Coal Grove's Freezette: A Family Food Affair

Angela Henderson-Bentley


    For some of us, working every single day with our family is not our idea of a good time. But, for the owners of the Coal Grove Freezette, it’s a wonderful experience to not only see each other every day, but also to see the customers and staff whom they now consider family as well.
    The Freezette has been a part of the Coal Grove community since 1966, but since January 2017, it’s been owned by Kayla Fulford; her sister, Meranda Hayes; and her mother, Leah Blake. The trio previously owned Monty’s Pizza in Huntington for 13 years.
“We all enjoy small, family-owned food places. We’re friendly and very welcoming. We have fast service, and our employees always have smiles on their faces,” said Fulford. “My sister and Mom and I work together every day Monday through Friday. It’s something we all enjoy together.”
    A couple of months after Fulford and her family took over, they started renovating the restaurant to give it a brand new look. They replaced the seating inside and also added seating outside for the summer months. Just recently, the Freezette got another bit of a facelift with new flooring and some new paint.
    But one thing that hasn’t changed is the home-cooked food for which the Freezette has been known for more than 50 years. The most popular seller at the Freezette is the footlong hot dog, complete with Blake’s secret recipe sauce. The hamburgers are also popular, as the patties are fresh and not frozen. You can also find 20 flavors of hand dipped ice cream at the Freezette – flavors they rotate on a regular basis.
    “We try to keep it new and mix-it-up for people,” Fulford said. Her personal favorite flavor is banana cream pie, which is one of their top sellers.
    They also use that same “mix it up” philosophy for the overall menu, as they are constantly adding new menu items. One of their most popular new items is their homemade cinnamon rolls, baked by Blake. They are only available Thursday-Saturday, and Fulford said they sell 300 of the rolls each week.
    Another of the newer items that has proven popular is the Freezewich, a sandwich of ham, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, cheese and onion, with a bun made from breadsticks with cheese. The Freezette is also known for their fish sandwiches and salads. And, the restaurant is open for breakfast so customers can enjoy an omelet or biscuits and gravy, with homemade gravy made by a longtime Freezette employee.
    During the summer, homegrown tomatoes and South Carolina peaches are available for purchase, and peach milkshakes make their way onto the menu.
    “We’re always trying to bring new things in and give people a reason to come,” Fulford said. “We’ve kept some of our older menu items, too, and we’ve kept the items that have been popular over the years.”
    Fulford and her family are from Scottown, Ohio, but the Coal Grove community has completely embraced them and what they’ve done with the village’s local restaurant. Students from the nearby Dawson-Bryant Middle and High schools visit after school, and parents will pre-order lunch for their students for delivery by Freezette staff. The Freezette is also a popular stop before and after Coal Grove sporting events.
    The Freezette community continues to expand thanks to Facebook, which Fulford says has been “huge” for them, bringing in customers from different areas, including Huntington, Wayne and Ashland. Coal Grove natives returning to visit from Columbus and other areas also stop by and often take some of Blake’s hot dog sauce back with them.
    But Fulford’s favorite thing about co-owning the Freezette is seeing the regular customers, some of whom come in five days a week. “They’ve become part of our family,” Fulford said. “If they’re not here, we wonder where they’re at.”
    Fulford said she and her sister and mother also consider their staff as part of their brood as well. “Our workers are like family and everybody gets along,” Fulford said. “Between our customers and our staff, we’ve made some lifelong best friends."