After about a year and a half in business, an ice cream shop that had its patrons “twisting and dipping” is no longer operating in downtown Bethlehem.
Twisted & Dipped, 446 Main St., was shuttered this week with window coverings. The shop opened in space that previously occupied The Chocolate Lab in July 2024.
It’s unclear what led up to the closure. There was no mention of it on the front door or the business’s Facebook page. Co-owners Manny Rodriguez of Upper Macungie and Rick Pongracz of Bethlehem didn’t immediately return requests for more information Thursday.
Twisted & Dipped initially began as the vision of four entrepreneurs with a track record of bringing tasty desserts to the region.
Rodriguez and Pongracz, who own the Batch Microcreamery sites, in summer 2024 teamed up with Ryan and Brooke Dietrick of Upper Macungie, married co-owners of Truffle Bar, also in Upper Macungie.
The foursome decided to serve homemade ice cream sourced from a regional dairy farm in just three soft-serve flavors. Guests then chose from one of eight chocolate “dippers” being crafted by the Dietricks. The chocolate then hardened, creating a chocolate-covered shell around the ice cream just seconds after being dipped.
Next, patrons were able to add a “flavor infusion” to the treat. The process included puncturing the center of a cone to drip such selections as hot fudge, peanut butter, marshmallow or caramel into the center. Guests then added such toppings as candy pieces, nuts, sprinkles, or cookie crumbles.
Truffle Bar left Twisted & Dipped in January 2025, stating on the business’ Facebook page they wished Rodriguez and Pongracz continued success in the business venture.
Truffle Bar continues to serve customers its chocolate-covered sweets at its West Tilghman Street site.
Wondaffle opened in winter 2024 at the Peron Development’s five-story mixed-use building, Third and Taylor Apartments. It sits at 307 E. Third St., next to Southside 313 Bar & Grille.Courtesy photo
When it opened, Twisted & Dipped was Pongracz and Rodriguez’s second Bethlehem location.
The pair also launched Wondaffle, 307-311 E. Third St., in Southside Bethlehem in the winter of 2024. The space was constructed on the main level of Peron Development’s five-story mixed-use building, Third and Taylor Apartments.
The concept pairs ice cream flavors with signature liege waffles, bubble waffles, gluten-free waffles, waffle cones and waffle bowls.
Wondaffle was Pongracz and Rodriguez’s fifth overall ice cream venture, with Twisted & Dipped then being the sixth. Wondaffle remains in operation.
The pair launched their first Batch Microcreamery in 2019 at the Downtown Allentown Market, before shuttering that space three years later in an expansion effort. They then opened their first brick-and-mortar store at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley in Upper Saucon Township.
Rodriguez and Pongracz additionally operate a seasonal scoop shop during the warmer months at Shepherd Hills Golf Club in Lower Macungie Township; and two mobile food trucks for private events. The owners have since shuttered a stand at the Trolley Barn Public Market in Quakertown.
The men are childhood friends who grew up in the same South Allentown neighborhood. Pongracz often talked about someday opening his own ice cream shop. His great uncle patented an ice-cream scoop innovation back in 1876.
Pongracz worked in the corporate world but couldn’t resist the pull of ice cream making. Rodriguez spent about a decade working for Coopersburg-based Lutron Electronics before Pongracz convinced him to join the ice cream business.
Dining and Cooking