud Deafening

Energy Aloof Relaxed Switched-on Effervescent Manic

Sociability 1-on-1 Inclusive Industry & Community Universal

Colleagues

Attitude Risk-averse Conventional Politely Provocative Polarizing

Opinionated

Intelligence Colloquial Average Smart & Intelligent Brilliant

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Knowledgeable

Emotion Rational Cool & Approachable Feeling Passionate

Collected

Focus Self Intrinsic Cooperative Collaborative Others

In drawing conclusions from advertising practices, social media interaction and personal

and digital displays of communication, Wienerschnitzel’s personality is family oriented,

inclusive, caring, friendly, and positive.

Future Plans

The future of Wienerschnitzel is looking very bright. During summer 2018, the company

opened the doors to four “Heritage restaurants”. These locations were strategically placed in

Texas and New Mexico. The company is very excited about the opening of these new locations

and is looking to expand further. Wienerschnitzel hopes that these heritage restaurants will draw

in a younger generation of customers. Along with the opening of new restaurants the company is

also looking to expand its menu. The company recently added two new lemonade flavors to the

menu and brought back their beloved fish and chips. Each month the company will continue to

add speciality items to the menu.

After evaluating the outreach of Wienerschnitzel, several changes need to be made in

order to expand on the success of the company. Coverage of the company seems to be very

limited. In the future, Wienerschnitzel needs to send news releases, media kits,etc to larger

organizations to reach the maximum number of consumers. The company would also benefit if

they had a stronger social media presence. Right now, Wienerschnitzel in active on Facebook,

Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. These platforms are incredible for relaying information if used
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correctly. In the future the company needs to utilize these platforms by posting updates daily.

They company would also benefit by interacting with customers on the various platforms.

Wienerschnitzel severely lacks in outreach to younger generations. Along with increasing

social media presence, the company would benefit by revamping its brand personality. This can

easily be done by creating new slogans and focusing on a more specific niche. By creating new

slogans, the company will bring wanted attention to the brand. Focusing on a more specific niche

will allow to company to better reach its target group. Lastly, the company would benefit by

expanding locations nationwide. Currently, the company is limited to eleven states. Expanding

nationwide would increase business along with brand equity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Wienerschnitzel is effectively communicating ideas of communal

togetherness and involvement to consumers. Analyzing communication efforts lead us to

conclude the company is performing well in creating a friendly, excited and hungry community

revolved around the brand. Taking our suggestions regarding nationwide expansion, as well as

continually making an effort to reach younger audiences, would be beneficial in the success of

Wienerschnitzel. Effective and efficient current correspondence between the company and its

involved parties including investors, shareholders, customers, etc. allow Wienerschnitzel to

remain loved as the World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain.

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