New Freddy’s prototype doesn’t have a dining room. First one is being built in Kansas.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has new owners, and soon, it’ll have a new type of restaurant — one that looks kind of like a Sonic but without all the drive-in stalls — that franchisees will be able to build.
The Wichita-based company, which founders Randy Simon and Scott Redler sold to Thompson Street Capital Partners in March, announced this week plans to start offering franchisees the option to build Freddy’s restaurants that don’t have dining rooms. Instead, the new prototype has double drive-throughs, parking stalls for curbside pickup, and walk-up windows. The new restaurants will also have lots of patio seating.
The first one is being built at 916 E. Crawford St. in Salina. Construction just started, and the new restaurant is expected to be open in late August, said Jill Tinsley, public relations manager for Freddy’s.
There are no immediate plans to build one of the dining-room-free Freddy’s in Wichita, she said, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in the future.
The new design came about after a “thorough brand study” on customer habits and drive-through operations following the pandemic, according to a release from Freddy’s. Many restaurateurs have said that in a post-pandemic world, drive-through windows are essential for certain types of restaurants.
Customers who are “on-the-go” and “mobile-minded” will most benefit from the new design, the release said. The new design will be just one option future franchisees will have. The traditional restaurants with dining rooms will still be built, too.
Freddy’s, which was founded in Wichita in 2002, is planning to open 45 restaurants across the country by the end of the year. By July, the company expects to have restaurants in 33 states. There are currently more than 400 Freddy’s operating across the country.
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 11:06 AM.
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