Fosters Freeze facts for kids
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| Industry | Fast food Franchising |
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| Founded | Inglewood, California, United States (1946) |
| Founder | George Foster |
| Headquarters | , |
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Number of locations
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62 (2025) |
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Area served
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California |
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Key people
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Neal Dahya (President), Nimesh Dahya (Head of global business development), Sanjay Patel (Chief marketing officer) |
| Products | Soft serve, hamburgers, chicken |
Fosters Freeze is a popular chain of fast-food restaurants located across California. It is well-known for its delicious soft-serve ice milk and creamy milkshakes. The very first Fosters Freeze opened its doors in 1946 in Inglewood, California. It was founded by a man named George Foster, and that original location is still serving customers today!
The company's marketing slogan is "California's Original Soft Serve." Their friendly mascot is called Little Foster, who is a smiling ice cream cone.
Contents
The Story of Fosters Freeze
How It All Started
After World War II, George Foster moved to California. He wanted to open restaurants similar to Dairy Queen. However, California had special laws to protect its dairy industry. These laws made it difficult to use the word "dairy" in restaurant names.
So, in 1946, George Foster decided to open his own restaurant. He named it "Foster’s Old Fashion Freeze" after himself. Later, the apostrophe was removed from the name.
Growth and Changes Over Time
By 1951, George Foster had built a successful chain. He sold all 360 Fosters Freeze locations for $1 million. Over the years, the number of locations changed. By 1987, there were 189 Fosters Freeze restaurants.
Partnerships and Community Spirit
In 1994, another restaurant chain called El Pollo Loco signed a special agreement with Fosters Freeze. This allowed El Pollo Loco restaurants to sell Fosters Freeze soft-serve ice cream. By 2002, 163 El Pollo Loco locations were selling Fosters Freeze products. This partnership helped increase their overall sales by three to six percent. The agreement between the two companies ended in 2014.
Many communities in California feel a strong connection to their local Fosters Freeze. These restaurants often have a special historical meaning. For example, in 2006, people in Menlo Park gathered about 400 signatures. They presented a petition to their city council to stop their local Fosters from being torn down. Even though it eventually closed in 2015, it showed how much people cared. The Fosters Freeze location in Santa Cruz is even listed in that city's historic building survey.
Modernizing the Brand
In 2015, a group of investors bought Fosters Freeze. This group, called Fosters Freeze International LLC, was led by Kishan Patel, who used to own a Fosters Freeze restaurant. They worked to make the brand more modern and improve how the restaurants operated. Since then, sales have gone up every year.
As of March 2025, there are 62 Fosters Freeze locations. All of these restaurants are located in California. There is also one Fosters Freeze location in Thomson, Georgia.
