Hot Sam Pretzels was an American restaurant chain selling soft pretzels.

Hot Sam Pretzels
Company typePrivate
IndustryFood
Founded1966
Defunct1995; 29 years ago (1995)
FateAcquired by Mrs. Fields in 1995, merged to its brands
SuccessorPretzel Time
HeadquartersSouthfield, Michigan, U.S.
ServicesRestaurants
OwnerMrs. Fields

Julius Young opened the first outlet at Livonia Mall in a Detroit suburb in Michigan.[1][2]

In 1971, the owners sold the company to General Host, who then owned the Detroit-based retailer Frank's Nursery & Crafts. General Host sold it again in 1986.[3]

Mrs. Fields acquired the chain in 1995. Mrs. Field's purchased Pretzel Time in 1996 and merged the two chains under the "Pretzel Time" brand. The last 10 locations were converted in 2005.[4]

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Hot Sam was recreated in 2018 for an appearance in the mall food court of the Netflix series Stranger Things, which is set in the mid-1980s.[5] The faux mall facades were constructed at Gwinnett Place Mall near Atlanta, Georgia, where the series is filmed.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Vida, Herbert J. (30 June 1985). "Soft Market : Hot Sam Pretzels Invade the West, Where Some Ask for Fudge Topping". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  2. ^ Helms, Matt (April 2, 1996). "Entrepreneur was behind Jiffy Pop, Hot Sam's shops". Detroit Free Press.
  3. ^ "On Michigan's Industrial Front". Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record. Vol. 131–132. Michigan Manufacturer Publishing Company. 1973. p. 103. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  4. ^ "The Restaurant and Foodservice Market Research Handbook". Norcross, GA: Richard K. Miller & Assoc. 2005. ISSN 1540-062X. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  5. ^ "A Guide To The Stores in Stranger Things Season 3". Lymyted.com. 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  6. ^ Walsh, Michael. "A Complete Breakdown of the STRANGER THINGS 3 Trailer". Nerdist.