Relax, Barstow’s iconic Fosters Freeze is not closing

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
Updated ·5 min read

Many Barstow residents are concerned about the fate of their beloved Fosters Freeze restaurant after the closure of a Central California location that drew national attention.

Barstow residents contacted the Daily Press after discovering that a Fosters Freeze restaurant in Lemoore had shut down on April 1, the same day California’s new minimum wage began.

“Our Fosters Freeze has been around for decades, and it would be a shame if they closed down,” said High Desert resident Marcella Wheaton, 72.

Barstow’s Fosters Freeze first opened in 1949, said owner Michael Lewis, whose family purchased the restaurant in 1975. The eatery is located at 1580 W. Main Street.
Barstow’s Fosters Freeze first opened in 1949, said owner Michael Lewis, whose family purchased the restaurant in 1975. The eatery is located at 1580 W. Main Street.

Michael Lewis, owner of the Barstow Fosters Freeze, calmed fears by saying he has no plans to close his family-owned restaurant at 1580 W. Main Street.

“The Barstow location has been in continuous operation since 1949, with the store serving the community that long,” said Lewis, whose family purchased the restaurant in 1975. “We are lucky to have such a supportive community and customer base.”

A Barstow legacy

Born and raised in Barstow, Lewis started working for his family's business when he was 12 years old.

"I can remember celebrating birthdays in the break area of Fosters Freeze," he said in a previous interview.

Over the decades, the Barstow Fosters Freeze experienced several facelifts, including the addition of a drive-thru and its current Old Route 66-themed decor.

Lewis said one of the best things about Fosters has been all of the young people he felt he helped raise, seeing them come back and tell him about what they are doing now and wanting him to meet their children.

A 1980s photo shows Barstow Fosters Freeze employees at the restaurant that first opened in 1949 at 1580 W. Main Street.
A 1980s photo shows Barstow Fosters Freeze employees at the restaurant that first opened in 1949 at 1580 W. Main Street.
Barstow school children enjoy lunch at Fosters Freeze located on Main Street.
Barstow school children enjoy lunch at Fosters Freeze located on Main Street.

Community leader Judy Mack said Fosters Freeze is a "wonderful legacy” in the Barstow community.

“I can remember going with my parents for hot fudge sundaes,” Mack said. “Michael ... is a great guy, giving many their first job and always putting the needs of the community first.”

Greg Norton, 67, believes the popular dessert spot that opened as Foster’s Old Fashion Freeze should be designated “a historic site.”

“You could write an entire book about Fosters Freeze and all the generations of families that have worked there,” Norton said. “If you didn’t work there, you had your first date there, your kids had their first ice cream cone there, and it was the first place you went when you got your driver's license.”

Robin Colton echoed much of Norton’s sentiment, saying the Barstow Fosters Freeze “evokes a sense of nostalgia” and a “longing for old times.”

“My parents took me to Fosters as a kid, and then I grew up and took my kids to Fosters,” Cotton said. Now, my kids take my grandchildren to Fosters when they come up from down the hill.”

Jim Weisinger told the Daily Press that in the '70s, he played Little League baseball at Foglesong Park in Barstow. A team win meant a trip to Fosters Freeze, where the team would order from the little outdoor side window.

"I would always get a chocolate-dipped vanilla cone," Weisinger said. "Great memories."

A 1961 photo shows a group of young people outside the Fosters Freeze on Main Street in Barstow.
A 1961 photo shows a group of young people outside the Fosters Freeze on Main Street in Barstow.
Fosters Freeze is known for its classic burgers, burritos, hot dogs, crinkle fries, soft drinks, and a vast dessert menu, which includes sundaes, parfaits, cones, milkshakes, and old-fashioned freezes.
Fosters Freeze is known for its classic burgers, burritos, hot dogs, crinkle fries, soft drinks, and a vast dessert menu, which includes sundaes, parfaits, cones, milkshakes, and old-fashioned freezes.

Lemoore Fosters Freeze

Loren Wright told a Fox affiliate that closing the Lemoore location was the “last thing” they wanted to do, adding that the business would not be able to absorb the new minimum wage.

The new statewide legislation enforces a $20 minimum wage for restaurants with at least 60 locations nationwide, except those that produce and sell their bread.

“Small businesses can't survive a 120% plus minimum wage increase over the last 10 years,” Wright wrote to Fox. “We are all more broke than we were 10 years ago its clear raising minimum wage isn't helping.”

Baskin Robbins has offered to hire the former Foster Freeze workers in Lemoore, Fox reported.

A California first?

Fosters Freeze claims to be California’s first fast-food chain of restaurants.

According to National Restaurant News, Carl’s Jr. began as a hot dog cart in 1941, while the restaurant in San Bernardino that became McDonald’s opened in 1948.

In 1948, In-N-Out Burger owners, the late Harry and Esther Snyder, opened their first drive-thru hamburger stand. Harry introduced his newly developed two-way speaker box a year later, allowing guests to order without leaving their cars.

1951, Foster sold the chain's 360 locations for $1 million. According to the Los Angeles Times, it had been reduced to 189 locations by 1987.

According to the Los Angeles Beat, it was also at that time that Foster dropped the apostrophe, changing the brand’s name from Foster’s to Fosters.

In its heyday, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company said that Fosters Freeze had around 275 locations.

Fosters Freeze is known for its classic burgers, burritos, hot dogs, crinkle fries, soft drinks, and a vast dessert menu, which includes sundaes, parfaits, cones, milkshakes, and old-fashioned freezes.

Another popular dessert is the Twister, a cup of soft serve swirled and topped with Oreo, M&Ms, Snickers, or chocolate chip cookie dough.

‘Fun, Fun, Fun'

According to the Fosters Freeze website, a franchise unit in Hawthorne is said to be the hamburger joint where singer Dennis Wilson spotted a girl in a Thunderbird, a reference in the Beach Boys song “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

For the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction, director Quentin Tarantino transformed a Fosters Freeze location in the Atwater Village of Los Angeles into a Teriyaki Donut.

In 1994, El Pollo Loco signed a master franchise contract with Fosters Freeze, which at one point had outlets in many of its restaurants. That contract ended in 2014, and Fosters Freeze and El Pollo Loco parted ways.

In 2015, Fosters Freeze International LLC, an investment group led by former multi-unit franchisee Kishan Patel, acquired the Fosters Freeze franchise system, according to National Restaurant News.

There are nearly 60 Fosters Freeze locations, all in California.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Relax, Barstow’s iconic Fosters Freeze is not closing