Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers — Restaurant in Durham

Let me save you from making the mistake I did - just don't go to Freddy's. Today, being the first (and ONLY) time I took my littles to Freddy's, I had no idea how ordering went, as it's not made clear and there were no other people at the counter. EVERYONE IN FREDDYS KNEW IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME. Two kids meals and an order of french fries. When the food came out, I looked at the basket of rings and there were four regular sized rings, and three small ones - a little bigger than a quarter.

So, I looked at the employee and asked, "Is this THE WHOLE ORDER?" with such a look of incredulity that Ray Charles could have seen my disappointment.

Any sane person would have said to me, "If you're not satisfied, we can get you something else or a refund."

Any decent person would have said to me, "If it looks short, we can cook you up a few more."

What the employee behind the counter at 2 in the afternoon of May 1, 2022 ACTUALLY said to me, and I kid you not,  was "I don't count them."

So, I was a bit rocked back, and I said, "So onion rings are a half dollar each?" I got a shrug in response, and the employee walked away.

I am uploading a photo to google of the pitiable serving of onion rings we received. It's the one with the word "PITIFUL" on it.

Also of note:

The kids' cheeseburgers were not recognizable as "meat" more like a serving of gravy that had burned on the grill.

The ranch dressing must've gone over at some point - threw it away because of the smell.

Whatever substance the straws are made of disintegrates as you try to get them out of the paper. I discussed this with another dad as we stood around watching our kids slurp up the last of their drinks and trashing them, instead of bringing with, cuz, you know, no straw, no container.

The fries were so over done as to be a kind of weird chip. I took a ten year old and a thirteen year old to lunch, and we threw fries in the trash can. First time EVER.

As we were walking out the door, I told the kids to turn around and take a good look at Freddy's, because we will never darken that door...

I’ve really tried. A year ago, my toddler declared Freddie’s a favorite restaurant, and I thought sure, fine. But since, the quality, the cleanliness, and most noticeably the management of this location have completely fallen off.

Every time we go, something is wrong. Tonight, kiddo’s birthday, they were out of fries, cheese curds, and hot dog buns. They didn’t bother to tell you, though, until you were mid-order, and every substitution you made was met with a call from the kitchen: “we’re out of that.” Last time, it was sodas. The time before it was ketchup, Freddie’s sauce, all kid’s meal components (juice, apple sauce), etc. They never have any condiments. You have to beg for a spoon for your custard.

Every time we go, someone is ridiculous. Tonight, a drive thru worker made a TikTok while a cook ate pizza from a pizza box, while 3 cashiers talked to/made ice cream for an employee who came to pick up a paycheck, all while a line of people were waiting to order. Last time, it took the custard person 4 tries to make a vanilla sundae with sprinkles, strawberries, and cherries. The time before, they thought it was acceptable to serve visibly spoiled hot dogs to children.

Every time we go, the food gets worse. The burgers aren’t smashed or lacy-edged (like a Freddie’s burger literally anywhere else), the chicken tenders aren’t fried crisp, the fries are soggy, the hot dogs are either day old wrinkly or (as mentioned above) visibly spoiled.

It has become a joyless, overstaffed place filled with people who couldn’t care less about doing the bare minimum. Food isn’t stocked or is poorly prepared, booths and bathrooms aren't cleaned. It’s too much. And while it’s hard to say whether it’s just an indication of incompetent management or a symptom of an exploitative business cutting all the wrong corners and pushing employees into chaos so frequently that they can no longer be bothered, it sucks just the same.

I just can’t try anymore....

[UPDATE May 2022] Staffing issues seem to have been resolved. Food was good as always. It still isn't the same as it used to be, but the staff were welcoming and efficient.

[UPDATE February 2022] I am so disappointed and sad to have to update my review. Given what happened tonight I can no longer recommend this, our favorite Freddy's location. We arrived for dinner and although there were people inside the restaurant dining the doors were locked. A mother tried to get her daughter to let her in unsuccessfully, which means that the patrons inside would've been unable to get out the doors in an emergency. When an employee came to the door we were informed that there was a staff of three trying desperately to support the busy drive-thru line as well as dine-in customers, so they were at capacity. I don't fault the staff for going into panic mode, but it will be a long time before we return at this point, and that is after waiting for so long to come back while the dining room was closed.

[ORIGINAL 2019] We love Freddy's! The food and service are all fantastic, and our family of two adults and four kids 7 and under eat well for a reasonable price. There is a lot to love about this place, but one of my favorite features is the large bench/booth seating so we can all sit together and not have to move tables together or worry about blocking foot traffic.

We have only ever gone for dinner, and it hasn't been busy. I can't speak for the lunch hour rush, but the service is quick and the food goes down fast (unless you count savoring the thin fries with each pinch of 10 getting shoved into my mouth).

Definitely a good stop if you like hot dogs, burgers, or the other stuff they sell. The custard is good too, and they have a great selection of fun combinations that kids and...