Quick Pit Stop to Freddy's

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers

12032 Amargosa Road

Victorville, CA 92392

The food options while driving to Vegas are limited to fast food places, coffee shops, or scavenging to find something to eat at the mini-mart of a gas station. Of course, these options are all fine, because they get you back on the road quicker, and that gets you to Sin City faster. We were leaving Orange County at noon, so that put us in Victorville around 1:30, and that would be a good time to stop and eat. One of the truck drivers at work had heard good things about Freddy's, so that is where we decided to get off of the highway and give this place a try.

Freddy's is a chain fast food joint that specializes in frozen custard and steakburgers. Started in Wichita, Kansas in 2002, this chain has been named one of the fastest-growing burger concepts in the US. They operate over fifty stores in nine states, with 30 more stores slated to open in 2012. With all of this expansion, I was excited to see what they had to offer.

When we walked in the Victorville location it was really hopping. A lot of these people had the bloodshot eyes of a return trip from Las Vegas, but there were also a lot of families sprinkled in the mix as well. Kids were all over the place. After checking out the normal fast food restaurant menu, we ordered at the counter and waited for the food to be brought out to the table. This is how it came out.

Katie will start off Freddy's experience with her lunch, the #6 Combo, otherwise known as the California Steakburger Combo. This differs from a regular steakburger by omitting the usual mustard and pickles that come on their burgers and adding Freddy's sauce, which is more like a thousand island type sauce. Is it just me, or is the California Burger trying to resemble an In-N-Out burger? Anyways, Katie really liked the fresh ingredients here, but this burger lacked juiciness that most burgers have. She called this burger, "good, not great". She also liked these fast food fries. 

Driving the highways makes a guy hungry, so I went with this #4 Combo, a Single Steakburger, and a Hot Dog. First up the burger. Like Katie, I did not note the juiciness that should accompany a burger. The thinness of the patty can be seen in the picture above. I maybe should have gotten a double to make up for the lack of meatiness here. The burger came with pickles, mustard, and onion. The fries at Freddy's were fine, but a little hard to handle because they were so small. I would have liked these more if they had been bigger.

The best part of this meal was the Hot Dog. Not the usual hot dog bun here, they used more of a hybrid, bun/toast, which is buttered and toasted. A very nice touch that adds a slight crunch and enhanced flavor when bitten into. The hot dog itself was not to be outshined here either. They use Vienna Premium Beef Franks here, which have a good snap and a nice beefy flavor. Solid fast food hot dog at Freddy's.

Of course, Freddy's is known for their frozen custards, so we could not leave without splitting a Peanut Butter Cup and Banana Sundae. Truthfully, I wanted this as concrete, which is their version of a shake, but it came out as a sundae. Mistakes happen, so it was not a big deal. I have had a few frozen custards lately and have decided they might not be for me. Custard melts too fast and doesn't hold its consistency. The custard here was kind of bland tasting, but the toppings almost helped make up for that. The banana was very fresh, and you can never go wrong with peanut butter cups. This would have been made better with some hot fudge or chocolate sauce. I will have to make sure to try a concrete next time I am here. 

Freddy's was okay but did not seem better than any other place to stop along the highway to Vegas. The food was good, but not great. The burgers were okay, and the only standout for me was the hot dog. The staff here was really working hard. There was a large staff and it did help get the food out quick, which in turn got people back on the road quicker which is the goal at these roadside eateries. 

Out out of five keys, (because the city of Victorville's motto is, "Key City of the High Desert"), five being best to zero being worst, Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers get 2.5 keys. 

For more information about Freddy's, click here: https://freddysusa.com/