Amid chants about flying Eagles, the Liberty Bell and mouth-watering cheesesteaks, Philadelphia has another trademark -- soft pretzels. Now, State College is serving up a taste of the Philly tradition with two soft pretzel shops downtown.

Philly Pretzel Factory, 124 S. Allen St., which has been open since July, had its official grand opening two weeks ago, said Dave Rosania, one of the store's four owners.

"People have been saying it's the best food they've ever had," he said.

The Philadelphia-based chain came to State College because of the large amount of students from the Philadelphia area, Rosania said.

"This street is essentially the Times Square of State College," he said of his downtown location.

Another Philly Pretzel Factory location will open at 418 E. College Ave. next to Cell Block by Oct. 1, Rosania said.

As for Jim Moore, he is the owner of Jim's Soft Pretzel Bakery, which opened its fifth franchise at 404 E. Calder Way this past Friday.

Moore said he was going to become a state police officer when he decided to enter the pretzel business. He sold pretzels from a van on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, he said.

"I worked my way up in the streets of Philadelphia," Moore said.

Also true to Philadelphia style, Philly Pretzel Factory serves fresh, hot pretzels all day long, and employees monitor the pretzels to ensure they aren't in the display case for more than 45 minutes, Rosania said.

Lisa Price (sophomore-wildlife and fishery science) arrived at the opening event ready to buy a pretzel and was excited to receive two free pretzels instead.

"They're awesome," she said.

The twisted treat has "tons of fiber and protein" and can serve as a meal, Rosania added.

Each recommended serving size, or half of a regular soft pretzel, has 180 calories, 2 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein, according to the nutrition facts on Philly Pretzel Factory's Web site. The pretzels are made of the most high-quality enriched wheat flour, which contains a secret ingredient Rosania calls "pixie dust."

"[You] can't compare a pretzel to an apple or spinach salad, but if you put Mr. Twistee in the same room with Mr. Pizza, Mr. Doughnut, Mr. Bagel and Mr. Potato chip, it's the equivalent of having an honors student in with a bunch of convicts," Rosania said.

Rather than baking flavorings into the pretzels, various toppings can be purchased separately to dip the pretzels in, Rosania said. The method was decided upon after 10 years of research found that baking flavorings into the pretzels reduced freshness, he said.

"It's a far more superior process," he said.

Three mustard choices and ketchup are available free with each pretzel purchase, but toppings such as honey mustard, nacho or cheddar cheese, hot fudge or a "rich cinnamon spread" come at an additional charge, Rosania said. Different pretzel varieties, like garlic, everything, and poppyseed, are available only for party trays.

The store is open for the late night crowd until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, Rosania added. This time frame has seen "people that actually fall to their knees after they bite into [the pretzels] -- they love them that much," Rosania said.

As for Jim's Soft Pretzel Factory, Moore said the expansion to State College was "pretty much a natural."

He added it was a large school with a large population, and one with which he was familiar.

"It was really exciting for the kids 'cause they had been waiting for it for a long time," said Fred Potok, one of the four "pretzel dudes" who operate the State College location.

Rita's Water Ice, 119 E. Beaver Ave., is now selling soft pretzels because of popular demand from Philadelphia-bred customers, owner Rich Shore said.

"[They] are used to having pretzels with their ice. People who don't live in Philadelphia scratch their heads."

For these pretzel guys whose days revolve around the soft salted snack, it's good to know they too eat the product.

"When I got into this with [Jim] a while back, as a joke, I said to him 'I'm addicted to your pretzels 'cause I eat them often,'" Potok said. "I still eat pretzels every single day."