Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, a national chain serving classic American diner food, opens in the Old Capitol Town Center Tuesday.
Facing Clinton Street and sandwiched between Noodles and Company and what will soon be a Panera Bread, the first downtown Iowa City Freddy’s location seats 110 guests, with additional patio seating in warm weather months. The restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Stephen Young, Freddy’s operating manager, said the brand is famous for its double steakburger, shoestring fries and “the best custard in the country.” He also recommends the cheese curds. Freddy’s sandwich, fries and drink combos cost $7.39-8.19 — prices comparable to fellow steakburger/custard chain Culver’s.
Food is ordered at the register and served at a window further into the restaurant, with completed order numbers announced over a microphone.
Freddy’s originally opened in Wichita, Kansas in 2002, and now has locations in 32 states. The new Iowa City restaurant is owned by Mike Young (Stephen’s father), who has opened eight Freddy’s franchises across central, northern and eastern Iowa.
Young and his family, based in Cedar Rapids, also own and operate more than 20 Panera Bread franchises in Iowa, and are adding another next door to Freddy’s, expected to open in the coming months. There are already three Paneras in the area — two in Coralville, one in the Iowa City Marketplace — but the nearest Freddy’s franchises are in Cedar Rapids (one in Westdale Mall, one on Blairs Ferry Road).
“We look forward to being a convenient dining option for guests in the busy downtown Iowa City area looking for a place to eat,” Young said of Freddy’s in a press release.
Freddy’s is the second restaurant to open in the Old Capitol Town Center in the last month, joining local Vietnamese restaurant Saigon’s Corner.
