Hannahsbretzel Logo

CULTURE +
HERITAGE

Our roots are German, our flavors are global, and our food is proudly made in Chicago! Read on about where we started and what moves us.

Our Story

The first Hannah’s Bretzel opened in Chicago’s Loop back in 2005, inspired by founder Florian Pfahler’s hometown of Stuttgart, Germany. 

At Hannah’s, we combined the German word brezel [from the Latin word bracchiola, meaning “little arms”]  with the American spelling of pretzel to emphasize the bread-like qualities of our flagship product and as a nod to its German origins.

ABOUT OUR MARK

The logo for Hannah’s Bretzel is inspired by the traditional mark of the Zentralverband des Deutschen Bäckerhandwerks (or German baker’s trade, for short). In fact, bread is so entrenched in German life that “German bread culture” is formally recognized on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

MEET HANNAH

Our Bretzel namesake, Hannah was three when we opened our first restaurant in 2005.

Hannah is now a teenager and would kill us if she knew we were using this photo.

 

Her younger sister Ella, however, is totally cool with it.

EUROPE VIA THE MIDWEST

There’s a world of good in the food you’re eating – incorporating
adventurous European flavors with ethically sourced ingredients from local, independently owned farms.

UMWELT EKSTASE

We’ve been a step ahead of the eco-friendly game since the very beginning, and are always looking to lighten our environmental footprint as much as possible.

Check out our initiatives in support of a better, healthier environment include responsible sourcing, sustainability, and minimizing pollution and carbon emissions.

A Timeline of Our Progress

Emmissions

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Cooper Trooper

Introduced the low-emission
 Mini Cooper for catering deliveries

2005

Food Ethics

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Organic offerings

Hannah’s Bretzel is the first restaurant in Chicago to offer organic bread + organic hot and bottled beverages.

Emmissions

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Delivery Zero

Introduction of the first Hannah’s Brezel delivery bicycle (long before that became big business) - biking is 100% pollution-free!

2006

Sustainability

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Toss'n good

Hannah’s introduces 100% biodegradable bowls and cups.

Waste Reductions

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No plastic bag'n

Eliminated ALL plastic bags 
from our operation.

2007

Energy

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LEED the way

First to build a retail location based off of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards.

Green Awareness

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Feel the love

First food retailer to be honored with the Chicago Magazine Green Award.

2008

Synergy

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Spread the love

Became a founding member of the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op.

Reducing Waste

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Recycled bagg'n

Switched to 100%, 95% post consumer paper bags.

Reducing Waste

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More 2 compost

80% of all our packaging becomes biodegradable.

Local Love

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Print the love

Hannah’s Bretzel switch to have all sandwich bags printed locally in Illinois.

2009

Synergy

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Spread the love

First to commit to an all-organic pastry, dessert, and fruit offerings.

REDUCING WASTE

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Almost there

99% of all packaging used is 100% biodegradable or recyclable.

2010

FOOD AWARENESS

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Tell all

First to display calorie counts on menu boards and printed menus.

Keep going Green

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It's official

Recognized by Green Restaurant Association as a Certified Green Restaurant®.

Better Food

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Organic & more

First to commit to certified organic turkey, grass-fed beef, and tofu.

2011

CLEAN ENGERGY

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Renewable Energy

Convert to 100% green energy supply (wind + solar) for electricity at all stores.

REDUCING WASTE

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Do it yourself

In-store composting to close the waste cycle.

2018

2022

Emissions

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Delivery Zero II

Rolled out our all-electric, zero-emission Mini Cooper SE for deliveries.

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