Business
How a Former 60-Plus-Unit Burger King Franchisee Team is Leading Fosters Freeze to Renewed Growth
Fosters Freeze Making a Comeback; Eyeing Inland Empire for Future Growth
By IEBJ staff
December 3rd, 2020 — Brothers Neal and Nimesh Dahya have worked with more than 180 restaurant franchises with iconic brands like Burger King, IHOP and Pizza Hut. Now, the 36- and 34-year-old expert franchisees are taking on the franchisor role to help the beloved ice cream franchise grow again.
Brothers Neal and Nimesh Dahya built a franchisee empire with some of the biggest names in foodservice. The Dahya’s have owned, consulted for or invested in more than 180 restaurant franchise locations for brands including Applebee’s, IHOP, Burger King, Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays. It’s safe to say the career franchisees, now 36 and 34, respectively, have learned a thing or two about what makes for a successful restaurant franchise. Now, the Dahyas are applying their expertise and passion for franchising to the franchisor side, focusing on reigniting growth for the beloved but previously neglected Fosters Freeze franchise.
“You say the name ‘Fosters Freeze,’ and you see people’s faces light up — it’s like magic,” said Neal, President and CEO of Fosters Freeze. “It’s not often that you find a brand that people feel such a personal attachment to, and there’s no doubt that the demand for Fosters Freeze far exceeds its current footprint.”
To many people, the name Fosters Freeze conjures up sepia-toned memories of after-school soft-serve or post-little league celebrations. The ice cream and burger franchise, which was established in California in 1946 and grew to more than 300 locations across the west coast at its height, has been a fan favorite institution for generations, but up until recently, the brand’s corporate team had done little to encourage growth, and the franchise system languished. But Neal says the franchise’s positive brand awareness puts it in a strong position for a return to greatness.
Neal and Nimesh purchased the franchise just five years ago, and already the brand is showing impressive growth. With 66 restaurants currently open for business, sales across the system have increased every year since the brothers arrived — including a whopping 20% year-over-year jump from ‘19 to ‘20, on top of five previous years of growth — and this year, one of Foster Freeze’s most tenured franchisees, a five-unit owner whose family has been with the brand for more than 50 years, decided to take advantage of the heightened support by opening a new store in Salinas, California.
Even 2020’s unique challenges for the restaurant industry haven’t slowed Fosters Freeze’s growth under the Dahyas’ watch. Thanks to a flexible, small-footprint store model with walk-up windows perfect for low-contact take-out, Fosters Freeze stores were able to continue serving customers while other restaurants were closed for social distancing.
Since taking over, Nimesh says he and his brother have been listening to feedback from the brand’s current franchisees, tightening up the franchise’s operational model and rolling out new design touches, including updated signage.
“This is a franchise that for many years just wasn’t treated as a franchise,” Neal said. “Every franchisee owned and managed their store pretty much independently, without any support from the corporate team, and the corporate team put virtually no investment into growing the brand.”
By reinvesting in Fosters Freeze as a franchise, and not just a chain of independent businesses, the Dahyas have already brought new life into a system that franchisees say just needed a little TLC.
“Since Sanjay Patel and Neal bought Fosters Freeze and took over corporate management, sales have been up 10–15% each year for each of my stores. That’s almost an 80% increase in sales across my stores.” said Hafed Alwajih, a Fosters Freeze franchise owner since 2012.
It’s little wonder why Neal and Nimesh’s strategy to revive Fosters Freeze prioritizes franchisee support. Nimesh says the brothers’ long and fruitful career as franchisees taught them that the success of any franchise system depends on the success of its owners.
“We’ve worked with a lot of different brands, so we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t,” Nimesh said. “We know that the more you invest in the franchisee, the better their business is going to perform and the better the entire system is going to do as a result.”
To support franchisees and promote growth, the Dahyas have implemented a number of dramatic improvements, “everything from reducing food costs to introducing a beautiful new store design,” Neal said.
“We’re seeing a lot of excitement from franchisees,” Neal said. “The general feeling is that we finally have an opportunity to make the most of a brand that has so much potential.”
Now, Fosters Freeze is preparing to leverage its revived franchise model for expansive growth. Currently, the brand has its sights set on expanding across the United States, particularly in Arizona and Nevada, in order to build on the loyal following and awareness that it’s established across California.
“The question we’re constantly hearing is ‘when are you coming to my state?’” Neal said. “So we know the demand is everywhere, but we’re being very careful to grow out strategically. Right now, we’re looking for qualified candidates across the United States. There’s no limit to how far we can take this.”
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. For more information on franchising with Fosters Freeze, please visit https://www.fostersfreeze.com/franchise/.
Riverside’s Phenix Technology Leads with Inclusion, Empowering the Disabled Community Through Workforce Training and Employer Education
Written by Logan Rosselli, IEBJ Content Contributor
In the heart of Riverside, off of Chicago Avenue, a small, but mighty team has been quietly manufacturing life-saving equipment for firefighters across the world for over 50 years. Phenix Technology Inc. is an internationally recognized fire helmet manufacturer who builds their products from start to finish right here in the Inland Empire. For their great products, they’ve received numerous awards such as the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Innovator of the Year, a 2016 “E” for Exports award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, a finalist position in the “Coolest Thing Made in California” competition and more. However, their most recent accolade doesn’t involve their products at all.
