I say it all the time–it’s just not a party without PHILLY PRETZEL COMPANY soft pretzels. I mean, honestly, who can resist freshly baked soft pretzels?! The sweet and soft bread dough combined with the coarse salt on top = heaven on earth. They’re always the first thing to go from a party buffet.

Karen and Willy Papke had been working in the corporate sector for years and were looking for a change. When they started to consider opening a Philly Pretzel Factory (PPF) franchise, the most important factor to them was the product itself. They were delighted to find that they LOVED the pretzels and knew they’d be proud to serve them in Westfield. They took over as owners of the Westfield location in July of 2014, and the shop has been flourishing under their leadership.

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f you haven’t tried a Philly pretzel yet, you’re missing out! The pretzels are baked fresh ALL DAY, every day. Besides their signature large soft pretzels, they have party trays with “rivets” (nugget-sized pretzels) or slightly larger ones. Each party tray comes with your choice of dips. I adore the honey mustard, and there’s also spicy brown mustard, yellow mustard, cheese, and sweet icing. The prices are very reasonable as well–you can feed a TON of people with a party tray for less than $30. They offer small-sized boxes of rivets too if you only need a few servings–my assistant sometimes surprised her kids with them as an after-school snack. And for a quick, yummy, and cheap lunch, try a Philly pretzel dog!

Did you know that you can order CUSTOM-shaped pretzels from Westfield’s PPF? “We’ve done everything from Mickey ears to Thanksgiving turkeys to Halloween ghosts. Recently we made pretzels shaped like ‘Oh’ from the movie ‘Home.’ If a customer has an idea for a theme, I’m always willing to give it a try and see if it will work in pretzel form!” The most popular custom pretzels are numbers, used for kids’ birthdays. I love the idea of bringing in soft pretzels to school parties instead of the usual sugary cupcakes.

You can find Philly Pretzel Company at 295 E. South Ave. in Westfield, in the ShopRite Liquors strip. They’re conveniently open every day of the year except Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Easter. For advance orders call 908-232-6232.

If you’re hosting a party anytime soon, don’t forget the Philly pretzels! I guarantee they will be a hit at your party with adults and kids alike.