Fentons to Open Ice Cream Parlor at Nut Tree Park

Fentons to Open Ice Cream Parlor at Nut Tree Park
By Ines Bebea

VACAVILLE - Fentons Creamery & Restaurant, an old fashioned ice cream parlor, is coming to Vacaville.

The Oakland-based family-owned restaurant, which has been serving homemade ice cream, sauces and sandwiches to Bay Area residents since 1894, is opening its second restaurant at the Nut Tree Park tomorrow.

The new location at the Nut Tree Market Pavilion will have its signature 1930s ice cream parlor decor featuring retro booths, marble-topped counters and tables and will serve its famous half crab sandwich and banana specials from its menu.

As part of the Fentons' eating experience, customers will be able to watch how the ice cream is made, as well as take tours of the ice making process.

The Vacaville store is the first location outside of Oakland for the restaurant and the Nut Tree Park was a big factor in the decision, owner Scott Whidden said.

"We chose Vacaville because I've always been enchanted with Nut Tree Park," Whidden said. "The new development at Nut Tree Park gives us an opportunity to work with the community they served, and we are also a very family- and community-oriented business."

Customers who aren't familiar with Fentons' Creamery and Restaurant can look forward to freshly made food and desserts, and the type of family service that is lacking in some chain restaurants, he added.

"Eating at Fentons is a flash back to old times, when going to the local restaurant felt like home, where friends, couples and families went to eat because they knew they will be taken care of," Whidden said.

The restaurant will have a grand opening May 24. Managers are still looking for qualified applicants to fill positions. The restaurant holds an open house at 10 a.m. every Saturday for interested applicants and tour seekers.

"We are looking forward to being a part of the community," he said. "Being active in the community is a big part of doing business. We have been around for so long, that we've dealt with generations of families. Our community involvement is another avenue for us to take care of people."

Community involvement includes work with Vacaville's Fire Department, Girls Inc. and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Future plans include choosing a charity each month to donate time and money to, as well as asking the community what charities matter to them and how the company should be involved.

"When it comes to charities we don't just write checks," Whidden said. "We actively look of how we can help them, how they serve people and see it is meaningful to us."

For information about employment opportunities, you can visit them online at www.fentonscreamery.com.

Reach Ines Bebea at 427-6934 or ibebea@dailyrepublic.net.