Update: Freddie’s Place Will Close and Turn Into a Second Fresa’s

South First patio haven Freddie’s Place is closing down on Sunday, June 28, as pointed out on Reddit and confirmed to Eater by owner Freddie Nelson. He sold the space to the owners of Fresa’s Chicken Al Carbon (which includes Margaret Vera, Tracy Overath, Laura Sawicki, and Rene Ortiz) this week. The new spot will become the second location of the poultry drive-thru, and the transformation is expected to be completed sometime this year. Below is a message from the restaurant.

Contrary to popular belief, the picture of the cute 8 year old that greets you at the entrance to Freddie’s Place is no longer the real Freddie. In fact the "real" Freddie will turn 68 in two weeks.

And not having had 30 days off in the last 30 years, Mrs. Freddie (who after all is the real power at Freddie’s Place) decided it was time for Freddie to slow down a bit. Consequentially after a long and successful run, Freddie began having discussions with the owners of Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon about the possibility of them buying the business. Just this week, Fresa’s decided to proceed with the deal.

The last-last call at Freddie’s will be Sunday, June 28th. And please forgive us in advance if we run out of a few things. If Freddie took a bunch of food & booze left overs home, he would get fatter and not make it to 69.

A few months hence, Freddie’s Place will be re-born as a new Fresa’s. Freddie’s hopes they will have as much fun and success as he had and wishes them all the luck in the world.

Eater has reached out to Fresa’s for more information. Watch this space for updates.

Update, 1:36 p.m.: Rene Ortiz confirmed the second location of Fresa’s. The group was already looking into the shuttered Jovita’s space when Nelson reached out to them and asked if they would be interested in his namesake restaurant. With this new property in front of them, they toyed with the idea of opening an Italian restaurant, among others, but a new Fresa’s made the most sense. Ortiz wants it to remain in the Freddie's Place vibe and stay "a space that is inviting to the community of Bouldin Creek. It’s what we want to protect and be respectful to."

Rather than the takeout/drive-thru-only original store, table service will be the centerpiece of the new Fresa’s. Ortiz compared it to the way people eat barbecue, where "it becomes this really big party and everybody’s sharing." There will be a full liquor license with a bar serving margaritas.

They will renovate the building. Ortiz is open to third, fourth, and even fifth locations of Fresa’s. "There’s definitely a really great future for scaling out this concept," he said.

Freddie's Place's closing notice