BETHLEHEM, Pa. — By all accounts, entertainment destination Twisted Tees has hit an ace at every hole on its opening day.
The family-friendly restaurant-bar-gaming zone is off to a great start, with Saturday’s grand opening at The Outlets at Wind Creek seeing every simulator session booked by the early morning.
Co-owners Kyle Randell and A.J. Mitchell were pleased to find foot traffic picking up in the early afternoon, with people squeezing in a game of billiards or hanging around in the backyard zone while enjoying potato scoops and waiting on a simulator session.
“The atmosphere with having some people in here, all the simulators being on, like, the first one being bowling, the next being golf, we have people just coming in to kind of check out the space and see what it's about... it’s great. So we've had a couple of families using the outdoor space. It's been really nice to see parents and their kids just like having a great time.”Twisted Tees co-owner Kyle Randell
“We've had a lot of interest this morning, people who didn't even know it was the grand opening day. So that's exciting,” Randell said.
“The atmosphere with having some people in here, all the simulators being on, like, the first one being bowling, the next being golf, we have people just coming into kind of check out the space and see what it's about... it’s great. So we've had a couple of families using the outdoor space. It's been really nice to see parents and their kids just like having a great time.”
The simulators, which are rented by the hour and can accommodate up to six people at the moment, feature about 100 different courses as part of the TruGolf library, in addition to a practice range.
If you aren’t a golfing fan, the simulators can be switched to a multi-sports option with games like bowling, Western-style shooting galleries, baseball, and more.
Regarding the food, guests appeared quite pleased with the signature loaded potato scoops, with at least one individual saying “I could make a whole meal out of this!”
Guests also enjoyed games of billiards and a variety of options in the backyard area, including cornhole, giant Jenga, chess, and other activities.
Jessica Booser, who stopped by Twisted Tees with her son Luke, 7, said she had read about the opening and figured it would be a fun excursion as “we were just looking for a fun activity to do in the middle of winter.”
The younger Booser was quickly getting the handle of the bowling sim, scoring a strike as his mother mentioned they would almost certainly be returning to Twisted.
Of course, the golf simulations were some of the most popular sessions of the day, with avid linksmen like Blake McNew appreciating the opportunity to play a few rounds while enjoying appetizers and drinks.
“I mean, we've been stuck in the house all winter, so we wanted to come out here and hit some golf balls. We saw that there was a grand opening, so we want to give it a shot,” McNew said, adding he was happy to have an opportunity to “knock the rust” off his clubs and improve his swing outside the normal season.
Joy Snyder, who was out to play a session with her husband, said that while they were a bit rusty, they enjoyed the Twisted setup, and planned on coming back soon.
“We actually would like to plan a company event and have maybe a bunch of the bays and do it for his employees,” Snyder said.
Among the enthusiastic sports sim fans were family supporters, with Mitchell’s older brother Jamie swinging by to check out the facility with his daughters Emma and Delaney.
“It's fantastic. I'm just really proud of him. Everything has really come together. It's a lot of hard work he's put into this place,” Jamie Mitchell said in between sessions of corn hole.
Emma and Delaney Mitchell said they found Twisted Tees to be “big and beautiful,” adding they noticed “everyone is having fun.”
The only issue? They couldn’t secure a sim session, even with the family connection. But there’s no need to worry, they said, as they’ll certainly be back at their uncle’s business soon.
And with Mitchell and Randell set to add 12,000 square feet of activity space within the year, there will be plenty more games for the girls to enjoy.
With the afternoon setting in, and even more visitors packing the bar and tables in anticipation of a sim session – or maybe just a Dirty Dog and a pint of a Birthright Brewing beer – it looks like Twisted is off to a great start.
“It should only get busier throughout the day. We're really looking forward to it, so the team is super excited. We got all our merchandise in and we are ready to rock,” Mitchell said.
