NEW ULM – When the building that housed the restaurant known to most as Eberts Chalet was torn down last month, the action, as inevitable as progress, brought a twinge to the hearts of some and marked an end of era for the man who built it, Wally Ebert.

Ebert, now in his late 80s, belongs to a disappearing cohort of old-style restauranteurs; a business owner that ran the type of simple, yet wholesome, establishment seen as part of the very fabric of Americana.

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Ebert started out as circulation manager for the Minneapolis Tribune for the city of New Ulm at age 20.

He was also much involved with baseball and is noted for playing first base. Ebert played with the New Ulm Brewers, in the Western Minnesota League.

Ebert entered the restaurant business at age 27.

On Aug. 13, 1954, he opened a place called the Dari Wipt Meal-In-a-Bun; a classic drive-in at 1227 N. Broadway.

The drive-in served uncomplicated fare: cones, floats, sundaes, malts and a sandwich menu – to quote the menu, it offered “packages to take home.”

The Dari Wipt featured an open-face sandwich on a hamburger bun, with mayo, lettuce, tomato and cheese. The sandwich came with fries.

The drive-in had what were called “car hops.” The staff took orders from the cars and delivered the meal.

The Dari Wipt was the first drive-in in southern Minnesota to blacktop its parking lot, and Ebert also installed so-called service phones, whereby customers would call in their orders, after driving up to one of the 24 stations.

At that time, several drive-ins were sprinkled throughout New Ulm. The included the Mug, A&W, and the Ulmer on Front Street, a block north of the greenhouse.

The drive-in was busy on weekdays, Ebert recalls.

In those days, George’s Ballroom had weekday dances, and people would come in to eat after the dance.

The place would stay open till 2-3 a.m.

The arrival of big industrial operations would put an end to the tradition of the weekday dance.

In 1958, Ebert bought a lot across the street from his drive-in, relocating the establishment to 1200 N. Broadway.

At first he operated a seasonal place, until tearing it down and building a solid structure in 1965.

Ebert called his new restaurant Eberts Chalet and operated it with flawless attention to quality for a quarter of a century.

For a time, he ran a drive-in menu side by side with a restaurant menu, but ended up dropping the drive-in concept.

Around 1990, Ebert decided to retire from ownership and sold the establishment to Dennis and Gayle Overbeck. But as the business faltered under new ownership, he ended up buying it back, running it again for a while, until eventually re-selling to David Guttum who transformed it into DJ’s.

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Ebert ran a “sophisticated,” “thriving” business at Eberts Chalet, “old-timers” agree.

The restaurant featured a family-style menu, with various classic lunch and dinner items and some specials with ethnic flavor. Staples included broasted chicken, Chalet burgers, sauerkraut soup, chicken spaetzle soup, pies…

“When I started, there was no such thing as French fries ready to go,” remembers Ebert.

“We’d buy 100-pound sacks of Russet potatoes, which had to be peeled by hand. We’d wash them and run them through the French fry cutter, then put them in the spud saver to keep them from getting black. Then they had to be blanched till half-way done, and cooked fully when an order was placed.”

Ebert says he was the first area restauranteur to introduce broasted chicken; it was quite famous and remained the core item on the menu for many, many years.

The chicken was fresh, never frozen, and marinated with special spices before broasting.

For a long time, a broasted chicken dinner cost $1.75.

Eberts Chalet was also much loved for its pies – especially the “home-made from scratch” strawberry and sour cream and raisin pies.

A piece of pie sold for 50 cents.

Ebert got the recipe for his strawberry pie from a friend he met at a national restaurant show in Chicago. Loving the pie, Ebert asked for the recipe, and the man agreed to share on condition it remains confidential.

A family from Springfield hosted an exchange student from Sweden one year, who fell in love with Ebert’s strawberry pie. The family would visit regularly, and when the host father took a trip to Sweden to visit the student, he asked Ebert whether he could take a pie.

Why not, Ebert thought.

He made and packed one in a cooler – “only without the whipped cream” – which was to be added later.

The pie successfully traveled to Sweden on the airplane – and was reportedly much enjoyed.

Eberts Chalet enjoyed a loyal customer base. It advertised with local and area newspapers and radio stations and once hosted a KSTP Channel 5 Hi Five Time celebrity on a flatbed truck. The event drew so much attention that police had to jump in and direct traffic on Broadway.

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Once a restauranteur, a restauranteur forever.

Ebert was unable to stay out of the business for very long.

He joined the staff at Jackpot Junction where he worked the salad bar, while his wife LaVonne was a waitress.

When the New Ulm Burger King opened, he got himself a part-time job there, which he’s had for 16 years and counting.

In a sense, his career paralleled his restaurant, coming full circle, back to its beginnings.