LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA – Fosters Freeze, located at 1593 First Street in downtown Livermore, will serve its final customers on Sunday, November 15, 2026, bringing an end to a local tradition that stretches back to the 1950s.
The reason for the closure isn’t declining business or a dispute with the landlord. Instead, the family that has operated the restaurant for more than three decades is retiring.
According to the Pleasanton Weekly, which confirmed the closure with the owners’ daughter, the decision marks the end of 33 years of family ownership and decades of memories for local residents.
A Livermore Landmark Since the 1950s
For many Livermore residents, Fosters Freeze has been far more than another place to grab a quick meal.
The restaurant became a familiar stop for families after Little League games, teenagers looking for an inexpensive treat, and generations of customers seeking a classic California soft-serve cone.
The Livermore location dates back more than 70 years, making it one of the city’s longstanding roadside food establishments.
In fact, a City of Livermore historical study identifies Fosters Freeze as the community’s first postwar fast-food establishment, opening at First and P streets in the summer of 1954.
Why the Family Is Closing
The Nguyen family has operated the Livermore restaurant since 1993.
Vy Nguyen, the restaurant’s manager and daughter of owner Amy Nguyen, confirmed that her parents have decided to retire after 33 years running the business.
She described the decision as difficult but said her parents had earned the opportunity to rest and begin a new chapter.
The family also shared a farewell message on social media, thanking customers for decades of support, celebrations and memories.
A California Ice Cream Tradition
Fosters Freeze traces its roots to 1946, when the brand began establishing itself as a California destination for soft-serve ice cream and classic fast food.
Its signature offerings include soft-serve cones, milkshakes, sundaes, Twisters and hamburgers.
Unlike newer dessert concepts emphasizing elaborate toppings or experimental flavors, Fosters Freeze has maintained the familiar roadside dining experience that helped make the chain popular.
That combination of nostalgia, affordable treats and family traditions has helped individual locations become deeply connected to their communities.
The Livermore restaurant was an especially enduring example, surviving changing dining trends and decades of development in the surrounding city.
The City of Livermore’s historical documentation places the original restaurant within the city’s post-World War II expansion, when automobile-oriented businesses began reshaping local commercial corridors.
One Last Chance to Visit
The restaurant’s final scheduled day of business is Sunday, November 15, 2026.
That gives longtime customers just a few more days to stop by for a cone, shake or favorite meal before the family closes this chapter of Livermore history.
The business is located at 1593 First Street in Livermore.
After more than seven decades of serving the community, the restaurant’s final weekend offers one last opportunity for customers to revisit a familiar neighborhood institution and wish the Nguyen family well in retirement.
