Pittsburgh Family Has Served Up Ice Cream Treats for Half a Century.

Byline: Joyce Gannon

Jul. 24--It's easy enough to pick up a half-gallon of chocolate-chip-fudge premium at your local supermarket, but for a genuine ice cream experience, Chuck Page is convinced that nothing beats the allure of soft-serve cones and cups dished out at a roadside store.

"It's like a cinnamon roll right out of the oven. Ice cream is best when it's fresh," said the owner of Page Dairy Mart, which is in its 50th year of operation at the busy South Side intersection of East Carson Street and Becks Run Road. Page estimates he serves up 65,000 cones or cups a year during the season that runs from March through October.

That's no minor feat these days when consumers can peruse shelf after shelf of gourmet ice cream and yogurt brands at grocery stores. In fact, 50 percent of all ice cream sales occur at supermarkets, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. The rest are split between ice cream shops and retail outlets such as convenience stores.

So how does a drive-up, soft-serve stand like Page's continue to thrive?

Probably by providing good service and creating good memories that customers will always associate with the place, said an expert from Penn State University.

A 50-year-old ice cream stand is steeped in history, said Robert F. Roberts, associate professor of food science at Penn State. "The dad who is bringing his kid now went there with his dad and so on."