The Grub Scout: Save room for dessert at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
I do loves me some frozen custard. I think I like it more than I do ice cream or frozen yogurt. So needless to say, I was pretty jazzed when I first heard about Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers coming to Oak Ridge, making it the first area incursion by the Kansas-based fast-food chain.
I’ve tried other local burger-and-custard enterprises in recent years, including the now-defunct Burger Fi on Cumberland (which I liked) and the still-popular Culver’s on Kingston Pike (I like the custard more than the burgers). I kept both products in mind as The Grub Spouse and I headed up Oak Ridge way to see what Freddy had to offer.
Aesthetically speaking, think of Freddy’s as Steak & Shake meets Culver’s. The dominant red-and-white color palette throughout the restaurant is also reminiscent of the Five Guys color scheme, although at Freddy’s most of the wall decor pays tribute to the co-founders’ father, namesake and World War II veteran Freddy Simon.
Inside, the queue ran from the counter almost to the door, but we found that the staff kept the line moving expediently enough. That gave us time to map out who would order what. I got dibs on the steakburgers, and I went with Freddy’s Original Double – two beef patties, two slices of cheese and a full complement of veggie garnishes. Instead of getting a combo with fries and a drink, I went with water and an order of deep-fried cheese curds (another similarity with Culver’s). That ran me $9.39.
Other burger options include a bacon and cheese double, a double steakburger California style, a double patty melt, and both fried and grilled chicken sandwiches. They also make a trio of hot dogs, which is the direction The Spouse went, ordering the chili and cheese dog combo, which comes with fries and a drink ($6.49).
Naturally, frozen custard was going to be part of the festivities. Freddy’s offers several signature frozen treats in both sundae and concrete form. These include the PBC&B (peanut butter cups and banana), the Hawaiian Delight and the Chocolate Brownie Delight. The Spouse went with the turtle concrete ($4.79), which is made with nuts, caramel and chocolate syrup blended into vanilla custard. I went with a regular vanilla custard with Reese’s peanut butter cup crumbles mixed in ($3.79).
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As at Culver’s, you can order and pay for your entire meal at once but ask them to hold your dessert until after the main course. That keeps your frozen stuff from melting in front of your eyes while you eat. After a few minutes’ wait, they called our number, and I retrieved our dinner from the counter.
I liked the steakburger. The two patties are super thin but tasty, and the pickle planks, lettuce, onions and tomato were cool and crunchy add-ons. I had to fight The Spouse over my supply of warm and gooey cheese curds, and even The Spouse’s shoestring fries were a salty treat. The dog itself didn’t necessarily distinguish itself, but they do use traditional hot-dog-style chili and the addition of onions was a nice touch.
As we finished up, I went back to the counter to have them make our custard. Another short wait later, and we were back at our table, lustily eyeing our creamy closers. I think frozen vanilla custard on its own is awesome (and I’m ambivalent about vanilla ice cream), but the Reese’s (not REECY’s) crumbles made it an even sweeter deal. I took a few bites of The Spouse’s turtle sundae, and although I’m not a big nuts-with-ice-cream proponent, I had to admit that this was a winning combination.
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Overall, of all the frozen-custard iterations I’ve tried in recent years (including my favorite, which comes from a small Midwest chain called Shakes), I’d have to say that Freddy’s frozen custard is right up there at the top, if not in sole possession of first place now. I’m happy to know I can get a good concrete and a decent burger within a reasonable drive, but my gut and my cholesterol levels may not fare well if I don’t manage to show some restraint going forward.
If you’re into this kind of food experience, I say definitely give Freddy’s a try. At least then, you can say you gave it a fair shake.
Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
Food: 4 (out of five)
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 4
Address: 347 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge
Phone: 865-272-5177
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
No alcohol service
Bottom line: Dig into freshly made burgers, dogs and more and top off your meal with creamy, delicious frozen custard treats at this new Oak Ridge fast-food eatery.