Auntie Anne’s

Sometimes I want a pretzel. Don’t judge. This is the token mall pretzel joint in the Charlotte Premium Outlets. It does the trick. It’s no white tablecloth restaurant or 5 star hotel, but they have pretzels, so I’m in.
This location is a combination Auntie Anne’s and Planet Smoothie. The staff is young and are usually engaged in non work-​related conversations, but once you get their attention they will twist you up some dough. The smoothies are about what you’d expect… fruit, protein powder, and sugar. The pretzels are your typical salted, plain, garlic, cinnamon, etc. You can order a special pretzel, like jalapeño or glazed raisin, but you’ll have to wait a minimum of 8 minutes for it. Many times they burn it on the first try and have to make it again. Sixteen minutes later, it’s pretzel time. For me it’s still a better option than taking the one in the case that’s been sitting there for who knows how long.
There’s no seating here. It’s just grab and go. On weekends the line can get pretty long. This location doesn’t sell gift cards because the registers (in a brand new store) aren’t equipped to do so. I’m not quite sure I get that, but okay.
Anyway, if you want a pretzel, they know how to make you one. Nothing super special, just a pretzel.