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Freddy's, LLC
	A Freddy's in Cartersville, Georgia
Trade name	Freddy's
Formerly	Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers; (2002–2024);
Company type	Private
Industry	Restaurants
Genre	fast-casual
Founded	2002; 22 years ago
Founders	Bill Simon; Randy Simon; Scott Redler; Freddy Simon;
Headquarters	260 N. Rock Road; Wichita, Kansas; United States
Number of locations	515 (2023)
Area served	35 states
Key people	Chris Dull, CEO, President and Co-Founder; Scott Redler, COO and Co-Founder ; Freddy Simon, Co-Founder
Products	Steakburgers, hot dogs, french fries, frozen custard, milkshakes, soft drinks
Revenue	US$925 million (September 2024)
Owner	Thompson Street Capital Partners
Number of employees	9,751 (2021)
Website	freddys.com

Freddy's, LLC, doing business as Freddy's (known as Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers until 2024), is an American fast-casual restaurant chain based in Wichita, Kansas.^[3] Its menu includes steakburgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches. The company also provides frozen custard and specialty sundaes.^[4]^[5]^[6]

History

Freddy's was founded by co-founders Fredrick "Freddy" L. Simon, Bill Simon, Randy Simon, and restaurateur Scott Redler.^[7]

Freddy Simon was a World War II Veteran who lived in Wichita, Kansas. He joined the U.S. Army infantry in 1943 and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. He was awarded the Purple Heart due to sustained injuries, as well as a Bronze Star for Valor.^[8] Simon worked for the same company in the hospitality industry for 55 years, building connections with many restauranteurs.

Freddy Simon was a business partner to a restaurant in 2002 called Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. The restaurant started out as a family owned burger joint in Wichita. Freddy's gained a large fanbase within its first year of opening, which helped to open more locations in 2004. The food was based on meals that Freddy had served his own family, and was considered an 'All American' meal. The setting of the restaurant is fast-casual dining in the late 1940s and early 1950s and evokes "a post-war era of optimism, pride, and values focusing on unity and quality family time".^[9]

On December 17, 2016, Bill Simon, cofounder and son of Freddy Simon died at the age of 61. Freddy died at the age of 95 on October 25, 2020.

In March 2021, private equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partner purchased Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers for an undisclosed amount. In May 2021, Freddy's hired Chris Dull as CEO to take over the top post from co-founder Randy Simon.^[10] In August 2022, Freddy's hired Brian Wise as COO to take over the operations post from co-founder Scott Redler.^[11]

In November 2022, the company signed a master franchise and development agreement that will allow the brand to enter the Canadian market. The chain plans to expand across nine Canadian provinces, excluding Quebec.

Locations

The company, founded in Wichita in 2002, opened its first location on August 26 of that year near the intersection of 21st Street and Tyler Road. This location is still open today.

In April 2011, the company opened its 50th store in Victorville, California, and in October 2013, its 100th store in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Its 150th location opened in April 2015 in Loveland, Colorado, and nearly three years later its 300th location in Indianapolis, Indiana, in March 2018.

The state with the most Freddy's locations to date is Texas, with 73 restaurants.^[12]

In 2022 it was announced that Freddy's would be expanding their locations to nine provinces in Canada.^[13]

As of October 30, 2023, Freddy's has more than 493 locations across 37 states and 375 cities. In 2023, Freddy's opened 62 new locations, a record for the company, including its first restaurant within a Major League Baseball stadium at the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium.^[14]