For Franchisee Don Beiderwell, Fosters Freeze Is a True Family Business

After nearly 40 years as a Fosters Freeze franchisee — and half as many more as the child of Fosters Freeze franchisees — there are many things Don Beiderwell can be proud of. But at the top of the list is the iconic fast-food brand’s consistency — something he thinks speaks to its integrity.

“There’s this scene in a film called ‘Falling Down’ where Michael Douglas walks into a fast-food restaurant and is upset because the sandwich doesn’t look like the picture,” Beiderwell says. “That scene is funny to me because it would never happen at a Fosters Freeze. Our products look better than the pictures, especially our soft serve ice cream,” he says. “I love serving it to customers. It’s a great product.”

Launched in 1946, Fosters Freeze has more than 66 locations across the state of California, including the five that Beiderwell and his partners own in the California towns of Fresno, Clovis and Visalia along with his partners.

After buying his first Fosters Freeze franchise in 1985, Beiderwell has never looked back. “I was around the business a lot even before that,” he says. “Besides my parents, a couple of my uncles owned Fosters Freeze franchisees — they signed their contracts back in ‘46 or ‘47. I’ve worked at Fosters Freeze since I was a kid.”

According to Beiderwell, little has changed on the Fosters Freeze menu over the years, including his personal favorite: The Old Fashion Hamburger, a beef patty topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and Fosters sauce. “I’m old school — I like my burgers simple,” he says. “But when people ask me to recommend a sandwich, I usually suggest The Big Boss, a burger topped with swiss and American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, Foster sauce and onion rings. That’s always a big hit.”

One thing that has changed over the years is its staffing demographics. They are ever-changing with the evolving labor market, something that’s not unique to Fosters Freeze. While hiring and retaining staff is always a challenge for many quick-service restaurants across the country, Fosters Freeze has an advantage over many other chains.

“Our turnover isn’t anywhere near the larger chains,” Beiderwell says. “I think that’s because we’ve always had a culture of treating people well and being very respectful to our staff. That kind of thing — the personality of a brand — is established early on and gets handed down from staff to staff.

Once you create a certain environment, it tends to stay, but we continually work hard to keep it that way. We are known as being a good place to work.”

And that’s true for franchisees as well, says Beiderwell. “I’d say that Fosters Freeze, in particular, gives its franchisees quite a bit of freedom. While it’s always your customer you work for, we enjoy quite a bit of flexibility and dialogue with the company that frankly most franchisees just don’t have. The company includes us on decisions and allows us to get involved in things like marketing groups and product groups.”

While opening his first Fosters Freeze was a no-brainer for Beiderwell, he suggests entrepreneurs who are thinking about opening a franchise should talk to other Fosters Freeze franchise owners first. “I’m always glad to spend time talking to people who are interested, and I think other franchisees are too,” he says. “It’s a big investment, so people need to know whether it’s a good fit for them. We can tell them what to expect and what our days are like.”

For Beiderwell, that used to include a daily hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top. “I used to brag about it, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to curtail that habit,” he says. “But when I do indulge in one, it’s just as delicious as it’s always been.”

The initial investment to begin operation of a single, stand-alone Fosters Freeze restaurant ranges from $611,500 and $1,009,000. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a single confections restaurant is $178,000 to $331,500. The initial investment needed to open a single co-located restaurant is $329,500 to $658,500.