Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is testing a new Everyday Value Menu at participating locations across seven states, entering a crowded field of fast-casual and QSR operators competing aggressively on price. The limited-time pilot is live in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas, available via drive-thru, dine-in, and off-premise channels including the Freddy's mobile app.
The Menu and Pricing
Four items anchor the value tier, each engineered to hit a sub-$3.50 entry point. The Steakburger Taco — a thin-pressed patty with American cheese, lettuce, and jalapeño fry sauce in a grilled tortilla — starts at $3.49, as do two-piece Chicken Tenders (served with BBQ, ranch, or honey mustard) and an all-beef Hot Dog on a toasted bun; the Hot Dog can be upgraded to a Chili Cheese Dog for an additional $1.50. A Chocolate Chip Custard Cookie, frozen custard sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies and rolled in mini chocolate chips, rounds out the lineup at $2.99. Pricing may vary by location.
Value as a Strategic Lever
The test reflects a broader industry pivot toward accessible price architecture. Across the fast-casual segment, operators have faced sustained pressure from cost-conscious consumers who pulled back on frequency through 2025 and into 2026 as menu price inflation compounded. Chains from Shake Shack to Portillo's have experimented with bundled meals and entry-level SKUs to defend traffic without eroding brand equity — a balance Freddy's is navigating with curated additions rather than a sweeping price rollback.
Erin Walter, Chief Marketing Officer at Freddy's, framed the rollout around quality parity, not discounting. "Beyond price, we believe great value is about delivering the quality and experience that makes Freddy's special," she said. "Our Everyday Value Menu offers a variety of craveable options at approachable price points, whether Guests are stopping in for a quick bite, a satisfying snack or a sweet treat."
Scale and Development Backdrop
With more than 600 locations across the United States and Canada, Freddy's has the franchised footprint to run meaningful multi-market tests before a potential systemwide rollout. The Wichita-based concept, founded in 2002, has built its unit growth on a cooked-to-order steakburger platform differentiated by freshly churned frozen custard — a dessert daypart driver that gives the brand a natural hook for low-price treats like the custard cookie.
The seven-state pilot spans both legacy and expansion markets, suggesting Freddy's is stress-testing the value menu against different AUV profiles and competitive densities before committing capital to a broader launch. For franchisees, the introduction of opening price-point items can lift transaction counts and daypart coverage — particularly during afternoon snack windows where the $2.99 custard cookie competes directly with dessert LTOs from larger QSR players. Watch franchisee feedback on ticket mix and check average impact as the clearest signal of whether this test scales. Sister coverage on fast-casual segment trends and franchise development provides additional context for operators tracking the value landscape.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
