LaPlace Frostop Merry Christmas 2009

LaPlace Frostop Merry Christmas 2009
Originally uploaded by FT1958

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are closing today, Wednesday December 23, 2009 at 3pm, for the holidays! Tonight we will be celebrating with our employees at our annual Christmas dinner. We will return to work on January 4, 2010 at 11am. We look forward to serving you in 2010!We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Frostop History

Frostop® is a name that at its zenith was most familiar to millions of thirsty Americans. In 1926, Mr. L. S. Harvey opened his first Frostop® Root Beer stand in Springfield, Ohio. It was so successful that word quickly spread about his operation and its delicious, creamy root beer.

Soon, Frostop® stands spread throughout the nation until the onset of World War II. During the war, expansion was curtailed due to shortages of building materials and equipment, as well as the flavors and sweetening agents so necessary in the manufacture of Frostop® Root Beer.

After the war, Mr. Harvey, who was convinced that Frostop® was the finest root beer ever made, resumed expansion of the chain. Under new aggressive ownership in the 1950s, 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®.

Information courtesy of http://www.frostop.com/.

LaPlace Frostop Homemade Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Root Beer Float Cupcake at the LaPlace Frostop

I thought I would try out something different this past weekend with our root beer - root beer float cupcakes! It was a delicious experiment so try out the recipe at home and enjoy!!

LaPlace Frostop Homemade Root Beer Float Cupcake

2 1/2 cups LaPlace Frostop Homemade Root Beer 1 tsp. root beer extract 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 cups Domino brown sugar 1 cup butter, softened 2 eggs 3 cups all purpose flour 1 Tbs. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt

Root Beer Glaze

1/2 cup Domino confectioners’ sugar 3 tbsp LaPlace Frostop Homemade Root Beer Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Prepare cupcake pan with paper cups. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Cream together the butter and Domino brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, then beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture alternately with LaPlace Frostop Homemade Root Beer, beating well. Pour batter into cupcake pan, filling cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to racks. Place a cookie sheet or towel under the racks. Make the glaze by mixing Domino confectioners’ sugar and LaPlace Homemade Root Beer until smooth. Right after you take the cupcakes out of the oven, pour one tablespoon of LaPlace Homemade Root Beer over each cupcake slowly. Allow root beer to soak in for a few minutes then pour a couple tablespoons of glaze over each cupcake while slightly warm. After the glaze sets up a bit, serve with a scoop of LaPlace Frostop soft serve vanilla or Kleinpeter vanilla ice cream.

LaPlace Frostop Merchandise

We have a great selection of our LaPlace Frostop merchandise for sale in the restaurant.

We have our regular blue shirt with current building picture on the back in white and LaPlace Frostop in white on the front "pocket" area for $12.

Back We have two special edition t-shirts. The first is our anniversary shirt from 2008 - it is a white t-shirt with the old building on the back in brown and gold with 1958 - 2008 below. The front has LaPlace Frostop 50th anniversary on the "pocket" area for $15.

Back The second special edition shirt is our gold shirt with the old building pictured with white and brown and below Since 1958 for $15.

Back

We also have the blue & white hat and the white 50th anniversary hat available for $12.

The souvenir plastic 32oz cup is currently available for $2.10.

We also have great LaPlace Frostop postcards - free!

For those that can't make it to our location we also offer a wide selection of shirts at Cafe Press online:

www.cafepress.com/laplacefrostop

Blast from the past.....

The following article is taken from the March 18, 1981 River Parishes Sun article Business Person of the Week: Jim Toler, writen by Ellen Cooper.

When your bread and butter depends of hamburgers and french fries, you have to keep one step ahead of the lunch crowd.

Jim Toler, the owner of the Frostop Drive-In Restaurant on Airline Highway in LaPlace, had learned the ins and outs of the drive-in business by trial and error. A remodeling project on the restaurant is the latest attempt by Toler to keep up with his growing clientele.

