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Wienerschnitzel founder dies at age 75

April 15, 2013

John Galardi, 75, founder and chairman of Galardi Group, parent company of Wienerschnitzel, The Original Hamburger Stand and Tastee Freez, passed away of pancreatic cancer on April 13.

Throughout the past 52 years, Galardi guided Wienerschnitzel from a single hot dog stand in 1961, to what includes 350 locations and sells more than 120 million hot dogs annually.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Mo., Galardi moved to Southern California when he was 19 and entered the restaurant business as a crew member at Taco Bell. Galardi eventually carved out his own niche with hot dogs and chili when he opened his first "Der Wienerschnitzel" restaurant at 23. He then expanded Galardi Group into a multibranded company with the additions of The Original Hamburger Stand and Tastee Freez. Galardi is best known for his "world-famous, secret-recipe" chili that defines the brand.

While he continued to serve as chairman of Galardi Group, Galardi had stepped away from the day-to-day management of the company, which is handled by Dennis Tase, who serves as COO. Tase was hired as director of Marketing in 1981 and named president and COO in 1993.

"The entire Galardi Group family of employees and franchisees are deeply saddened by the loss of Wienerschnitzel founder, John Galardi. A true pioneer in the restaurant industry, Galardi's entrepreneurial spirit was the cornerstone of the company's success. Since it all began in 1961, he has touched countless lives through his generosity as a business leader and his legacy will forever live on," Tase said.

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