About Foster freeze

George Foster moved to California after World War II to open outlets for Dairy Queen, since he owned the development rights in the state. However, at the time state laws protecting the dairy industry prevented him from using “dairy” in his restaurant name. Instead, in 1946 he opened a restaurant named after himself, Foster’s Old Fashion Freeze. (The apostrophe was later dropped.) In 1951, Foster sold the chain for $1 million, which had 360 locations at the time. However, by 1987, it was down to 189 locations.

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. In 2002, 163 El Pollo Loco locations sold Fosters Freeze products, and their sales increased by three to six percent. However, the contract ended in 2014.

The historical significance of Fosters Freeze restaurants attracts patrons and has united community members to preserve them. For example, in 2006, residents of Menlo Park presented to their city council a petition with about 400 signatures to avoid demolition of their local Fosters, although it finally closed in 2015.[14] The Santa Cruz location is listed in the city's historic building survey.

In 2015, an investment group that runs multiple franchises of several restaurant brands bought Fosters Freeze. It then modernized the brand and operations, and sales have increased every year since then. As of 2021, the company is looking to add locations for the first time since 2006.

As of May 2021, Fosters Freeze has 67 locations, all in California