Toler said recently the purpose of the remodeling which included enlarging the kitchen area, adding new cooking equipment and laying 2,000 square felt of Formica, was to accommodate a growing community. "It (the restaurant) was old and working us to death," Toler said. "This major renovation will help us to serve this community (LaPlace) as it grows." "Our customers enjoy a clean atmosphere. We put 2,000 square feet of Formica down in the kitchen area, even on the ceiling, because it's so easy to maintain and keep clean."

The restaurant has recently re-opened after being closed since Jan. 18. Toler says he has already noticed an increase in business.

"We had to re-learn the entire operation," he said. "So far, it has worked out well. We have enjoyed an increase in business since we re-opened."

Toler, who works at the restaurant seven days a week, said he and his manager, Elain DeBautte, made the decision together to make the renovations and bring in the new cooking equipment.

The original building of the restaurant was built in 1958. Previous owners added the dining room and office area.

Down through the years, however, the original Lot-O-Burger hamburger has remained. Toler said the serving of drinks in frozen mugs has also not changed. But, more menu items have been added in the years. The menu today includes hot dogs, po-boys, several types of sandwiches and dinners.

Toler says the full range of menu items accounts for the full range of people who frequent the restaurant. The menu suits the tastes from the very young to the adult one, he added.

Toler and his wife, Evelyn (Terry), have three daughters, Terry, 11, Tiffany, 7, and Tracey, 3.

Terry is already helping her father by busing tables. Evelyn lends a hand during the peak rush hours. Toler says the two youngest daughters don't help - not yet anyway.

The trend of the Toler family is to help in the restaurant business. But, the trend started much earlier than with Toler's children and wife.

Toler's late father-in-law, Morris Terry, built the original Frostop building in 1958 as an investment. Toler himself, as a South Carolina high school student, helped his father run a small country drive-in. "Really, I just helped cook the hamburger and eat them", he said.

Since taking the Frostop Drive-In over seven years ago, the business has tripled, Toler said.

Toler must have learned more than just cooking and eating hamburgers at his father's drive-in. Somewhere, he learned how to sell them.

To see the article click here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/1545983678/sizes/l/in/set-72157602370030051/

____________________________________________________________________

This past June 2009, marked the Toler family's 36th year of running the LaPlace Frostop. This August, the LaPlace Frostop had its 51st anniversary.

Jimmie, Evelyn, & Terry Toler

1996 - The Summer of the Termite....

The following article details the Formosan termites that almost ate our LaPlace Frostop down in the summer of 1996!

At left, a worker displays a Formosan termite nest, which is bigger than a football, was found next to a roof beam in the Frostop Drive-In Restaurant this week. Thomas Rome Builders is rebuilding the roof and exterior after ripping out the damaged wood. The infestation is the only confirmed case in St. John the Baptist Parish.

The following article is taken from the June 28, 1996 Times-Picayune.

Dinner is Bug Dinner

By: Vicki Hyman

Formosan termites are eating in - in St. John the Baptist Parish.

The same pests that are threatening New Orlean's homes and treasured live oaks have been biting big chunks out of a LaPlace landmark, The Frostop Drive-In Restaurant, a fixture on East Airline Highway since 1958.

"They're hungry little buggers," said Larry Brock, St. John Cooperative Extension Agent.

Workers found a termite next bigger than a football next to the main wooden beam in the Frostop's ceiling this week.

"It's scaring the hell out of me to see what they're doing to our buildings," Frostop owner Jim Toler said.

Contractor Thomas Rome Jr. grabbed some splintered wood from the infested beam Wednesday and sifted it through his fingers like sand. "It was just shredded," he said.

Brock said the Frostop infestation is the only confirmed case of Formosan termites in the parish, but he added that homeowners could have come across them and handled the problem without notifying him.

Experts say Formosan termites, a subterranean termite native to East Asia, arrived in New Orleans after World War II as stowaways on military ships. The annual swarm lasts from May through June, with colonies averaging 2 million to 5 million termites.

In some New Orleans neighborhoods, as many as 95 percent of the live oaks are infested, and Formosan termites have infested the French Quarter and taken up residence in home around the city.

"Being that most of our buildings, as opposed to the French Quarter, are single dwellings is to our advantage," Brock said. And because subdivision regulations require builders to chemically treat properties before construction, it's less likely to find Formosan termites in newer homes.

