Fosters Freeze
Fosters Freeze (full name Fosters Old Fashion Freeze) is a chain of fast-food restaurants in California. It was founded by George Foster in 1946 on La Brea Avenue in Inglewood, California, a location that still remains.
 | |
| Industry | Fast food |
|---|---|
| Founded | Inglewood, California, United States (November 18, 1946)[1] |
| Founder | George Foster |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 67 (2020)[3] |
Area served | California |
Key people | Sanjay Patel (CEO)[4] |
| Products | Soft serve, hamburgers, chicken |
| Parent | Fosters Freeze LLC |
| Website | www |
The Fosters Freeze name comes from the fact that it is best known for its soft-serve ice milk and milkshakes, which is reflected in the marketing slogan, "California's Original Soft Serve." Its mascot is an ice cream cone wearing a chef's hat. The restaurant's slogan was "Everything at Foster's is wonderful to eat".
History
George Foster owned the western development rights for Dairy Queen. The name Dairy Queen was already being used in California so Dairy Queen was called Foster's Old Fashion Freeze in California.[5]
After more than 70 years in the business, Fosters Freeze now has 74 Locations in California.[3][6]
El Pollo Loco signed a master franchise contract with Fosters Freeze in 1994, allowing service of Fosters Freeze soft serve ice cream in El Pollo Loco locations.[6][7]:559 Mark Hardinson, the director of marketing for the grilled-chicken chain, stated that sales increased from three percent to six percent at El Pollo Loco's co-branded locations that served Fosters Freeze's soft-serve desserts.[6] In 2002, there were 122 Fosters Freeze branches, not including the 163 El Pollo Loco restaurants serving Fosters Freeze products. Over half of El Pollo Loco's locations served Fosters Freeze products until the contract's end in 2014, according to El Pollo Loco's official Facebook account.
Some of the company's earliest locations in California included Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto. The Palo Alto location, across the street from the Stanford University campus on El Camino Real, remains virtually unchanged since c. 1950. The oldest locations are often historic landmarks.[8] Also, the Atwater Village location was used in a scene of the movie Pulp Fiction where Bruce Willis' character runs over Ving Rhames.[9]
All restaurants had to suspend dine-in service in March 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, but take-away & pick-up service is still available.
The historical significance embodied in a Fosters Freeze location attracts patrons and has united community members to preserve locations. In 2006, a neighborhood in Menlo Park, located in northern California, presented to their city council a petition with about 800 signatures to avoid demolition of their local Foster's.[10]
References
- "History". Fosters Freeze.
- "New Ventures", Orange County Register, Santa Ana, California, p. 107, 14 June 2015, retrieved 15 February 2018
- "Locations". Fosters Freeze.
- Brittany Golob (21 December 2017), "Spotlight on Foster's Freeze", Transform Magazine, London, United Kingdom, archived from the original on 13 February 2018, retrieved 13 February 2018
- Keith Warwick PE (2014). California's Highway 99: Modesto to Bakersfield. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 65 & 93. ISBN 9781439648117. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- Amy Spector (16 June 2003). "Wienerschnitzel parent Galardi Group Gobbles up Tastee-Freez". Nation's Restaurant News. Gale Group. Archived from the original on 28 February 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- Andrew F. Smith (2012). Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 278. ISBN 9780313393938. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- "USA Softball". 31 May 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008.
- "Where Bruce Willis Runs Into Ving Rhames". Atwater Village Newbie (blog). June 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
- Kids Fight to Save Foster, Palo Alto Online: Home Page. 31 May 2009 Archived 12 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine