By Matt Dotson, Reporter
Thursday, a new restaurant will be added to Fast Food Row. Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is opening its doors at 10:30 a.m. with its new location across the highway from campus.
Franchise owner Keith Alter, said although there’s already a Freddy’s in Hewitt, he wanted a location in closer proximity to Baylor students.
“We opened our first Waco location last year at the corner of Hewitt and Mars Drive. It’s been a whirlwind year, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed serving our guests,” Alter said. “We knew we wanted to make Freddy’s a more convenient option for our guests who reside further north, and the location across from Baylor University is a great fit.”
He said providing accessibility is one of the driving factors behind his opening of the new location. The new Waco location will be one of several hundreds of storefronts in the nation, according to Freddy’s website.
“This location has many of the real estate features for which we look, including interstate proximity,” Alter said. “We hope to be an accessible dining option for university students and area residents making their way along I-35.”
Alexandra Pearce, public relations manager for Freddy’s, said there are several features to separate Freddy’s from other burger joints, including history, atmosphere and menu items.
“Guests of the restaurant will see walls filled with genuine photos of 90-year-old co-founder Freddy Simon, who served in World War II,” Pearce said. “Many of our guests think Freddy is a fictitious person, but, in fact, he’s real. The Freddy’s restaurant concept is all about optimism, patriotism and the upbeat values of our great country. It’s an atmosphere to which everyone can relate. Additionally, every menu item at Freddy’s is cooked to order, and our frozen custard is made fresh throughout the day in the restaurant.”
The chain’s menu items include lean ground beef steakburgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries and dessert treats prepared with freshly churned chocolate or vanilla frozen custard. The most popular menu item is the number one combo meal, also called the Original Double, Pearce said.
Alter said he has high hopes for the new Freddy’s opening.
“There’s definitely excitement in the air and we’re ready to open our doors on Thursday,” Alter said. “Our new team members are eager to serve first-time Freddy’s guests and seasoned Freddy’s guests alike. We’re thankful for the community support surrounding our area expansion, and we’ll strive to provide the same mix of hospitality and guest service that guests of our Hewitt Drive location have come to expect from us.”
Restaurant hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Guests are encouraged to follow Freddy’s on social media and use #ILoveFreddys to express feedback they might have for an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming brand campaign, Pearce said.
Other restaurants opening this semester near the new Freddy’s are In ‘N’ Out Burger, Steel City Pops and Heritage Creamery.
