Update: Wienerschnitzel says following a remodeling and new ownership, the Orange location should reopen in the 3-6 months.
An institution in Orange has closed. Wienerschnitzel, which has been operating almost continuously for nearly 50 years, has ceased operations on MacArthur Drive.
The owner of the franchise told KOGT he made the decision after issues between the franchise and franchisee.
The fast-food restaurant opened under the name Der Wienerschnitzel in the late 1960s on the Pinehurst side of MacArthur Drive. The store specialized in chili dogs, hot dogs and a sausage sandwich with sauerkraut.
It was the first drive-through fast food restaurant in Orange as drivers would pull through the A-frame building and be handed their order through a window. Originally, it did not have an intercom ordering system. A number of teenage boys got their first job by running back and forth to the cars to take orders. They would then run back to the inside to deliver the orders to the cooks.
The restaurant has never had an inside dining room, but that never stopped customers in their cars from lining up. During lunch and supper times, a line of cars would run onto the shoulder of MacArthur.
In the 1990s, Wienerschnitzel helped sponsor a monthly Saturday evening gathering of classic cars and offered 25 cent mustard dogs. Crowds would wander through the hot rods and restored cars munching on hot dogs.
Orange at one time had one of the only Wienerschnitzel restaurants in Texas. Many people who grew up here and moved away make a trip to the restaurant when they return to visit. Dozens will be disappointed to this Thanksgiving weekend because they won’t be able to get their chili dog fix.
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