Every person that comes in gets a free pretzel from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 – National Pretzel Day.
Jeremy Sell, manager of the Philly Pretzel Factory in Gilbertsville, is looking forward to the event and says it offers lots of exposure for the store.
“It gets people out to the stores that don’t normally come,” he said. “We more than double our transactions that day.”
Prep, which usually begins an hour before opening, will likely start a few hours earlier on Sunday. He expects they’ll be making about 3,000 pretzels that day-including normal orders and the giveaways.
“National Pretzel Day is important,” said Sell, noting the area’s Dutch roots and explaining how the pretzel itself originated in Germany. “We put out a traditional pretzel that has been adapted to the Philadelphia style.”
He pointed out that the only major adaption is the shape of the pretzel itself, which has been changed for production purposes.
Philly Pretzel Factory has been around since 1998, and Sell believes the tradition that was brought forth was important.
“In the mid-70s, I lived in South Philadelphia and I remember the pretzels,” said Sell. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to work here – it brought me back to my childhood.”
National Pretzel Day is celebrating annually on April 26. A special promotion will be running for the first one hundred people to come in the door.
Stores company-wide will be participating in National Pretzel Day celebration. In addition the Gilbertsville, stores can be found in Quakertown, Pottstown, Reading, Collegeville and Hamburg.