When was your first Fanci Freez visit, Boise? 1950s? ’80s? 2000s? Help it celebrate 75 years

Bill Hawes likes to talk about how his mother used to go to Fanci Freez when she was a student at Boise High School in the 1950s.

All of these decades later, Hawes and his family own the popular burger and milkshake joint on State Street, which will turn 75 years old on Saturday — right as its super-busy summer season really heats up.

To celebrate, the restaurant is hosting live music, running a reusable straw promotion, and selling T-shirts and stickers.

“We’re trying to celebrate all month long,” said Nick Hawes, Bill’s son and the director of marketing and strategy at Fanci Freez.

Running Fanci Freez is a family affair for the Haweses, who have owned the restaurant since 2017.

“My wife helps us do the books and payroll,” Bill Hawes said. “And I have four boys, and a couple of my other sons have come to work in between the college years.”

Fanci Freez through the years

Fanci Freez has naturally undergone some changes since it opened in 1947. The addition of a drive-thru came in the 1970s, Bill Hawes said. Around the same time, Fanci Freez added a kitchen and started serving burgers, dogs and fries, in addition to its classic milkshakes and ice cream.

He said air conditioning in the kitchen was only a recent addition, to keep things cool during the hot summer months.

Other than that, Bill Hawes said Fanci Freez has stayed true to its roots and been successful in doing so.

“It’s busy. We call it summertime milkshake season,” he said.

The State Street location in Boise, at the corner of 14th Street, retains its vintage charm, with a light-up ice cream cone sign out front and classic retro details. Pink, yellow, black and white signs advertise “old-time burgers and shakes.”

Down the road in Meridian — where Fanci Freez participated in the Meridian Dairy Days parade last weekend — the Hawes family opened a new location. Situated in the Northpointe Retail Plaza, it is about three times larger than the original shop.

Bill Hawes said right now might not be the best time to do it, but the family is interested in opening yet another location eventually.

“We have enough support, and it would be great to open more,” he said. “But real estate’s been really expensive, and the supply chain stuff is difficult, too.”

Boise’s love of Fanci Freez

Doug Wilson told the Idaho Statesman he has been going to Fanci Freez since the 1960s. His wife, Marlene, said she has been going since the ‘80s.

Their daughter and son-in-law, Wanda and Ron Richardson, sat across from them on a recent visit. Visiting from Utah, they said Fanci Freez is a must every time they come to town.

“Before we leave, we’ll send a video to the rest of our family letting them know where we are,” Marlene Wilson said.

Wanda Richardson laughed, and said, “We always take a picture and send it to our kids and make them jealous.”

Wanda recounted summer milkshake runs when she worked at Idaho Sporting Goods in the 1980s, and Ron said he remembered taking their children to Fanci Freez after skiing at Bogus Basin.

That kind of long-standing community support is what has helped Fanci Freez thrive for 75 years, according to the Hawes family.

“I think Fanci Freez means enough to the community that we have a lot of support when random things happen. Like somebody stole one of our drive-thru signs,” Bill Hawes said. “That was posted on Facebook, and I was really surprised to see so many people supporting us (and) trying to help us find it.”

With the help of those Fanci Freez fans, the sign returned — just as the customers do.