Auntie Anne's

The chain started as a market stand in the Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Farmer's Market in 1988. A second location opened in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the Broad Street Market in 1988 before franchising. The franchise began when a store location opened at Saturday's Market in Middletown, Pennsylvania. Auntie Anne's celebrated their 100th store opening in Granite Run Mall in Media, Pennsylvania, in 1992. In 1995, the first train station location opened at Penn Station in New York City. This year also brought the opening of the first international Auntie Anne's store in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In October 2006, it was announced that the Auntie Anne's corporate headquarters would be relocated from the town of Gap, Pennsylvania, to downtown Lancaster. The former site of the Lancaster Post Office was purchased and given minor renovations for about $7 million by Auntie Anne's, Inc. Constructed in 1927, the three-story building stands on about 1.5 acres (6,100 m2). The building maintains the original 1920s features such as brass doors, high ceilings, and skylights. The Lancaster Post Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

In November 2010, Atlanta franchisor Focus Brands (now known as GoTo Foods), a portfolio company of private equity firm Roark Capital, acquired Auntie Anne's. William P. Dunn Jr. was the company's president and its chief operating officer from 2013 to 2015. Heather Leed Neary became the company's president in 2015.

International locations

Auntie Anne's now has over 600 international locations, including many across Europe, namely the United Kingdom. Locations in Asia include Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, while in the Americas there are sites in Costa Rica, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. There are plans to start stores in China.

In overseas markets, the restaurants have made significant alterations to coexist with local sensibilities, including changing recipes to conform to halal in Malaysia.

On July 26, 2025, Auntie Anne's would open its first location in Australia at Westfield Parramatta Shopping Centre.

Community service and charitable activity

From 1999 through 2009, Auntie Anne's and its franchisees partnered to donate more than $4.5 million to local children's hospitals across the country through the Children's Miracle Network. Auntie Anne's has also supported the pediatric cancer charity Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation since 2011.