Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers with Scott Redler
Welcome to the very first ever (3YUM6) blog! The (3YUM6) platform is designed to bring several Wichitans together to provide a local restaurant experience unlike anything you have ever encountered. This platform (at least in its inauguration) will consist of two main components - blogs and podcasts. The blogs will be written by several contributors who will give you their own experiences and takes on all things delicious in the 316.
Then there will be podcasts (that typically will be accompanied by a blog like this post) where we will be sitting down with local entrepreneurs to hear their stories on why they created the concepts we’ve grown to know and love. We want to share the stories of the hard working Wichita people because there is so much more behind that cup of soup, tasty entree, or sweet dessert we have all taken for granted. So sit back and grab a fork because we are diving right in with Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers! Go check out the full interview here or stream it on your favorite podcast platform!
On December 17th, 2021 - I did something that I considered to be somewhat insignificant and assumed I would never think of twice again. I posted our first ever (3YUM6) Review podcast over on the Wichita Podcast. During that episode we looked back at all of the local restaurants we had been ranking throughout the podcast thus far and readjusted our scores based on several reconsiderations. At the end of the episode, when we picked a new restaurant to review, we picked Freddy’s. Those that know me know my obsession with Freddy’s in general (going so far as to name my dog Freddy) and I figured it was a good restaurant to talk about as it started in Wichita but has grown exponentially since. We gave it a glowing review, of course, but we found ourselves getting side-tracked going even deeper than just the food. The friendship of Evan and me has gone back to when we were kids but our friendship with Andrew can be literally traced back to Freddy’s. You can listen to the full review over on the podcast if you haven’t yet, but one particular person happened to hear our high remarks and decided to reach out.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Corporate Office
The Director of Communications for Freddy’s, Jill, happened to be a fan of our show and when she heard us gushing about our love for Freddy’s she wanted to reach out to thank us. She sent us a lovely Freddy’s themed care package and we began corresponding back and forth. When she offered a chance to speak with someone from Freddy’s about the company, we knew we had to jump on it.
Fast forward a few weeks and we had just published our last episode of the year for the Wichita Podcast - White Castle (Jimmie’s Diner). We were getting great feedback from this onsite interview at Jimmie’s where we discussed White Castle starting in Wichita, how it directly was related to Jimmie’s Diner, and interviewed not only the current owner of Jimmie’s Diner but Jimmie’s daughter who happened to be eating in the restaurant! It was one of our coolest experiences on the Wichita Podcast and it got my mind juices flowing. What if we came up with a podcast where we could hear more of these stories? Would the Wichita public want that? We sure hope you do because here we are…
Welcome to Freddy’s!
It was a cold and snowy day in Wichita when we met at the corporate office to interview Scott Redler, one of the co-founders of Freddy’s. I pulled up right before our interview was to take place and grabbed all of my equipment out of the car to lug inside. The corporate office is off of Rock Road between Central and Douglas so it was thankfully a short drive for me and right by my favorite Freddy’s (I was MVP there in 2015 you know). The first thing you notice when you walk inside is a blazing Freddy’s sign that leads you right to the front door of the office. Once I was let in through the front door, let me tell you, it was exactly like I expected. There were pictures lining every wall in the entry way - pictures of Freddy Simon (the namesake), the burgers, the custard, and other Freddy’s related memorabilia. It was a very open and inviting atmosphere - exactly as I figured it would be. But what I did not figure I would see would be the break room to my left that was designed exactly like a Freddy’s restaurant complete with menu board.
Freddy surrounded by articles and pictures of the success of the restaurant chain.
I don’t know if this was planned or not, but it was February 24th - Freddy’s birthday. Freddy’s used to celebrate his birthday each year by making a cup or cone of the custard the cost of his age that year (when he turned 92 custard was $.92) but Freddy unfortunately passed back in 2020 at the age of 95. However, the office still celebrates his birthday every year by bringing in cake and, of course, frozen custard. It seemed like a very fitting day to be at the office.
Another shot of the walls lining the office.
I was taken into Scott Redler’s office and greeted by him. He offered me some cake or custard or water (I chose water at the time) and ran off to grab me some. I scanned his office which was also lined with photos of Freddy’s related items as well as his family. His grandson was his desktop computer’s background and several other photos of him lined the desk. Scott’s daughter, Katie, and I were friends in high school and I had heard the rumors that at her wedding they had a fry sauce fountain. So, of course, the first thing out of my mouth was, “Is it true that you had a fry sauce fountain at her wedding?” Scott quickly replied, “no” and I feared that I had ruined the interview before it even began. But he followed it up with, “We had two. One regular, one jalapeño.” I immediately could see what kind of guy Scott was and I knew we were in for a real treat when it came to the interview. Plus, it turned out, he was the one who built the fry sauce fountains himself!
“Can you actually order Freddy’s from that menu?” I asked. The answer was “no.”
Scott was a blast to interview - his dry humor and quick wit had us laughing the entire time and when he asked us to join him in the future at a Freddy’s so we could eat some delicious foods, we could tell he was being genuine in his offer (which of course we do still plan to follow up on Scott). He was born and raised in St. Louis, but moved here in 1990 expecting to be here no more than two years. However, “Wichita is a very special place” and he and his family ended up staying a lot longer than that. Wichita has now been the longest place he has ever lived and that’s because Wichita understands the risk and the reward in all entrepreneurial aspects, and specifically in restaurants.
How much custard is in that freezer right there?
Freddy Simon grew up in Colwich, Kansas and played basketball at Wichita State University (back before it was WSU). He fought in the war and was injured during his service. He grew up in an era where things were done the right way and that mindset was instilled early on in the restaurant - the Freddy’s Way. The Freddy’s Way is simple - you do things the right way, the way you should do them. And that is what Freddy’s has done for almost 20 years. They have never made a decision to lower the quality of the food or the food portions in general. They focus on culture, hospitality, and sanitation - making sure to build the restaurants the right way. When you order a burger, that is when the patty hits the grill.
On top of not changing much about the quality of the food, or the portions, the company has made guest driven decisions during the entire run of the restaurant. They knew that guests wanted chewable ice, and although the machines cost more money, cost more to repair, and don’t last as long, the decision was still made to install chewable ice. They make sure that the Freddy’s favorites are always on the menu and they seasonally rotate in different options (sometimes that are so popular they end up sticking around forever on the permanent menu).
You could see the passion for the restaurant industry deep within Scott during our interview and he is continually doing big things for this city and the surrounding area when it comes to developing industry talent. He and his wife are putting in an over 8,000 square foot culinary center at Butler with the hopes of changing the lives of students and developing the restaurant talent right here in the Wichita area. There will be a pastry kitchen and a culinary kitchen which will open up with a garage door to show a patio and herb garden. Scott thinks this might be one of the best venues in all of Wichita!
We had so much fun talking with Scott and continued our conversations without mics in the break room with frozen custard and cake after the interview. Go check out the entire interview, but also know that a brand new Freddy’s is coming at 2021 N. Amidon, Suite 100 and should be ready in the very near future. There will be no drive-through but instead the concept will be frozen custard forward. You will find the toppings at the front counter instead of the back counter and it should be a very interesting option to find in the Wichita area. Of course, go check out Freddy’s at their website and remember to do everything in your own life the Freddy’s Way.
