Frosty Facts!

We are often asked many questions about Frostop. Questions such as tell us about the history, is there still a franchise, how many Frostops are left around the country, where did Frostop start, and do you still make the root beer. Hopefully we can answer all of these questions and give a few more Frostop facts for everyone.

Where did Frostop originate?

Contrary to what many people in the New Orleans area think, Frostop started in Springfield, Ohio in 1926. It was started by Mr. L.S. Harvey. Franchises then spread across the country.

Logo from a 1929 letter from Frostop founder L.S. Harvey

Building design before the giant mug

Is there still a franchise 

There is NO more franchise. The franchise went out of business in the early 1980's. Those Frostops left across the country are independent. You will find a wide ranging difference in menus at those that are left.

How many Frostops are left across the country?

There are 12 Frostops left around the country that we know about. If there are other locations out there we would love to know about them!

  Frostops that are operating in the original location:

1. Laplace Frostop Laplace, LA
2. Destrehan -*moved from original Jefferson Hwy. location
3. Ted's New Orleans, LA
4. Clearview Metairie, LA **not part of original chain
5. Baton Rouge, LA
6. Picayune, MS
7. Greenville, MS
8. Tell City, IN
9. Chrisman, IL
10. Huntington, WV
11. Larsen's St. George, UT
12. Ashton, ID

Where did the concept of the giant mug come from?

The concept of the giant rotating mug actually came from T.W. Ganus. The giant mug was first used in New Orleans. It was copyrighted by Ganus to limit its use to Frostop operators. The copyrighted designs and patents were sold to Frostop to be used on a national scale. To see our blog detailing this: http://laplacefrostop.blogspot.com/2009/07/under-sign-of-revolving-stein.html

Do you still make the root beer?

Yes, we actually still make our homemade root beer at the LaPlace Frostop. Many of the other Frostops also make their own root beer. There is actually a company that now owns the Frostop name and bottles the original recipe of Frostop root beer.  It is available locally at Matherne's and other AG grocery stores and Ace Hardware locations.

We hope this answers many of the questions about Frostop! Feel free to send us any other questions and we will try out best to answer them.

Best Use Of An Old Frostop Mug EVER! The Krewe of Froth

I have always wondered what happened to many of the giant mugs that once adorned Frostops across the country. I got my answer to at least one of the old mugs. Just this week pictures of a Frostop mug that has been incorporated into a St. Patrick's Day float in Mississippi were posted on our LaPlace Frostop Facebook page by Harry Clark. I asked about them and he told me that it is part of the Krewe of Froth and that they even have a Facebook page. I ended up exchanging emails with Jimmy Reid of the Krewe of Froth and found out about how the old mug came to be used on a float.

Loading the Mug on the Trailer

The Mug Dressed Up for the Parade

According to Jimmy Reid, his Dad decided to put a float in the Jackson, Mississippi Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in 1983. In the late 1980's, his Dad was driving down a country road and saw the mug laying on its side on the side of the road. He stopped at the closest farm and asked who owned the mug. The owner of the farm said he got it when they were tearing down the Frostop that was in Jackson, Mississippi. The only thing he had wanted was the motor out of it. Jimmy's Dad bought it from him for $100! His Dad brought it home and beat the dents out of the mug, cut a door in it, and built a second floor with a trap door. They had the their float icon and became the Krewe of Froth! The mug has been repainted over the years and he is not sure when ROOT BEER was painted over, making it easier to paint. A bathroom was added to the mug about 20 years ago. Every year the parade has a different theme and they adjust the mug to fit the theme. The mug has been a garbage can, oil can, coffee mug, and a space ship (twice) just to name a few. This will be the 30th year his family has done the parade. This will mark the first time they also do the Hattiesburg, MS Mardi Gras parade also. You can check out some video of the Krewe of Froth in action on Youtube.

