Bristol Pretzel Maker Learned Craft While Living Away From Home

Whoever heard of waiting in line for ice cream on a bitter cold day?

For customers at Papa’s Pretzel Place, a frozen treat is a big draw. But that’s not the only temptation at Papa’s. As the name suggests, pretzels, hot and handmade on site, steal the show.

Since the store opened at 302 Mill Street in Bristol Borough in July, owner and hands-on operator Michael Beck can be seen working the dough and twisting it into pretzel form, before placing it into the hot oven for the finishing touch. 

Customers can watch the process because the shop, in a building Beck renovated himself before the opening, is, in the current style, open concept. And the taste is original because the pretzels are made from Beck’s own recipes.  

He dubbed the plainest of pretzels OMG. One bite and you know why. There is much more on the menu, including Sausage Pretzels and  Pork Roll Pretzels, both fashioned to look like standard pretzel dogs. 

There are also round pretzels, meatball sized and and shaped, named for their flavor, such as Mozza Balls (so called because of the creamy mozzarella cheese in the center); Taco  balls (name speaks for itself); and for those who like the plain ones, OMG pretzel balls.   

Various flavors of Bassett’s Ice Cream round off the dessert course, or is scooped into cups for takeout. All this from a Northeast Philadelphia native who transitioned from director of sales for 20th Century Fox back to Philly, and from Chicago, where he worked for two years, to Bristol Borough. 

“There were three things you couldn’t get in Chicago: good cheesesteak, a good haircut, and good pretzels,” Beck said. 

Two out of three solutions helped ease this stay in the Windy City. Haircuts? He traveled back to Philadelphia for those. Pretzels? He started making his own, selling them for parties and other social events. 

Back in the Northeast, the director of sales morphed into a shop owner and pretzel maker. It took five trips before he decided Mill Street was a good fit. 

“I liked the diversity here, I like the friendliness of the business owners,” he said.

His son Cody also exerted influence on his father’s decision, Beck said.  

“It’s been a great experience. I like that my customers like my product. I like to get to know my customers’ names, and I like to call them friends. And I try to be involved with other businesses (on collaborative events) as much as I can,” he added. 

Beck’s friends extend beyond the doors to his shop. Another “regular” scurries up and down the branches of the curbside tree, anticipating a handful of unsalted nuts, or maybe some corn. A true friend indeed, Beck doesn’t disappoint the little squirrel.

Back inside, the shop owner dons his gloves and goes back to work.

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