Zesto
Alliance, Nebraska
As World War II was winding down in 1945, entrepreneur L.A.M. Phelam invented a frozen custard machine he named the Zest-O-Mat. He developed a store concept, franchised it, and Zesto ice cream stands proliferated across the South and Midwest in the 1940s and early 1950s. The stores closely resembled those of rival Dairy Queen with their cool blue-and-white color scheme, glass facades, wrap-around neon tubes, flat roofs that cantilevered over the front to shelter walk-up customers, even the trademark roof-mounted signs that featured a tilted soft ice cream cone. Phelam eventually tired of dealing with the store owners and quit the business in 1955, leaving the franchisees to fend for themselves. Without corporate backing, many retained the Zesto name and continued operating independently. A few – though not very many – remain in business today. This stand on the main drag in Alliance is distinguished as one of the few Zesto buildings left in near-original condition. It was closed for the season when I photographed it but does brisk business serving burgers and cones on hot summer nights in this small Nebraska town – a still-functioning piece of 1950s Americana.
Zesto
Alliance, Nebraska
As World War II was winding down in 1945, entrepreneur L.A.M. Phelam invented a frozen custard machine he named the Zest-O-Mat. He developed a store concept, franchised it, and Zesto ice cream stands proliferated across the South and Midwest in the 1940s and early 1950s. The stores closely resembled those of rival Dairy Queen with their cool blue-and-white color scheme, glass facades, wrap-around neon tubes, flat roofs that cantilevered over the front to shelter walk-up customers, even the trademark roof-mounted signs that featured a tilted soft ice cream cone. Phelam eventually tired of dealing with the store owners and quit the business in 1955, leaving the franchisees to fend for themselves. Without corporate backing, many retained the Zesto name and continued operating independently. A few – though not very many – remain in business today. This stand on the main drag in Alliance is distinguished as one of the few Zesto buildings left in near-original condition. It was closed for the season when I photographed it but does brisk business serving burgers and cones on hot summer nights in this small Nebraska town – a still-functioning piece of 1950s Americana.