Subterranean termites have been around "for eons," Brock said, but they are easier to control because they don't reproduce as quickly as Formosan termites and don't store moisture as efficiently.

And, Brock said, the Formosan termites aren't as picky about their food as subterranean termites.

And they found plenty of food at the Frostop.

By the time Toler had discovered the damage, it was too late - the termites had eaten away at the beam and walls. Now workers have to remove all the decking and reframe the roof.

Rome said they'll replace the wood with a metal roof.

Fortunately, the giant, tilted root beer mug adorned with neon has been spared. It remains on its perch above Airline Highway. The restaurant will be closed while the work is done and is expected to reopen next month.

To see the original article:

Page 1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/3672304398/in/set-72157602370030051/

Page 2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/3672304684/in/set-72157602370030051/

Frostop Drive In - Ashton, Idaho

Check out the website for the Frostop in Ashton, Idaho! http://www.frostopdrivein.com/

Pictures courtesy of Debra Jane Seltzer:

http://www.agilitynut.com/vessels/mugs.html

To see more of her great site:

http://www.roadsidearchitecture.com/

LaPlace Frostop Combo Meals

LaPlace Frostop combo ad
Originally uploaded by FT1958

The LaPlace Frostop offers two great choices in combo meals. The Lot-O-Burger & Fry Combo comes with a medium soft drink for $5.30. The Lot-O-Burger & Onion Ring Combo comes with a medium soft drink for $6.95. Stop by today and enjoy a great combo meal!

LaPlace Frostop mug magnet

LaPlace Frostop mug magnet Originally uploaded by FT1958

We now have LaPlace Frostop mug magnets! Stop by and get one for your vehicle today!

LaPlace Frostop Memorabilia

Through the years we have managed to keep a few great pieces of Frostop memorabilia, we have also managed to buy back some great things on ebay that we didn't think about keeping!

Original picture of the building - guess we can call that our baby picture!

One of the greatest pieces that we have is the original metal patent.

We also have a pretty decent collection of all of our old mugs - original logo, 70's logo, and our LaPlace Frostop logo.

1950's logo

1970's logo

Our LaPlace Frostop logo

Some other great items include a copy of a menu from the late 50's, an ad describing the Lot-O-Burger.

Counter menu pad from the early 1960's- we still take orders on a similar pad today!

We have an actual Frostopics from 1963.

An actual coupon for a free root beer with purchase of sandwich.

Hot dog bags from the 70's

Still trying to find a Frostop cup from the 1970's - I was outbid on ebay trying to win two cups!

An original Frostop cup from the 50's - the two pictures below show both front and back. It was the picture on the front of this cup that inspired our 50th anniversary shirts and souvenir cups.

Currently one of our greatest pieces of memorabilia is our restored wooden root beer barrel on display in our Frostop memorabilia corner.

Three original Frostop signs that I won on ebay and had them framed to go in our Frostop memorabilia corner.

For a look at some of our pictures on flickr of our history & ads:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/sets/72157602370030051/

For a look at some of the pictures & history that Frostop.com was nice enough to share with us:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/sets/72157622171467070/

Frostop Root Beer Update!

In an update to our blog about Frostop Root Beer, I was able to obtain a few bottles of the bottled brand for a side by side taste test with our homemade LaPlace Frostop Root Beer. The results are now in after an afternoon of joyfully tasting two very good root beers! There is a definite similarity in the two root beers. As you can see in the above picture the Frostop Root Beer in the bottle is in the mug on the left, had an incredible head of foam. It surely lived up to its slogan of "Nothing Tops it...but the foam!

I can only assume the difference comes from a change in concentrate available to us through the years since Frostop as a chain ceased operation in the early 1980's. We have maintained our recipe through the years but no longer have the concentrate from years ago. There probably is a difference in changes that occur when taking a product from homemade to one that is bottled for mass consumption such as the use of preservatives for shelf life.

I of course love our homemade LaPlace Frostop root beer, since I have been drinking it since I was 3 years old, but if given the opportunity to buy a bottled root beer at the store I would choose the Frostop Brand bottled root beer over all others! Hopefully, one day it will be available in stores in South Louisiana.

