Order a hot fudge sundae in most cities today, and you will get vanilla ice cream, that same warm chocolate pour and a cherry, exactly the way a soda fountain served it 70 years ago. But walk into the right shop this week, and you might find pistachio in the bowl, or a swirl of blueberry cutting through the fudge, proof that the classic is still being fussed over even as National Hot Fudge Sundae Day rolls around.
Every year on July 25, National Hot Fudge Sundae Day is celebrated without settling which town actually invented the dessert. Wisconsin’s Two Rivers traces its claim to 1881, when local tradition says soda fountain owner Edward Berners poured chocolate syrup over ice cream at a customer’s request. Ithaca, New York, points to a 1892 newspaper advertisement and other surviving business records as evidence for its claim. Los Angeles enters the story through C.C. Brown’s, which opened as a downtown candy shop in 1906, later claimed credit for developing the hot fudge sundae, moved to Hollywood and became known for its celebrity customers before closing in 1996.
Comfort, nostalgia and what’s being called “flavor escapism” are expected to influence restaurant menus this year, according to a 2026 culinary forecast. Diners are described as looking for food that recalls a favorite memory or offers a manageable escape through familiar dishes, global flavors and playful updates.
Soda fountains still pour the original
A small number of old-fashioned pharmacy counters and soda fountains still serve sundaes much as they have for decades. In Queens, New York, Eddie’s Sweet Shop has served hot fudge sundaes and homemade ice cream in the same Forest Hills storefront since 1967, inside a building that has operated as an ice cream parlor since 1925. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Franklin Fountain recreates a turn-of-the-century soda fountain down to its 1905 marble-and-bronze counter, pouring hot fudge over its Mt. Vesuvius sundae the same way it has since opening in 2004.
Farther west, Norm’s Soda Fountain has served burgers, milkshakes and sundaes in downtown Kalispell, Montana, since 1938. In the Midwest, Crown Candy Kitchen has poured sundaes from its original counter in St. Louis since 1913, run by the same family for four generations.
In the South, Borroum’s Drug Store in Corinth, Mississippi, has served hot fudge sundaes from its working soda fountain since 1865, and is often cited as the oldest drugstore in the country still operated by the same family. In Savannah, Georgia, Leopold’s Ice Cream has served hot fudge sundaes from its own marble soda fountain since 1919, using family recipes passed down from its three Greek immigrant founders.
On the West Coast, Fenton’s Creamery has served hot fudge sundaes in Oakland, California, since 1894, moving to its current Piedmont Avenue location in 1961 but keeping its handmade fudge recipe intact. The shop also inspired the ice cream parlor scene in Pixar’s 2009 film “Up,” after director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera, both regulars, asked to include it.
2 towns still claim the title
Regional pride over the sundae is playing out in real time this year. In Wisconsin, Two Rivers recognized 145 years since its soda fountain owner first served the dessert, celebrating the anniversary with its annual sundae festival, complete with 25-cent sundaes, an eating contest and a performance from the Manitowoc Marine Band.
Ithaca, New York, held its second annual Sundae Showdown this spring, selecting 10 finalists from recipe submissions across the country, building on an inaugural 2025 event that drew more than 450 attendees. Proceeds supported The History Center in Tompkins County, which preserves the records behind Ithaca’s claim to the dessert.
Restaurants give sundaes new ingredients
Sundaes now appear on 15.3% of U.S. restaurant menus, up from 13.7% five years ago, according to recent menu-tracking data on dessert trends. Pistachio, pretzel, gummies and blueberry are among the fastest-growing toppings on restaurant sundaes, according to the same report. Their increased use suggests some restaurants are treating sundaes as composed desserts instead of simple bowls of ice cream and sauce.
A dessert argued over for more than 140 years, and still showing up on more restaurant menus than it did five years ago, isn’t fashionable in a fleeting sense. It’s durable, and the next topping trend is probably already on its way to a sundae near you.
Mandy Applegate is the creator behind Splash of Taste and seven other high-profile food and travel blogs. She’s also the co-founder of Food Drink Life Inc., a unique and highly rewarding collaborative blogger project. Her articles appear frequently on major online news sites, and she always has her eyes open to spot the next big trend.
The post The hot fudge sundae is older than you think, and it’s on more menus than ever appeared first on Food Drink Life.
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