Gus's Pretzel

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Joined 10 years ago

Fifty years of experience have paid off well..

Ch-ch-ch-changes
Although the company sells its frozen products in grocery stores all across the area, the little retail shop in the shadow of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery is a South Side landmark, and a busy outlet at that. About 18 months ago, the place was modernized, with customers no longer walking right through the kitchen, a move that some old-timers didn't accept as progress. "There were plusses and minuses," says Gus Koebbe, the third-generation owner the business. "We still have windows through which you can watch us work. But the hallway is air conditioned, you don't get the blistering heat in the summers."

Loop-holes
The new building and parking lot are a good magnet for new business, though the regulars would come by anyway. At the store, they buy stick pretzels 90% of the time. At groceries, people buy the twists 90% of the time. Curious.

Loop-holes
Koebbe adds that the holiday spirit offers a variety of options for folks, especially business owners looking for extra-special giveaways. The Dent Squad, he mentioned, offered stars to reflect their logo. A local camera shop gave out eyeball-shaped pretzels. Mmm, mmm, eyeballs.-Thomas Crone



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