Sno-Flake Drive-In has new owners who want to bring back the classic burgers and cones

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For generations, the famous spot in South Lake Tahoe for soft serve ice cream cones, thick shakes, great burgers, and old-fashioned family fun has been the Sno-Flake Drive-In. New owners are now on board and ready to bring back those memories, and they are already hearing the stories of what the Sno-Flake meant to so many people.

The new owners, Salvador Davalos and Edith Lizaola want to "bring it back to what it used to be."

The couple are no strangers to South Lake Tahoe and customer service. Edith is a South Lake Tahoe native, South Tahoe High grad, and worked in several food and beverage locations before becoming a medical assistant. Salvador is from Carson City, and he has a long history in local food service, with eight years at what is now the Golden Nugget, and eight years at the Sno-Flake under the last two owners, with other restaurant stops along the way.

Salvador learned a lot from the customers and what they want in a local hamburger and ice cream stop, and he is now ready to make Sno-Flake special again.

Opening on April 13, they have found some adjustments were necessary. They just made changes to the soft serve recipe after finding the previous mix too low in fat content to be tasty. They are now experimenting with dipping as they want to bring back the famous dipped cones.

"We are getting a lot of locals coming back for repeat trips," said Edith. She said people from the nearby Al Tahoe neighborhood are stopping by, excited to see the 63-year-old business with open doors again.

Edith said they had one woman stop by who craved Sno-Flake cheeseburgers during her pregnancy and was excited to try one again. The daughter born after those often-enjoyed cheeseburgers is now 50 years old.

The original drive-in was called Snow Flake when it held a grand opening on July 19, 1961. The signage has been "Sno-Flake" as far back as anyone can remember.

Salvador and Edith said their restaurant is officially Sno-Flake at Tahoe to separate things from recent owners, but they want to be known as Sno-Flake, the place for consistently good food and good service.

"I'm going to try my hardest to bring Sno-Flake back to where it used to be - quality food and great service," said Salvador. "We'll work hard and bring it back to life."

The couple will be adding a fire pit outside, and Salvador has been sanding down and staining outside furniture that will be out on the deck as the weather improves.

Craving garlic/parmesan fries? Sno-Flake now has them, and they also added Cajun fries and a crispy chicken sandwich. So far the most popular burgers are the Tahoe Burger and the Teriyaki Burger, and they've been selling a lot of soft serve cones. Does a Reese's Peanut Butter or Snickers milkshake sound good?

Dogs are also welcome, and they have created a pup cup of ice cream for the four-legged family members.

Families will also find the Sno-Flake a good stop. The owners have two daughters, aged 5 and 8. Their older daughter's class from Bijou Elementary will be making a field trip to the restaurant soon.

The prices have changed since Sno-Flake was last open, but the cost of doing business has significantly risen from food to utilities.

The Sno-Flake will also have consistent hours so people craving that shake, cone or burger won't be disappointed if the doors close early. They will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. until summer when they expand to 9 p.m. Salvador said he also wants to pursue quick breakfasts too, but that will be down the road. Right now they don't have a beer/wine license though that might be planned in the future.

The Sno-Flake is located at 3059 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe.