"Inside the kitchen of Frugals double drive-in, seven-plus employees work elbow to elbow, flipping burgers, cooking fries and pulling milkshakes. The lively banter of the employees rises above the sound of the burgers sizzling. Outside the pickup window, a customer grabs their bag of ¼ lb. burgers and moves on. Behind them is a long double line of cars with hungry Frugals customers waiting their turn."

THE OWNERS

Peter B. Stewart and Sheila G. Stewart are sole owners of the companies. They both play key roles in the decision making process and in the on-going expansion and financing of new units. Sheila has over 30 years experience in the restaurant industry; Peter has extensive experience in operations, sales and investments. The Stewarts have been involved in owning and operating eight restaurants.

HISTORY

Extensive research was completed before the first Frugals® was built. Traffic patterns, demographics, menu items, and building layouts were all analyzed. A surprising discovery was that a high percentage of the customers purchased food at the drive-up window. With the knowledge gained, Frugals® was born! The concept of a double drive-through, which would allow for faster service and lower over-head costs, was developed. The result has been a great, old-fashioned burger at a "frugal" price.

Frugals® operates from a small, attractive, retro, stainless steel building with service windows on both sides. There is no inside seating. The first unit was opened in Port Angeles, Washington, in June 1988, and was immediately popular. It was followed in September 1990, by a second unit in Tacoma, Washington; again popularity and profitability were instantly apparent.

Focus was diverted from expansion for several years, however knowing that they had found the right ingredients for making an extremely popular drive-through, the Stewarts decided to open additional units. In October 2000, operations began in Auburn, Washington, and a year later, a unit opened in Kalispell, Montana. Experiencing success, the Stewarts considered franchising their concept. The franchise process began in 2003, and final approval was granted early in 2004.

"News Flash: Frugals® is now offering franchises."

PRODUCT

At Frugals® it's all about simplicity, quality, and value. You receive your food in plain paper bags with plain napkins; the money saved is passed on to customers in high quality products at lower prices. We don't have children's menus, but we do offer to cut burgers in half and hand out "Safety Pops" as a special treat with any child's order. On hand are "doggy bones" for those great, four-legged animals that are along for the ride. Our goal is to offer our customers a quality product at the lowest possible price. The menu at Frugals® consists of:

Hamburgers                

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches                 

BLT's

Garden Burgers            

French Fries                               

Soft Drinks

Shakes  

All sandwiches are "cooked to order" with a choice of: Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Pickles, Onions, and Lettuce - all served on a Sesame Seed Bun. In addition to the standard menu items, we offer a variety of add-ons:

Premium thick sliced Bacon            

American cheese

Swiss Cheese                          

Pepper Jack Cheese

Mushrooms                             

Sautéed Onions

Tomatoes 

This allows customers to create "custom" burgers or sandwiches to suit their individual tastes.

AWARDS

Frugals® is consistently honored in the "Best of the Olympic Peninsula" as

Best Fast Food

Best Burger

Best Shakes

Best Fries

   We were also voted "Kids favorite place to eat" City of Auburn, Parks and Recreation.

CUSTOMERS

Frugals® attracts customers from a wide variety of income levels and social statuses. They come to us for taste, speed, and low prices, and discover the best tasting burger in the area, as clearly indicated by our recurrent selection as "best burger" in local newspaper polling.

EMPLOYMENT

Frugals® employs approximately 28 persons per restaurant. Each unit consists of a manager, assistant manager, 4 supervisors, and 22 general workers. Our pay scale is very competitive. Employees are paid annual bonuses for each year of service, and we have numerous incentive programs.

In addition, managers and supervisors participate in profit sharing bonuses. Flexible hours, pay scale, and a management style of respect and concern attracts and retains employees. In our opinion, Frugals is by far the best place to work in the fast food industry.

ADVERTISING

Advertising is accomplished through a variety of mediums, including "word of mouth", the design of the building, coupon distribution, promotional events, support of community activities, involvement in school fund raisers, reader board displays, and newspaper advertisements. "Word of mouth" has proven a significant determinant of immediate success for Frugals® .

Minimal advertising was required in conjunction with opening new units. The unique design of the stainless steel building and a quality burger at a "lower-than-competition" price have always attracted attention. 
    
Coupons are used to stimulate sales and are normally distributed through community or school events. Advertising by support of community events has been achieved through Little League team sponsorship, membership in the Chamber of Commerce, and donations to various civic activities.

The reader boards have served to announce special happenings in the communities, promote our special sandwiches and shakes, and display witty sayings that draw customer attention. Traditional means of advertising in the local paper, radio, and yellow pages are utilized periodically.

MISSION STATEMENT

  It is our mission to provide:

The highest quality food products at the lowest possible price,

The best customer service in the industry, and

Commitment and respect towards our employees and communities.