TUSTIN, Calif., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise, is bolstering its non-traditional development through new franchise agreements with GoMart, Inc., a prominent travel plaza and convenience store operator with more than 120 locations across West Virginia, Ohio and Virginia. GoMart will develop two Wienerschnitzel/Tastee Freez restaurants in Kanawha City and Ghent, West Virginia, both planned as new construction end-caps with drive-thru service. The restaurants are part of a broader development pipeline with GoMart, with additional locations planned over the next five years.
The agreement builds on Wienerschnitzel’s strategy of expanding into every day, high-traffic locations where consumers already spend their time. As convenience increasingly shapes dining decisions, the brand is expanding beyond traditional freestanding restaurants and into locations that create new opportunities to serve guests and introduce Wienerschnitzel to entirely new audiences. The restaurants in Kanawha City and Ghent will mark Wienerschnitzel’s entrance into West Virginia while extending its non-traditional growth into the travel plaza and convenience store sector.
“GoMart brings together many of the qualities we look for in a development partner, from strong operating experience and deep knowledge of its markets to an established footprint that creates opportunities for Wienerschnitzel to grow across different formats,” said David Winter, Chief Development Officer for Wienerschnitzel. “As we continue expanding beyond the traditional restaurant model, partnerships like this allow us to pair the flexibility of our concept with operators that already understand how to serve consumers in high-traffic, convenience-driven environments, and we see significant potential to build on these two restaurants in the future.”
Headquartered in Gassaway, West Virginia, GoMart has 123 locations across West Virginia, Ohio and Virginia, with additional stores in development. The longtime, family-focused company also brings experience operating QSR concepts, providing Wienerschnitzel with an experienced multi-unit operator as the brand enters the state. Beyond the two restaurants, GoMart has identified additional locations in the pipeline for Wienerschnitzel across its portfolio, including potential conversions and new construction over the next five years.
“As GoMart continues to expand, we’re thoughtful about the restaurant brands we introduce at our locations and the experience they can provide for the people who visit us every day,” said Phil Shuman, President of GoMart, Inc. “Wienerschnitzel/Tastee Freez brings a menu that has built a loyal following and a flexible restaurant model that can work across different types of locations, giving us an opportunity to bring something distinctive to our guests in Kanawha City, Ghent and additional communities in the future.”
The forthcoming GoMart restaurants build on a period of significant momentum for Wienerschnitzel’s non-traditional development. Over the past year, the brand has expanded into Walmart Supercenters in Tempe, Arizona; Puyallup, Washington; Alamogordo, New Mexico and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Wienerschnitzel also recently opened its first restaurant on a U.S. military base at Naval Base San Diego through the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM).
Consumers are increasingly seeking recognizable brands in the places they already live, work, shop, and travel. Wienerschnitzel’s flexible development model is designed to meet this shift in consumer behavior through both traditional and non-traditional formats, including freestanding drive-thrus, conversions, endcap and in-line locations, as well as retail, military, travel, and other high-traffic environments. This adaptability allows franchisees to pursue multiple pathways for growth, unlock real estate opportunities that may not fit traditional restaurant concepts, and scale the brand across a variety of trade areas and venue types.
Wienerschnitzel currently operates 340 franchised restaurants across 13 states, with more than 30 additional units in development nationwide. The brand is actively seeking experienced multi-unit operators, developers, and partners interested in growing with a differentiated concept that offers multiple pathways for expansion.
To learn more about franchising with Wienerschnitzel, visit www.wienerschnitzelfranchise.com.
FAQs
What makes this significant?
The agreements will bring Wienerschnitzel/Tastee Freez to West Virginia for the first time and extend the brand’s non-traditional development into the travel plaza and convenience store sector with an experienced QSR operator.
How does the GoMart agreement fit into Wienerschnitzel’s growth strategy?
The agreements support Wienerschnitzel’s strategy of expanding into retail, military, travel and other high-visibility environments that complement its traditional restaurants and introduce the brand to new audiences.
Why is Wienerschnitzel expanding beyond traditional restaurants?
Consumers increasingly seek convenient, on-the-go dining options in places they already visit. Wienerschnitzel’s flexible formats allow the brand to serve guests in retail centers, military bases, travel destinations, and other high-traffic environments while creating new opportunities for franchise growth.
About Wienerschnitzel
Founded by John Galardi in 1961 with a single hot dog stand in Wilmington, California, Wienerschnitzel is one of the iconic pioneers of the quick-service food industry. The World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain serves more than over 100,000 hot dogs a day and operates on a mission of “Serving Food to Serve Others,” giving back a percentage of profits to its charitable partners. Based in Tustin, CA, Galardi Group Inc. franchises 340 Wienerschnitzel restaurants in 13 states. The Galardi Group is also the parent company and franchisor of Hamburger Stand and Tastee Freez, LLC. Visit Wienerschnitzel’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube to learn more.
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