The Milk Shake Factory is the South Side’s sweetest business

The Milk Shake Factory

1705 East Carson St.

Looking for a sweet end to a South Side… The Milk Shake Factory

1705 East Carson St.

Looking for a sweet end to a South Side adventure?

The Milk Shake Factory. a truly classic South Side institution, has you covered with 55 milkshake flavors and a history as rich as its chocolaty treats.

Mark Edwards, a fourth-generation descendant of the shop’s founders, said many of the available flavors are standbys, like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, but more exotic creations became possible once the shop started making its own flavor syrups.

“We can expand to as many flavors as we want,” Edwards said.

More unusual offerings include a spicy Cajun chocolate milkshake and the Piece of Cake milkshake, made with real yellow cake.

Various seasonal flavors are also available for limited times throughout the year.

Chocolate raspberry truffle milkshakes, which Edwards said are one of the best-selling items on the menu, consist of several ounces of homemade chocolate syrup, an ounce of raspberry syrup and several generous scoops of both chocolate and black raspberry ice cream.

Priced at $3.95, the milkshakes are considerably more expensive than what one might set out to spend, but the satin texture and perfect blend of ingredients make the treat well worth an occasional splurge.

The shop also boasts a wide selection of bulk chocolate and boxed chocolate from the family’s chocolate brand Edward Marc, which was named after the enterprising great-grandfather who started the chocolate shop and soda fountain.

Edwards said milkshakes and chocolate are complementary products.

“The chocolate sells well at the holiday time, and milkshakes are popular during the spring and summer,” he said.

His brother, Chris Edwards, said, “It’s a great balance for the business.”

The Milk Shake Factory also offers other soda fountain treats, like ice cream sodas and egg creams, as well as chocolate-inspired sundaes incorporating favorite truffles and terrapins.

The ice cream is made off location but utilizes the Edwards family’s recipe.

“We try to do as much on-site as possible, but there’s only so much we can do in a small retail shop,” Mark Edwards said.

The shop, located at 1705 E. Carson St., features retro décor that incorporates wood paneling, antique chocolate bunny molds and, of course, a generous old-school style sweets counter laden with chocolates and classic candies.

Years ago, the Edwards family undertook an award-winning restoration project to restore the building’s façade to its original Victorian look.

“We definitely wanted to keep along the lines of other businesses and storefronts in South Side and preserve the Victorian look and art deco style,” Chris Edwards said.

He said the unique décor sticks in people’s minds and has helped to establish the sweets operation’s reputation.

Running the Milk Shake Factory and Edward Marc chocolate brand is a family affair.

Mark Edwards manages the day-to-day operations of the South Side store, while Chris Edwards attends to marketing in New York. Their sister, Dana Edwards, manages the company’s corporate headquarters in Washington.

Many of the employees at the Milk Shake Factory are relatives as well. Mark, Chris and Dana’s parents still work at the shop and act as advisers on the business operations.

The retail location in South Side has only existed since the 1970s, but the Edwards children have been part of the Pittsburgh sweets scene since their great-grandparents left Greece to settle in Pittsburgh in 1914 and opened a mom-and-pop soda fountain and chocolate shop in Lawrenceville.

“We have a great relationship with everyone in South Side, where we’ve been supplying the community with great ice cream and chocolates for years,” Chris Edwards said. “[The Milk Shake Factory] is a great place for students to come after having dinner in South Side. It’s a nice way to finish a night out.”

With business hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., students would have to make their night an early one, but Mark Edwards said, “It will be the best milkshake you’ve ever had.”