I would also like to thank Frostop root beer for being so kind as to send me a few bottles of their root beer (plastic and glass), diet root beer, and their Vanilla Caramel Creme soda. All the products were great. My favorite was the Frostop in the glass bottle!

They were also kind enough to send along a great Frostop mug, glass, buttons, table tents, and a folder full of Frostop pictures and information. The most incredible and generous thing sent was an actual Frostop root beer tap for our recently restored wooden root beer barrel which is on display in our dining room. I would like to thank Daniel Meyers of Frostop and Frank Agin who helped make this possible. I give you two mugs up for your Frostop Root Beer and thank y'all for helping to keep the Frostop name alive. Perhaps one day they will make it down to south Louisiana with their "Mobile Thirst Aid Unit", would love to see it in person! To see a slideshow of some of the great pictures they sent click below!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/sets/72157622171467070/show/

To check out their website: http://www.frostop.com/

They can also be found on twitter: www.twitter.com/frostoprootbeer

You can become a fan of Frostop Root Beer on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=frostop&init=quick#/pages/Frostop-Root-Beer/106973627636?ref=search&sid=1421407401.2962236253..1

LaPlace Frostop 35th Anniversary - 1993

LaPlace Frostop 35th Anniversary
Originally uploaded by FT1958

The LaPlace Frostop celebrated its 35th anniversary Saturday August 28, 1993 from 1-5pm. The day included a live broadcast on KHOM 104.1 with the DJ Dan McKay who ran events such a hulahoop contest for giveaways such as Frostop frisbees, coozies, and pens. In addition to the giveaways, there was special pricing with 99 cent Lot-O-Burgers and 35 cent soft drinks. The celebration was a great success!

LaPlace Frostop Mug 1987

LaPlace Frostop 1987
Originally uploaded by FT1958

The mug received its first minor renovation in 1987, scaffolding was erected and the neon was taken off. Mugs Coleman, a local man, did some minor repairs to the metal and then repainted it. The neon was put back on and we had the rotation repaired by Brightway Signs and then put the mugs rotation and neon maintenance under contract with them.

Cruise In Car Shows Fall of 2007

The LaPlace Frostop hosted two cruise in car shows in the fall of 2007. The first car show on Saturday October 13, 2007 was in celebration of the return of the mug (after the giant mug's complete restoration).

To see the pictures click here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/sets/72157602408416855

To see the video click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyCET-snaXM

The following month another car show has held on Saturday November 10, 2007.

To see the pictures click here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/sets/72157602668632584/

Wondering what to eat? Print out our menu at home!

If you are ever in need of a LaPlace Frostop menu at home - look no further! Just print one out from our website.

http://www.laplace-frostop.com/FrostopMenu_Web.pdf

New Twist on an Old Treat!

We have a suggestion for something to cool you down on a hot day....a root beer float. But not an ordinary root beer float, something extra special - a root beer float topped with chocolate syrup!

That's right, LaPlace Frostop root beer with vanilla soft serve ice cream topped with chocolate syrup - a new twist on an old treat! It is also terrific as a freeze - root beer float mixed together like a shake. So stop in to the LaPlace Frostop and enjoy one today!

LaPlace Frostop's 50th Anniversary 2008

The LaPlace Frostop celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 9, 2008. The celebration took place from 2-6pm and included a DJ, open car show, and giveaways. Click here for pictures of the anniversary celebration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/sets/72157606610618975/ Video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laplacefrostop/2752696593/in/set-72157606610618975/

Roadside Peek

Here is another great website to spend time checking out! http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southeast/seeats/seneoneats/index3.htm You can spend hours and hours going over all the great spots that they have pictures and facts on!

Riggen's Frostop - Chrisman, Illinois

Pictures courtesy of Debra Jane Seltzer: http://www.agilitynut.com/vessels/mugs.html#Ash

Here is a terrific video I found online about the Riggen's Frostop in Chrisman, Illinois. They were established in 1955! The video is from Thursday September 9, 1993. I hope they are still going strong! http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf1994-07-14-c/