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By J.R. Brower

Danny's Pizza and Hoagies in Bethel Park on Route 88 is a legend in its own time. Well known in Pittsburgh, especially the South Hills, the iconic diner-style pizza and hoagie shop opened in 1960.

Kala Gatalski and Janet Pyszba manage pizza-making on a Saturday night.

The restaurant was founded by Danny Rowsick Sr. at a time when you could take your date to Danny's for hoagies and eat them in your car in the then-spacious parking lot. The bonus was that you and your girl got to watch free movies (minus audio) on the drive-in theater screen next door.

It was also common for guys to show off their cars at Danny's, whether they be Corvettes, Mustangs, or souped-up '57 Chevys. It's a tradition that continues to this day in the form of cars shows that display there once in awhile.

Janet Pyszka, manager at Danny's, said that her fiancé, Danny Rowsick Jr., is a stickler about keeping the original hoagie and pizza recipes his dad used back in the day.

"He's never had to advertise; the food here is that good," said Pyszka, who was coordinating the pizza-making and ovens on an early Saturday evening in mid-December. Working beside her was her daughter, Kala Gatalski, who will soon become Danny Jr.'s step-daughter. The mother and daughter live in Upper St. Clair, while Rowsick Jr. is a longtime resident of Bethel Park.

Pyszka said it's not unusual to have regular customers come in from as far away as Waynesburg and Wheeling, WV. "I love these hoagies, and make the trip over here just about every weekend," said Bill Arndt of Chartiers.

Danny's sometimes gets special orders, especially around Christmastime, to overnight hoagies to former Pittsburghers all over the country. Celebrities like Dormont native Dennis Miller and North Hills native Michael Keaton are among many stars with local ties that frequent Danny's.

There are presently three Danny's locations, and Danny Jr. owns two of them - the Bethel Park and Baldwin restaurants. There is also a Danny's Pizza & Hoagies in Eighty Four.

Besides pizza and 12 styles of hoagies, Danny's menu includes specialty pizza, calzones, Philly cheese steaks, cheese fries, Buffalo wings and fresh garden salads.

Cashier Jorge Ramirez from Guanajuato, Mexico rings up Bill Arndt's hoagies to go

The main Danny's Pizza & Hoagies shop is located on Route 88, Bethel Park across from South Hills Mitsubishi, and they open at 10:30 a.m. seven days a week. Their phone number is 412-833-7788. The Baldwin shop is located on Route 51 near Baldwin High School.

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