Capitol Hill Dessert Destination Old School Frozen Custard Closes After 12 Years

Sad news for local creamy cold custard fans. Sunday, August 22, was the last day of business for Old School Frozen Custard, the 12-year-old dessert destination on Capitol Hill, with the owners citing challenges from the pandemic as the primary reason for the closure. “Like many small businesses impacted by the complexities of Covid, Old School has hit the end of the road,” the shop announced on Facebook, noting that 100 percent of proceeds for sales this past weekend were earmarked for the charity Food Lifeline. Capitol Hill Seattle first reported the news.

Back in 2009, Old School Frozen Custard opened up its E Pike Street location, serving scoops billed as smoother and richer than regular ice cream, with a higher percentage of egg yolk. Flavors over the years included the likes of pomegranate mango, London toffee, raspberry fudge, and lemon meringue pie, available on top of cones, or as concretes, shakes, and pints (with some gluten-free and oat milk-based vegan varieties as well).

Early on, the treats proved so popular that the shop expanded to Bonney Lake and Fremont, although those two locations shuttered within a couple of years. In 2016, the Capitol Hill outpost of Old School looked like it would close, too, until new owners and longtime customers Meg Chaney (of Meg’s Retro Cookies) and her husband CJ stepped in to save the business.

The couple kept the shop going over for the past five years, adding a couple of newer items (Meg’s cookie background came in handy), while keeping the main menu mostly the same. Pre-pandemic, Old School Frozen Custard continued to hold its own, even with plenty of stiff competition in the neighborhood from the likes of Sweet Alchemy, Frankie & Jo’s, Salt & Straw, and Molly Moon’s, all just a few blocks away. But, unlike in 2016, it doesn’t look like Old School Frozen Custard will get a reprieve from closure this time around.

When reached for comment, the owners say there are “no plans to reopen the shop at another location, nor any plans for restaurant ventures” at this time.

• Say Goodbye to Old School as Capitol Hill Frozen Custard Shop Serves Final Scoops [CHS]
• Old School Frozen Custard [Facebook]