A Casual Lunch and a Big Store!

When we visited our family in Omaha back in November around the Thanksgiving weekend, we did something that Laurie and I never do…we went shopping during the Holiday rush with our son and grandson's!

But, we also had to grab something quick for lunch so we all opted for a fast food restaurant chain that we’d never been to before…

This is Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. (Laurie loves Steak and Shake so this operation was a bit intriguing) Freddy’s calls itself a fast-casual restaurant franchise operation.  It was founded in 2002 and the company now has over 175 locations in 28 states with stores to open soon in another 5 states…

Unlike Steak and Shake, at Freddy’s you place your order at the counter.  The menu is all about the steakburgers with hot dogs, chicken tenders, a chicken sandwich and chili rounding out the selections.  Frozen custard served several ways provides customers with a sweet or dessert option.

The atmosphere is bright and the restaurant was clean.  In many ways, other than the color palate, Freddy’s décor resembles Steak and Shake’s.

This was the Bacon Double Cheeseburger. ($5.99) The burgers are cooked fresh when they’re ordered so they are served hot and juicy.  This was a very nice and satisfying sandwich…

Then there was the Double Cheeseburger with onion and mayonnaise. ($5.29) One positive note regarding Freddy’s burgers is the fact that they are served with butter-toasted buns, a real plus with any burger!

This was an order of Chicken “Tenders” with a side of French Fries.  Customers can order either 3 or 5 pieces of chicken.  The chicken tenders were just fine and the French Fries with Freddy’s Famous Fry Seasoning were very good!

This is one of Freddy’s all-beef hot dogs.  They are big and very tasty.  

There are a whole flock of condiments that you can add to your hot dog…or hamburger for that matter.  They include American Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Shredded Monterey Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Bacon, Chili, Mustard, Ketchup, Mayo, Fry Sauce, Freddy's Sauce, Sliced Onion, Diced Onion, Grilled Onion, Sauerkraut, Pickles, Relish, Sport Peppers, Jalapeños and Cheese Sauce.

Another big grilled hot dog with a side of applesauce…

Yes, the burgers are a little greasy, but it’s in a good way!  Lots of flavor and comfort style dining satisfaction going on…

This isn’t gourmet dining but they do serve good burgers, hot dogs and French fries.  We didn’t try any of their frozen custard based offerings… This particular Freddy’s is at 2929 South 180^th Street in Omaha.  The Company’s website can be found at http://www.freddysusa.com/.

I don’t like to shop…!  However, having spent almost 40 years in and around retailing, when I do see something different in retailing or an operation that grabs my short term attention span, I do check it out and do a bit of exploring…

I’d never heard of Scheels before our family took us into this store in Omaha…

Scheels is a massive sporting goods store! 

‘Scheels All Sports’ is a privately held, employee owned and operated sporting goods and entertainment chain store headquartered in Fargo North Dakota.  The company operates 25 store locations in 12 states.  The company’s slogan is “Gear. Passion. Sports.”

This particular area is reminiscent of large portions of Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World Stores…lots of guns and hunting trophies on display. 

Unlike those stores, especially Cabela’s, at this Scheels location the non-hunter outdoors person is not overwhelmed by the hunting portion of the store. 

(Since Scheels website states that all stores are not the same, it’s possible that hunting and guns are more prominent in other locations)

But, if you’re not a hunter and you aren’t into seeing hunting trophies on display, they are a little hard to avoid in one area of the store.

Scheels began as a hardware and general merchandise store in Sabin, Minnesota in 1902.  It's an American success story!  Frederick A. Scheel, a German immigrant, used the $300 he earned from his first harvest of potatoes as the down payment on the first Scheels…which was a hardware store.  Then he started adding a small selection of sporting goods to their stores in 1954.  Over the years, Scheels opened in surrounding communities, including Fargo North Dakota.  That is where the corporate office as well as the second-largest all-sports store in the world are now located.

Love the ambiance of this store!  It’s open and airy with lots to look at and explore.  FYI, Scheels All Sports now employs over 6,000 associates throughout the company.

How about a flight!  This float plane appears to be soaring through the atrium area of the store.  I suspect that this is a replica of one of the old Fairchild floatplanes that used to be so popular in the north woods of Canada as well as Alaska. 

 

As of the end of June in 2015, the company's new flagship store is in Overland Park, Kansas.  It is a 222,000 sq. ft. 2-story building.  Customers enter that store under a 16,000-gallon aquarium, complete with a coral reef and scuba divers who feed the fish daily.  In addition to a Ferris wheel, that store also has sport simulators and a walk of American Presidents.

FYI, Scheels website is at www.scheels.com/. 

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave