Freddys Expands into State; Rogers Location in the Works

Yet another restaurant chain is making an entrance into the Northwest Arkansas market. Franchisee Jamie Rheem of Branson plans to open Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers by late summer at 4507 W. Walnut St.

The 4,000-SF location, which formerly housed a KFC and adjacent nail salon, has been gutted, and will be remodeled into a sleek, contemporary eatery in the chain’s signature red and white. The restaurant will have seating for about 130, Rheem said, and will also have a drive-thru window.

The restaurant will create about 85 full-time and part-time jobs, including management positions, Rheem said.

Freddy’s retro-style menu features steakburgers — basically a hamburger with hand-pressed, 85 percent lean meat patties containing pieces of sirloin — as well as french fries, all-beef hot dogs, veggie burgers and frozen custard.

Through his company 3Pointe Restaurant Group LLC, Rheem opened his first Freddy’s location in 2010 in Branson. He recently opened one in Springfield, Mo., and plans a second location there. He also is developing restaurants in San Diego, Calif.

Rheem said he plans to open four to five Freddy’s restaurants in Northwest Arkansas, from Bentonville to Fort Smith. He’s scouting sites for his next two locations in the region, and hopes to open his next restaurant in Fayetteville.

Rheem targeted this area because of “all the growth going on here, lots of people, lots of excitement,” he said. He chose the Rogers location, in Scottsdale Center, because of the high traffic volume on Walnut and the proximity to Interstate 540.

The Rogers restaurant will be Freddy’s first in the state. The Wichita, Kan.-based chain now has more than 50 stores, mainly in the Midwest and Southwest.