Three years after a petition containing hundreds of signatures was presented to the Menlo Park City Council to avoid its demolition, Foster’s Freeze is still standing and doling out soft-serve ice cream, much as it has for the past six decades.
To graduates of Menlo Atherton High School of a certain generation, Foster’s Freeze was the teenage hangout, along with the edgier and bit mysterious Johnny’s Smoke Shop located next door (what did go on in that backroom?).
This frequent patron from those long ago days can still remember her favorite shake – chocolate chip, which was made by pouring hot chocolate down the sides of the stainless steel shake container, adding the ice cream and putting the concoction on the shake maker, which cut up the now cooled chocolate into bits. Very tasty!
Photo by Chris Gulker
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
A great spot on a warm sunny afternoon for that “ice cream” cone pick me up! Foster’s is just a stone’s throw from my office – and always tempting!
I remember a few years ago when the Chevron gas station next door was rebuilt and ended up being higher and blocking the Foster’s sign. I seem to recall there was an agreement that added a pointer to Foster’s on the Chevon building and moved the sign to the other side of Foster’s – as seen in this photo.
I lived in Menlo Park from 1957 to 1966 at 1925 oak avenue.
In those days Foster’s Freeze had dip cones and they were my favorites.
Johnny’s Smoke Shop had a large selection of “men’s” magazines and the clerks were always shooing those of us who were underage away from them.
Kepler’s books was on the other side of the street, and some of the patrons were Beats (Herb Caen created the name Beatnik). There was a fast food Hamburger restaurant about where Keplers is now
The fast food hamburger post where Kepler’s is now was called Jiffy’s and offered 19 cent burgers.
Wow, 19 cent hamburgers! Those were the days!
When I first came to Menlo Park in the mid-90’s, I remember Kepler’s being across the street and down El Camino across from where Cook’s Seafood is still today.