In 2024, Phenix founded the ground breaking “Opportunity for All” program to provide disabled community members with the opportunity to access career education, hands-on experience and employment opportunities through an 11 week training cohort. In this program, neurodivergent individuals wanting to find stable employment learn about standard hiring practices, writing a resume, effective interviewing and professional attire while getting on-the-job training with a partnered employer in the community. It has helped dozens of disabled community members to find a new sense of independence and achieve their full potential while helping local employers find dependable employees who bring a unique perspective to the workplace.
It’s for this program that the National Association of Workforce Development Boards (NAWB), a representative of over 570 workforce development boards across the United States, honored Phenix with the prestigious W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award in late March.
“While we take tremendous pride in the products we make, we also believe we have a mission to create a better world through developing opportunities,” said Angel Sanchez, CEO of Phenix Technology in a statement released in early April. “Opportunity for All has helped prove that individuals who have historically been excluded from the workforce don’t just contribute — they elevate organizations. We are honored to receive this national award and grateful to the partners who have helped us make this vision a reality.”
CEO Angel Sanchez Jr. accepts the NAWB Award
Though “Opportunity for All” is certainly the cornerstone program for the company, Phenix’s leadership team was not satisfied to leave their mission there. Thus, in 2024, the company founded its nonprofit arm, Phenix Gateway to offer more programs and advocacy to the community. Through Phenix Gateway, the company offers workforce development workshops for individuals who don’t need the full scale of the “Opportunity for All” program, but want to improve a specific skill like resume writing or workplace social skills.
However, Phenix knows that preparing disabled people for the workforce is only one end of the equation; the workforce also has to be prepared to accept the unique skills, perspectives and challenges of the disabled community. For this reason, Phenix Gateway offers employer training workshops as well as educational materials available to businesses and the community. Training programs cover a lot of ground, ranging from assistance with optimizing interviews for people with neurodevelopmental disorders to creating sensory-friendly environments in the workplace.
In Riverside, these programs have had a huge impact on the local community. As of March 2025, Phenix’s Opportunity for All program has had over two dozen participants and 44% found stable employment through or after the program. Their one-off workforce development workshops have seen over 200 participants learn new skills and help them find employment and the nonprofit currently partners with close to 90 businesses to assist them in their endeavor to create a more inclusive workforce.
Phenix Gateway staff helps a program participant with his skills
For businesses or community members interested in learning how they can support or participate in these programs, Phenix encourages them to reach out by email to info@phenixgateway.org and to attend their First Annual Gala: Rising Together, A Phenix Gateway Celebration, on Thursday, May 15th. Tickets for this event are available at phenixgateway.org.
Empowering Economic Growth: CALED Conference Set to Unite Industry Leaders in Ontario
CALED’s ‘Growing Local Economies from the Ground Up’ Conference is being held in Ontario at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport on May 7-9. This event is co-hosted by the City of Ontario and San Bernardino County, with Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, CALED’s Chair of the Board and Derek Armstrong respectively representing their city and county as Co-Chairs of the event.
With over 950 members and 45 years of empowering economic developers, CALED is the largest economic development association in the country and the annual conference is the number one place to meet and connect with the boots-on-the -ground, decision makers in our communities.
The conference will include a pre-conference teaching tour, ‘Building & Paying for Development Projects’ on May 6th and then begin in full on May 7th, with a welcome session and breakouts. Overall, there will be four general assembly sessions and 18 breakout sessions, which will delve into local economic development practices and innovative tools.
In addition to compelling content, the conference will have numerous opportunities to connect with community leaders and valued peers through networking receptions, the culinary crawl, and new this year, the Tournament of Champions, where conference attendees will navigate a gauntlet of games to win the grand prize on the evening of Thursday, May 8th.
To learn more about the conference and register, visit the CALED website at www.caled.org.
Business
Strengthening Community Connections: Our Exciting New Partnership with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL
Contributed Content | By Chris Venhoff, Senior Vice President and Inland Empire Market Leader for Consumer and Business Banking at U.S. Bank
As the Inland Empire market leader for U.S. Bank, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: we are proud to be the Official Bank Partner of Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center. This partnership represents a reflection of our deep commitment to the Inland Empire and our dedication to fostering a vibrant, thriving community.
At U.S. Bank, we believe that strong partnerships drive meaningful progress. Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center are at the heart of the region’s culture and economy, bringing people together for world-class entertainment, business conventions, and community events. By joining forces, we’re not only expanding our presence but also creating opportunities to engage with residents, businesses, and organizations in ways that make a lasting impact.
Through our sponsorship, we’ll support concerts, sporting events, and conventions that showcase the diversity and energy of the Inland Empire. But this is only the beginning. As our partnership evolves, we’ll work closely with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL to introduce community-focused programs, including financial literacy workshops and charitable giving initiatives.
This partnership is designed to bring added value to the people we serve. For our customers, we’re introducing the U.S. Bank Fast Pass Lanes, providing priority access at Toyota Arena events. Special offers, exclusive event experiences, and tailored financial solutions for businesses operating in the region are just a few of the many perks we’re excited to roll out.
Our employees are at the core of our success, and this partnership allows us to recognize their dedication. Through exclusive access to events, corporate hospitality opportunities, and community volunteer programs, our team will have new ways to engage with and celebrate the community they serve.
The Inland Empire is a dynamic, fast-growing region, and we’re committed to supporting its continued success. By investing in Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center, we’re helping to create and sustain jobs while driving local business growth. These venues bring in visitors, revenue, and visibility, strengthening the region’s economy.
This collaboration is about more than just sponsorship—it’s about making a difference. By working together, we can elevate not just these venues but the entire Inland Empire. At U.S. Bank, we’re committed to being a partner in progress, supporting our customers, businesses, and communities every step of the way.
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