Fast-Growing Burger Chain Plans to Open 65 New Locations This Year
No matter how many locations they already have under their belt, America's biggest burger chains seem to never stop growing. McDonald's recently announced an ambitious goal to add around 10,000 additional restaurants to its system by the end of 2027, while Jack in the Box has signed commitments to develop 123 new locations in the coming years. Now, another popular burger chain is previewing its plans to rapidly grow its footprint with dozens of new restaurant openings in 2024 alone.
Chris Dull, CEO of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, recently discussed the chain's aggressive growth pipeline in an interview with QSR Magazine. The chain currently boasts more than 500 locations across 36 states after opening a record 62 restaurants throughout 2023. And this year, Freddy's plans to outdo itself by opening about 65 additional locations.
RELATED: 10 Seafood Chains That Surprisingly Serve Great Burgers
These new openings are just a drop in the bucket of Freddy's long-term expansion goals. The chain—known for its smash burgers and fresh frozen custard—currently has more than 550 restaurant development commitments and more than 140 locations that have either started construction, purchased land, or signed leases, QSR Magazine reported.
Freddy's announced in January 2024 that it's aiming to have 800 restaurants in operation by 2026. Additionally, the company believes that there's potential for it to grow to more than 3,000 locations in new and existing markets throughout North America, per QSR.
If Freddy's does manage to eventually surpass the 3,000-unit milestone, it could become one of the largest burger chains in America in terms of sheer size. QSR Magazine's most recent ranking of America's biggest burger chains shows that only McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Sonic boast more than 3,000 locations as of 2022.
So where is Freddy's headed? While the chain hasn't fully detailed where its new openings will be located, it has offered some hints regarding the markets where it plans to expand. In late January of this year, Freddy's announced that several of its existing franchisees had agreed to open more than 30 new stores in their corners of the country. A press release revealed that New Mexico, Texas, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Arizona are among the states where operators plan to grow Freddy's footprint.
"We are proud to have these groups as part of our network and couldn't be more excited to further our partnerships with them," Chief Development Officer Andrew Thengvall said in a statement at the time.
Another Freddy's expansion push announced via press release in January indicated that the chain will also open new locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Canada.
A Freddy's representative did not immediately respond to our queries for more details on where the chain is headed.
Sign up for our newsletter!
