Freddy’s Claims a ‘Steak’ in Waukee

Freddy’s recently opened in Waukee on September 28th, making an exciting addition to the Alice’s Road area. 

Freddy’s is a popular American Fast-Casual restaurant. They are known for their steakburgers and frozen custard concrete shakes. The new location features an outdoor patio and drive-through service. The restaurant operates at a capacity of 75 in person, but Freddy’s will also start offering mobile ordering in late October. 

Freddy’s is part of a more broad and expansive improvement to Alice’s Road. This development also brought a Target store which recently opened on October 13th. More stores such as an Olive Garden franchise are currently being built. The second phase of the plan is to turn the location into the flagship town center of Waukee. This plan was rolled out by the City in recent years because of the tremendous growth in Waukee. Northwest High School Sophomore and Freddy’s Employee, Dominic Purcell, says, “It’s going to be a fun time to live in Waukee these next few years.”

The Freddy’s franchise uses frozen custard rather than the traditional form people are accustomed to. Purcell stressed, “[Freddy’s] is going to bring fast food hospitality, and a new spin on ice cream to Waukee.” 

The Freddy’s menu is very contrasting to a typical fast food restaurant. Freddy’s says each steakburger is handcrafted right when a customer orders, and it is made with 100% premium beef. The restaurant flat presses each burger patty to create crispy edges. Freddy’s is one of the fastest growing franchises in the United States since 2002, and now they have opened their second franchise in the Des Moines area. “MLY Investments, LLC” was formed in 2014 to bring 22 locations to the Iowa/Illinois region. They are tasked with managing the franchises and finishing all planned 22 stores. According to their website, they intend to construct two more around Des Moines. Northwest High School Junior and Freddy’s fan, Alexander Cervantes, states, “I plan to go every day. It is good we have another great spot to grab burgers in Waukee.”

Freddy’s faces competition in the Waukee fast food market, with businesses such as McDonald’s and Culver’s already having a trusted and tried consumer base. Freddy’s thinks that their connection with the local community will help them catch up to their competitors. A Freddy’s customer service representative said, “We are always open to helping out sports teams or businesses with fundraisers or catering.” 

Freddy’s typically advertises their strong relationship with customers, and they believe that will also help them establish themselves. As their representative said, “We train everybody to treat customers like family rather than everyday customers.”