Vassi’s Drive-In is located at 1666 Main St., Hellertown, Pa., opposite an on-ramp to I-78 east. First opened as Dairy De-lite in 1954, the building has retained its retro charm under the ownership of Mel Sumelidis, who purchased it in 1995 and continues to operate Vassi’s with his daughter, Loukie Gulick, for whom the business is named.
One of the first things travelers see when coming off I-78 in Hellertown is a sign for Vassi’s Drive-In, advertising “Fresh, fast, delicious” eats. It’s an irresistible invitation for travelers, some of whom undoubtedly have been subsisting on granola bars and peanut butter sandwich crackers. Last week, I found myself sympathizing with such travelers when I visited Vassi’s while the electricity was being restored at my house; the restaurant’s plentiful selection of ice cream flavors was particularly appealing to me, as the ice cream in my powerless freezer had just been lost to the summer heat.
Vassi’s Drive-In owner Mel Sumelidis and his daughter, Loukie Gulick, recently took some time away from running the busy restaurant to talk about its 70-year history. Originally known as Dairy De-lite, the iconic structure became Vassi’s Drive-in after Mel purchased it in 1995. It is named for Loukie, whose given name is Vasiliki. (Credit: Helen Behe)
Once inside the building’s air-conditioned dining area, I slide into a booth to talk with owner Mel Sumelidis and his daughter, Loukie Gulick, who are eager to tell me the history of Vassi’s.
“I worked at Richard’s Drive-In for five years,” Mel recalled. “In 1995, I took the big step and came here.” Mel worked for his father-in-law at Richard’s Drive-In before purchasing Vassi’s and beginning his own business in Hellertown. At the time, Vassi’s was an ice cream shop called Dairy De-lite, which had opened in 1954. It was considerably different from the present-day restaurant familiar to residents of Saucon Valley and beyond. “The place was nothing (like) what it is now,” Mel explains. “It was just a little ice cream shop with hot dogs, didn’t even have French fries, and there were only four parking spots in the back. But little by little, we expanded. It was hard at the beginning, we had to put in a lot of hard work.” Loukie clarifies that changes to the restaurant’s structure did not necessitate a movement away from its distinct ’50s ambiance. “We renovated the front to get it back to its ’50s, retro look,” she said. “We like to keep with the ’50s theme from when the building was first built: the teal, the pink, the black and white floors, all its original themes.”
Along with renovations to the building, Mel beefed up the menu by offering more substantial fare: pierogies, onion rings, chicken fingers, and, yes, French fries. Loukie notes the popularity of their gyros, as especially during the summertime customers will grab an ice cream cone at the front of the store before heading around back to order a gyro for dinner.
While the old-time decor and tempting foods attract customers to the drive-in, the familial aspect is what makes Vassi’s stand out. When asked what type of atmosphere they hope to cultivate at Vassi’s, both Mel and Loukie give the same answer: family. “We want to create a family dynamic. Not only with the customers, but with the employees, too.”
“We’ve had a lot of the same employees working here for a long time,” Loukie adds. “So we’re like family with them, too. Our employees have been working here for 15 years, some for 16, another one 13.”
Loukie sketches for me the Sumelidis family, and the generations that now work at the restaurant. “It’s a family business. I’m his (Mel’s) daughter, and my 20-year-old brother also works here now, and my son is in and out of here sometimes, too. I went to college, went back and forth for a little while, but I’m here now.” Laughing with Mel, Loukie admits the restaurant is named after her. Though Mel’s daughter goes by the name Loukie, her given name is Vasiliki. “Vassi” is the shortened form of that name. “My parents bought the place when I was a year or two old, and it’s named after me. I’m on the back of the t-shirt, which I thought was so embarrassing when I was younger. I’d get so upset because they’d give them out to my friends in middle school and they would wear them to school! And I’d be like ‘take it off!’ I didn’t always love that, but now it’s okay—I wear my face on my shirt to work every day. Not everyone gets to do that!”
Family is everything at Vassi’s, and the welcoming atmosphere is appreciated by an equally welcoming community. Before Loukie and Mel return to working the restaurant, they sit with me a little longer and share their experiences serving the community over the past 29 years.
Helen Behe is an MFA candidate at DeSales University, where she is studying through the program’s poetry track for a degree in creative writing and publishing. Aside from her studies, Helen enjoys gardening, boxing and rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. She is a resident of Bethlehem. Read more of Helen’s Then & Now series here.
