Livermore's Fosters Freeze will serve its final soft-serve cone on Sunday, Nov. 15, closing down after 33 years under the same family's ownership. Until then, the restaurant is running a buy-one, get-one-free deal on all menu items of equal or lesser value, giving longtime regulars one last reason to stop by before the lights go off for good.
The family behind the counter is preparing for retirement, according to Mercury News, which reports that manager Vy Nguyen's parents took over the shop in 1993. “It's my parents' place, and they are getting to retirement age,” Nguyen told the outlet. “It's just time. And for us kids, we have our own jobs and everything.”
Nguyen's parents, including her mother Amy, remodeled the location in 2000, adding indoor seating and air conditioning that transformed the walk-up stand into a proper sit-down spot. The restaurant's roots in Livermore run even deeper than the family's three decades at the helm, though exactly how deep is a matter of some dispute. The Bay Area Telegraph, citing a City of Livermore historical study, reports the shop opened at First and P streets in the summer of 1954, while the Danville San Ramon reports it opened in 1955.
A Family Affair Across Generations
For Nguyen, the closure isn't just the end of a business, it's the end of a family chapter that stretched across generations. “Even my oldest daughter worked here for a couple of summers, too,” she said. “It's been a couple of generations for us.” She described the closure as bittersweet, saying it brings a lot of emotions, per the same account.
Nguyen also offered thanks to the community that kept the stand busy for over three decades. “We just want to thank Livermore for all their support these past 33 years,” she said. She told the outlet she isn't sure yet which business, if any, will take over the space once the Fosters Freeze sign comes down.
Another Bay Area Location Closed Years Earlier
Livermore's closure echoes an earlier loss for the chain in the region. A Fosters Freeze in Menlo Park closed for good on Sept. 30, 2015, ending a run that traced back to 1947. That location had faced possible demolition as a 68-year-old landmark, according to the Monterey Herald, which reported that franchise owner Sung Lee had operated the business since the mid-1980s.
The Fosters Freeze chain has a long history in California, founded by George Foster in Inglewood in 1946 as a soft-serve stand, according to the New York Post. The chain has grown to more than 50 locations across California, including Bay Area shops in Berkeley, Danville, Campbell and San Jose, plus three locations in Georgia. In Southern California, the brand counts 16 locations, including stands in Inglewood, Burbank and San Diego, serving a menu that spans burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, burritos, milkshakes and ice cream.
But for Livermore residents, the closure of their local stand marks the end of something more personal than a chain's footprint. Sunday's last scoop will close out 33 years of one family keeping the soft-serve machine running, with buy-one, get-one-free treats serving as a final thank-you to the town that kept coming back.
