Dive Brief:
- Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers has introduced a lineup of premium beverages offering five Custard Cream Sodas and three new teas or lemonades, according to a Tuesday press release.
- The menu, called Freddy’s Bevies, could help the chain win consumers who want a premium, sugary beverage but may not be seeking the chain’s indulgent frozen custard shakes.
- Custard Cream Sodas are the brand’s entry in the dirty soda category, which has emerged almost overnight as a major point of competition among QSR brands. McDonald’s added dirty sodas in April and Chick-fil-A added frosted sodas in January.
Dive Insight:
Premium beverages generally offer restaurant brands the opportunity to capitalize on consumer shifts towards snacking and cold beverages. Dirty sodas — meaning soda with added flavors and dispensed cream — represent relatively high-margin, low-complexity menu items for restaurants. While they require more steps to build than a fountain drink, a dirty soda does not require the specialized labor or extra equipment necessary to add more complex drinks like espresso.
“Premium beverage growth is exploding right now,” Rick Petralia, Freddy’s senior director of menu strategy and innovation, said in a statement.
Freddy’s existing menu already offers a way for it to stand out in the premium beverage space, given custard provides a richer, creamier texture, Petralia added.
The new drinks category could also help Freddy’s raise its average unit volume, which was roughly $1.9 million across its franchised restaurants in 2025, according to its franchise disclosure document. The brand’s footprint has grown considerably in recent years, up from 456 at the start of 2023 to 580 at the end of 2025, with about 57 projected franchised openings for 2026, per the FDD. Menu innovation could help the chain grow its same-store sales while also continuing its absolute expansion.
Late last year, Rhône acquired Freddy’s from Thompson Street Capital Partners in a deal meant to support the brand’s ongoing growth trajectory. In April, it hired two development executives to support its expansion.
