Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is testing a new Everyday Value Menu in 7 states, and its headline item is a Steakburger Taco starting at $3.49. The Wichita, Kansas, chain announced the menu on Nov. 5, 2026, with three items at that starting price and a custard cookie sandwich for less.
The test runs at participating restaurants in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas. Freddy’s has not announced an end date, describing the menu as available for a short run in select markets.
What Is in the Steakburger Taco
According to Freddy’s announcement on PR Newswire, the Steakburger Taco is built around the chain’s thin-pressed steakburger patty with crispy edges. The patty is topped with melted American cheese, lettuce and the chain’s Jalapeño Fry Sauce, then wrapped in a grilled tortilla.
The company calls it a snack-sized option, and it starts at $3.49. At home, a flat-top or a grill and griddle combo can deliver the same crisp, lacy edges on a thin patty that Freddy’s built its burgers around. Most types of grills can manage it as long as the cooking surface gets hot enough to brown the meat quickly.
The sauce is a spin on a regional favorite. As Wikipedia’s fry sauce entry explains, the condiment is a combination of ketchup and mayonnaise that was popularized in Utah, where restaurateur Don Carlos Edwards served a pink version in the early 1940s. Freddy’s adds jalapeño to its take.
The Full Value Menu and Prices
The Steakburger Taco is one of 4 items on the test menu. The others, according to the company, are:
- Two-piece Chicken Tenders, crispy tenders served with BBQ, ranch or honey mustard, starting at $3.49.
- Hot Dog, an all-beef hot dog on a toasted bun, starting at $3.49. Customers can upgrade to a Chili Cheese Dog for an additional $1.50.
- Chocolate Chip Custard Cookie, creamy vanilla frozen custard sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies and rolled in mini chocolate chips, for $2.99.
That means a diner could pair the taco with the cookie sandwich for about $6.48 before tax at the starting prices, or put together a taco, tenders and hot dog for about $10.47. Freddy’s notes that pricing may vary by location, so local menus can differ.
Fans of the classic diner classics Americans still order again and again will recognize the lineup, which leans on hot dogs, chicken tenders and a frozen dessert rather than new flavors.
Where and How to Order
The menu is available through the drive-thru, for in-restaurant dining, and for pickup or delivery through the Freddy’s mobile app and the chain’s website, the company said. It is limited to participating restaurants in the 7 test states.
Erin Walter, Freddy’s chief marketing officer, said in the release that value is about more than price and should also deliver the quality and experience that set the chain apart. She described the new items as craveable options at approachable price points, whether guests are stopping in for a quick bite, a snack or something sweet.
Walter also said the company is introducing the offerings in select markets first. Testing in a handful of states lets a chain gauge interest before any wider rollout. Freddy’s has not said whether the menu will expand beyond the 7 states.
For diners weighing a drive-thru run against cooking at home, the $3.49 starting price gives a clear benchmark. People who cook from scratch most nights may still prefer to fire up a charcoal grill for their own thin patties, while the menu offers the same thin-patty style without the cleanup.
Frozen Custard Is the Chain’s Calling Card
The cookie sandwich highlights the other half of the Freddy’s name. Wikipedia’s frozen custard entry describes it as a type of ice cream made with egg yolks in addition to cream and sweetener. It is usually kept at a warmer temperature than ice cream and has a denser, thicker texture.
At $2.99, the Chocolate Chip Custard Cookie is the least expensive item on the test menu. It turns the chain’s vanilla custard into a handheld dessert, giving value-menu customers a way to add something sweet without moving up to one of the chain’s specialty sundaes.
Freddy’s has paired that custard with steakburgers since its start. According to Wikipedia’s history of the chain, the first restaurant opened in Wichita on Aug. 26, 2002. It was founded by Randy and Bill Simon and restaurateur Scott Redler, with the brothers’ father, World War II veteran Freddy Simon, lending his name. The menu draws on the all-American meals Freddy served his own family, in a setting styled after late-1940s and early-1950s dining.
The company now counts more than 600 locations across the United States and Canada, according to the release. The release describes its steakburgers as cooked to order, and the chain also serves shoestring fries alongside its custard.
What Shoppers Should Know
The Everyday Value Menu is a test, not a national launch. The Steakburger Taco, Two-piece Chicken Tenders and Hot Dog each start at $3.49, the Chili Cheese Dog upgrade adds $1.50 and the Chocolate Chip Custard Cookie costs $2.99.
The items are only at participating Freddy’s restaurants in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas, and prices can vary. Customers outside those states will not see the menu unless the chain expands it. Diners inside the test markets can check a specific restaurant’s prices in the Freddy’s app before ordering, since the same app handles pickup and delivery orders for the new items.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Michael Rivera – CC0/Wikimedia Commons