Krewe of Froth in Action

T-Shirt Design for 2010 St. Paddy's Day Parade

T-Shirt Design for 2012 Hattiesburg Mardi Gras Parade

The LaPlace Frostop would like to raise a big frosty mug of Frostop Root Beer to the Krewe of Froth for the best use of an old Frostop mug EVER!

Betty Davis - Louisiana Restaurant Association Legend's Award

On January 27, 2012 Betty Davis became a Louisiana Restaurant Association Legend's Award recipient. The LRA recognizes the long-term dedication of employees who make up the backbone of our industry by presenting them with this award. To qualify an employee must be nominated by an LRA member, have worked at the member restaurant for at least 20 years, and personify exemplary service and dedication.

Betty Davis receiving the LRA Legend's Award from Sarah Peltier -LRA Greater New Orleans Regional Director

Betty Davis, more than qualifies! She has worked at the LaPlace Frostop for almost 26 years. She is a stellar example of service and dedication. Betty is not just an employee she is part of our LaPlace Frostop family!

Jimmie Toler, Betty Davis, Terry Toler, & Evelyn Toler

Although Betty came to work with us in 1986, her first job in 1963 was here at the LaPlace Frostop for Wayne Kendrick. She would work here until 1966 when Wayne Kendrick moved to the Frostop on Government St. in Baton Rouge, LA. She helped him out for a few weeks in Baton Rouge! After leaving Frostop, she worked at several iconic LaPlace landmarks that are now long gone. LaPlace Coffee Shop, Tarpon Seafood & Steak House, and Airline Motors. She returned to the LaPlace Frostop on April 26, 1986 and has been with us ever since!

Betty isn't just a dedicated and hard worker she is in our opinion one of the BEST cooks in the River Parishes! Through the years Betty has been responsible for our homemade chili, bbq, and gravy. The dishes she is best known for are the Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Red Beans & Rice, and the Catfish & Shrimp Supreme. Congratulations Betty! You have always been a legend to us - this just made it official!

Ted's Frostop NOLA

Ted's Frostop NOLA, a set on Flickr.

Pictures from Ted's Frostop. 2008 with the mug upside down in the parking lot due to Hurricane Katrina. 2012 with the mug back on its pole beautifully lit with neon and spinning again!

Ted's Frostop Getting it Right

Ted's Frostop Logo

Ted's Frostop in New Orleans is undergoing some great changes lately. One of the few iconic Frostops left in the country, Ted's Frostop is getting a makeover.

First a little background on Frostop. It was started in 1926, by L.S. Harvey in Springfield, OH. Word spread about the success of the delicious creamy root beer and the stands spread across the country. During World War II, the expansion slowed due to shortages of building materials and equipment, as well as the flavors and sweetening agents necessary in the manufacture of Frostop root beer. After the war, under new aggressive ownership in the 1950's, Frostop experienced tremendous growth during the post war boom years of the drive-in era. The signature brown and yellow, neon lit stands, with their gigantic, revolving root beer mug on top, dotted the countryside and became a favorite place to rest and enjoy an icy cold frosted mug of Frostop root beer.

Frostops from the 1950's

It was during this expansion in the 1950's that Ted's Frostop opened in New Orleans. The Ted of Ted's Frostop - Ted Sternberg at one time operated more Frostops than any other single operator. The 1950's & 1960's were a great time for Frostop. However, by the 1970's many locations closed across the country and by the early 1980's the chain folded. At that time, all Frostops left became independent. During the 1980's Ted's had locations in the Jax Brewery and in the Elmwood food court in addition to the location on Calhoun St. By the 1990's, those additional locations would be closed. Ted's Frostop would become one of only 14 independent Frostops left across the country at the time that Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The storm would close Ted's Frostop until 2006 and change its iconic mug. The gigantic mug was toppled from its pole and ended up upside down in the parking lot. When the restaurant reopened it decided to leave it upside down and fix it up. The upside down mug became the locations trademark on menus and shirts. It was a reminder of what had happened and of the resilience of NOLA. The restaurant which by this time had been sold by Ted would be sold once again in the years following the storm. Then came 2011.

Mug Restored upside down 2008

In the fall of 2011, Pete Moss and a group of New Orleanians, decided to buy Ted's Frostop. They wanted to return Ted's Frostop to its glory days. In the months that have followed their purchase, the restaurant has undergone a renaissance. The dining room has been painted and pictures of other Frostops and memorabilia adorn the walls. They have revamped the menu now making the signature Lot-O-Burger with ground chuck. The all important original Frostop Root Beer is back and served in a frozen mug. And speaking of mugs, the mug that was knocked down for Katrina has been restored to the top of the pole. It once again spins and lights up the New Orleans sky with beautiful neon. Ted's Frostop beautifully lit up 2012

Ted's Frostop mug 2012

According to an article in Gambit, Pete Moss said a renaissance is happening at Ted's. Indeed this is exactly what is happening at Ted's Frostop. They are getting some well deserved attention for their efforts to bring the iconic drive-in back, with the article in Gambit and a segment on ABC 26. I see a bright, beautiful, neon lit future ahead for Ted's Frostop! A big Frostop thank you to Pete Moss and group for making this happen! The LaPlace Frostop raises a frozen mug of Frostop root beer to you for a job well done!

A Look Back at 2011 for the LaPlace Frostop

As the year 2011 comes to an end, we would like to look back at the great year it was for the LaPlace Frostop.

Our ever expanding menu expanded a bit more in 2o11. New items added to our menu included: Hamburger Steak Poboy, Fried Chicken Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes topped with Crawfish Monica, and Crawfish Monica Pasta. The Fried Green Tomatoes topped with Crawfish Monica was the hit of the year.

The dish was even featured in an episode of LA Rider! To see the episode click this link.

One of our biggest stories from 2010 was the episode of Memphis Beat we were in. In 2011 Memphis Beat would play a huge role again! In March we received a call that they wanted to do a photo shoot for season two at the LaPlace Frostop! It was an honor to host them on Saturday March 19, 2011. Photographer Justin Stephens took pictures of Jason Lee, Sam Hennings, Alfre Woodard, DJ Qualls, & Leonard Earl Howze for promotional shots for TNT.

The cast and crew were a joy to host. DJ Qualls and Leonard Earl Howze stopped several times during the Spring to pick up lunch. They really are terrific guys. DJ liked the onion rings so much he tweeted about them!

In April, our head cook Betty Davis celebrated 25 years with us. It has been an pleasure and honor to work with her all these years. We all look forward to many more years working with her. She truly is one of the family.

We enjoyed a few DJ Saturdays in 2011. Our first scheduled in March was cancelled due to the Memphis Beat photo shoot. We ended up having the event in April, May, and June. A great time was had for all three.

We were honored to be chosen this year as the #2 restaurant in all of the River Parishes in the Times-Picayune Reader's Choice Poll.

This year brought the addition of Diet Frostop Root Beer to our drink selection. In working with the company that now owns the name Frostop that manufactures and distributes Frostop bottled root beer mainly in the Midwest, we were able to get Diet Root Beer made in South Louisiana. We are now distributing both Diet Frostop Root Beer and Regular Frostop Root Beer in 5 gallon bag-in-box to Ted's Frostop in New Orleans, Frostop in Greenville, MS, Bootsy's Ponchatoula, and Country Kitchen Gonzales. We look forward to expanding the number of restaurants it will be offered at in 2012.

The year 2011 was a great year for us at the LaPlace Frostop. We are so thankful to our many customers who have helped make our 53 years a success. We look forward to 2012 and our 54th year serving the River Parishes!

LaPlace Frostop Crawfish Monica Pasta

LaPlace Frostop Crawfish Monica Pasta, a photo by LaPlace Frostop on Flickr.

Our Crawfish Monica is the perfect dish to warm you up for lunch! Stop by the LaPlace Frostop today for a delicious treat!