Freddy’s Opens 600th Restaurant with Flexible Store Format

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has announced its 600th restaurant, with a new franchise-operated location in Beaufort, South Carolina. Announced on 13 October 2026, the opening combines a national growth milestone with a practical development change: an endcap restaurant without a drive-through, designed as part of the brand’s move towards more flexible property formats.

A milestone opening in South Carolina

The Beaufort restaurant will be owned and operated by Charleston Custard, which Freddy’s describes as a long-standing franchisee. The opening extends the brand’s presence across the south-east and places an existing franchise partner behind its latest milestone location.

The restaurant features seating for 65 guests and an outdoor patio. Its endcap configuration, rather than a restaurant with a drive-through, is the defining feature of the announcement beyond the headline outlet count.

Freddy’s is a fast-casual concept known for cooked-to-order steakburgers and freshly churned frozen custard. The company presented the Beaufort opening as a milestone in its continuing nationwide development, while also highlighting the role that different restaurant formats can play in supporting further expansion.

For the US franchise community, the announcement offers two distinct points of interest: the scale the brand has reached and the property approach being used for this particular opening. The latter provides a more specific view of how its development plans are taking shape.

More flexibility in restaurant property

According to Freddy’s announcement, the Beaufort restaurant is part of a recent initiative to introduce more flexible development formats. The stated aim is to accommodate a wider range of property opportunities and support continued brand growth.

That makes the absence of a drive-through significant, rather than simply an incidental feature of the site. At this location, the brand is using an endcap prototype with indoor seating and an outdoor patio instead.

The announcement does not establish that this format is replacing other Freddy’s restaurant configurations. It identifies the Beaufort opening as part of a broader effort to provide greater flexibility. The distinction matters: adding a format gives a development programme another option, rather than necessarily signalling a change across the entire estate.

Nor does the milestone alone demonstrate how the new format will perform. The information announced concerns the restaurant’s opening, physical configuration and ownership, not its sales or operating results. Prospective franchisees should therefore distinguish the availability of another property format from evidence about its financial performance.

An established franchisee takes the next step

Charleston Custard’s involvement puts an existing franchise relationship at the centre of the opening. Freddy’s identifies the operator as a long-time franchisee, making this a development led by an established partner rather than a newly recruited entrant.

The company is also actively seeking qualified single-unit and multi-unit franchisees. Its recruitment ambitions extend domestically and internationally, including the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Those recruitment plans should be read separately from the Beaufort opening. The South Carolina restaurant is an operating milestone, while the search for franchise partners describes the company’s continuing development ambitions. It does not, by itself, confirm additional restaurant openings in each market mentioned.

Where Freddy’s is targeting growth

Freddy’s says it will continue to prioritise growth across the north-east, Rust Belt, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Northern California and Florida. That list gives prospective operators a broad indication of the areas receiving attention as the brand advances its development programme.

The Beaufort opening adds a tangible example to that wider growth narrative. It combines an established franchise operator with a restaurant configuration intended to broaden the range of suitable property opportunities, while marking the brand’s 600th restaurant.

Practical takeaway: Prospective Freddy’s franchisees should ask which formats are available in their target market, what property requirements apply and what operating evidence supports each option. Beaufort demonstrates that a no-drive-through endcap format is part of the brand’s development approach; assessing its suitability still requires location-specific due diligence.