Frosty Treat

I was digging through a box recently that contained stuff I had put aside to preserve after my Father's death, when I came across this gem of a photo:



Frosty Treat Dancing Hot Dog Sign. Sioux Falls, SD

This was the sign that my dad (Don Huber) designed and placed in front of his fast food restaurant in Sioux Falls South Dakota. He purchased the place in 1959, changed the name to Taco Rita in 1980, and then sold it off in the mid to late 1980's.

Here's a color photo from a bit further back. This one includes the water tower that the city water department referred to as the Chicago Tower.

This is an ad cut from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader announcing the name change.


This picture was taken sometime in 1970. There was a parade in Downtown Sioux Falls, and this was the Frosty Treat hot dog float.



Pictured below are some of the Frosty Treat employees who built the float. I think that's my younger brother hanging on to Mike Olowski's hand, and to his right is Sherry. The two of them would later marry, and become my first wedding experience. I can still remember that volkswagon bug that Mike and Sherry drove, it was legendary in the eyes of my brothers and myself. I think I still like volkswagons to this day because of it.


This is a shot of the entire family, with me on the left in front of my Mom.



The Huber family and the Frosty Treat hot dog float

I'm not sure whose idea it was for the matching sweaters that day, but man did we make a statement! Those sweaters I've been told were made for us by my Aunt Inga who lived in Denmark.




Don Huber with his four boys in downtown Sioux Falls

This is how the Frosty Treat looked when my Dad first purchased it. Notice the original sign was but a fraction of the later version. Also notice the chairs up against the side of the building. In later years that side of the building became the spot where cars would drive up to get their food. My dad considered himself to be one of the early pioneers of the drive up window. Now, everybody has them.



Frosty Treat in Sioux Falls, SD. Approximately 1964.

Below is a close up of the front service window.


Below is a view of the front area where all of the ice cream dishes (ice cream cones, malts, banana splits, sundaes, etc) were served. Not sure who the kids in the photo are, but the one by the pop machine is probably one of my brothers. It was fun growing up with unlimited access to a pop machine.


This is the back area where the burgers and fries were cooked, that's Millie Gruber working the grill.


In 1983 an artist named A. Bruce Loeschen created a portrait of the city of Sioux Falls, which included the dancing hot dog sign. My dad was so proud.

This is just a partial shot of a much larger picture. Click on the link above to see the whole thing.

Here's a more modern photo of the entire place, including the shaded parking area on the West side.

A search of the web for anything "Frosty Treat" just to see if there was anything out there, turned up this. Not quite what I expected, but if you knew my Dad, it makes perfect sense :)

My Dad had a business prior to Frosty Treat, it was called Don's Standard Service. Here it is in 1960. I never got to see this one, since he sold it before I was born. The Piggly Wiggly right next to it is now a Pizza Inn. That funny little car on the left, that was my Mom's.



That's my Dad on the left.



Update 8/21/2015 - My hometown newspaper ran a story yesterday about my dad and some of his various business ventures.