Tastee-Freez facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1950 Joliet, Illinois, U.S. |
| Founder | Leo A. Morenz Harry Axene |
| Headquarters | Newport Beach, California, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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4 |
| Products | Fast food (including hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes) |
| Parent | The Galardi Group |
Tastee-Freez is an American fast-food restaurant chain. It is famous for its delicious soft serve ice cream. Soft serve is a type of ice cream that is softer and smoother than regular ice cream.
The main office for Tastee-Freez is in Newport Beach, California. You can find their stores in four different states. The very first Tastee-Freez opened its doors in Keithsburg, Illinois. Today, you can enjoy Tastee-Freez treats at a few special ice cream shops. You can also find their products at about 375 locations of other quick-serve restaurants. These include Wienerschnitzel and Original Hamburger Stand.
Contents
History of Tastee-Freez
How Tastee-Freez Started
Tastee-Freez began in 1950 in Joliet, Illinois. It was started by two people, Leo S. Maranz and Harry Axene. Harry Axene had previously worked for Dairy Queen.
Leo Maranz invented a special pump and freezer. This machine made the soft serve ice cream possible. Their company, Harlee Manufacturing, made these machines. Restaurant owners would buy these machines to use in their own Tastee-Freez shops.
Growing Across the Country
At first, Tastee-Freez stores mainly sold ice milk and other frozen desserts. The company grew very quickly in the 1950s. By 1952, there were 315 Tastee-Freez locations. This number grew to over 1,600 by the middle of 1956. By 1957, there were almost 1,800 stores.
In the early 1960s, Tastee-Freez tried to expand into England. They started selling their products from ice cream trucks there. They also tried this truck idea in the United States. However, this plan did not make enough money. Because of this, Tastee-Freez faced financial trouble in late 1963.
Changes and New Ownership
A year later, Herbert Molner bought the company. He was an assistant to Leo Maranz. Herbert Molner started a plan to improve the chain. He decided to stop selling in England. He also closed older stores in smaller towns.
Molner also updated the menu. He added popular fast-food items. These included hot dogs and hamburgers. This helped Tastee-Freez become more successful.
In 1982, Tastee-Freez was sold to the Denovo Corporation. This company owned other restaurant chains. These included Stewart's Restaurants, Dog n Suds, and B&K Rootbeer drive-ins. They also owned Dairy Isle ice cream shops. By 1992, there were 340 Tastee-Freez locations.
Tastee-Freez Joins Galardi Group
By 2003, the Galardi Group became a partner with Tastee-Freez. The Galardi Group owns restaurants like Wienerschnitzel and Original Hamburger Stand. They started selling Tastee-Freez products in their own restaurants.
The Galardi Group saw that selling Tastee-Freez products increased their sales. They were very happy with this success. Because of this, the Galardi Group bought the entire Tastee-Freez company in 2003.
