The History of the

Swissvale Dari Delite

In 2021, Chelsea, with lots of support from her husband Gabe, embarked on revitalizing the Swissvale Dari Delite. The Dari Delite has been a center of the Swissvale community since the 1950s, and many people have been responsible for making it the beloved institution that it is today:

Frank & Verne Eged (1955 - estimated) - Frank & Verne were looking to start a business at just the time the Dari Delite corporate headquarters were looking to start a franchise in Swissvale!

Helen E. (1960) - A legend in Swissvale, Helen was known for serving steamed burgers and footlongs out of the side window to long lines of school children on their lunch breaks.

Ron Winter (1978) - Ron’s slogan was “Special Desserts for Special People.” He was the first to offer a twist cone!

MaryBeth Menner (1986) - The Dari Delite was a family affair for the Menners. MaryBeth’s mom, brother and cousin worked with her. Her grandmother would hose down and sweep the seating area every morning. And her oldest child (she had two more while running the Dari!) would sit at the front window and alert her to customers :)

Brian Allenbaugh (1990) - Brian can still be found running the Murray Ave Grille.

Mario Villafania (1994) - Mario was the owner when the Dari’s neighbor, Robert Rogers, redid the sign, transforming it from what you see in the picture below, to what you see today.

Kathy Vivian (2005) - Even though Kathy was not able to run the Dari full-time, she deeply loved being the “ice cream lady”.