Tacoma’s legendary burger shack has a new owner. Are changes coming to Frisko Freeze?

Frisko Freeze has new owners for the first time in its 73-year history.

John Xitco with his son Nico Xitco have purchased Tacoma’s cherished red-and-white burger shack at 1201 Division Ave.

The sale — not affiliated with John and brother Luke’s X Group Restaurants, which includes E9 Brewing Co., E9 Firehouse, Asado and The Valley — became official Nov. 1, but the process to find new caretakers began in January, following the death at age 70 of Penny Jensen-Gerber, daughter of founder Perry Smith.

After her father died in 1990, she ran it with her husband, Mark Jensen, until his death in 2012. In the mid-’90s, Jensen struck a franchising deal that briefly operated three other Pierce County restaurants; according to The News Tribune archives, their demise played a role in the 1996 bankruptcy filing of the original, which had, until now, remained with the founding family.

Through Oct. 31, Frisko Freeze was technically under the control of the executor of Jensen-Gerber’s estate, Robert Dobler, according to public filings in Snohomish County. In recent weeks, the father-and-son Xitcos have been quietly maneuvering in the 696-square-foot space.

What does the shake-up mean for the cheeseburgers (deemed among the 20 best in the West, according to Sunset Magazine, in the 1990s), the golden French fries and blackberry malts?

“Customers will see better things to come, but hopefully the same things,” John Xitco told The News Tribune in an exclusive interview, reassuring devotees that the 1950 historic Tacoma landmark would remain as such.

At some point, likely in early 2024, the restaurant will close temporarily for upgrades — notably, a complete refresh of the floor plan and modernization of equipment and infrastructure, much of which hasn’t been touched in decades. Xitco is working with the city and health department to set up a food truck in the parking lot during that time.

“It’s never ever, ever closed,” he told The News Tribune in October, and he doesn’t intend to be the one to cut Tacomans off from their Frisko fix.

The only major changes will occur internally, in an effort to make the kitchen “more consistent and more efficient” while also providing a “better workspace for employees.”

The original 1950 building was equipped mainly for ice cream service, he noted. Smith expanded it to allow for more burger-making, but the petite restaurant was simply not designed to handle the volume it has seen through the years.

Wait times have grown, as pockets of patient, and perhaps not-so-much, patrons waiting on the pavement under neon lights can attest.

The existing grill could squeeze 40, maybe 50 patties on it at a time, explained Xitco. That might sound like plenty, but even just four orders of two doubles each amounts to 16 patties. On busy nights, a sudden swell of just a few families can overwhelm the line.

Frisko also tears through French fries — 144,000 pounds of them a year, about the weight of a max-capacity Boeing 737 and 100 times heavier than the average cow.

Ultimately, said Xitco, “The goal of Frisko, and what I want it to be, is to provide a great product at a reasonable price.”

That means good beef (and heftier burgers — Frisko has always used a 6:1 ratio of burgers per pound, more than many of its peers) and good fries. He also anticipates dedicating a window to ice cream and shake orders, the lack of which, he said, has deterred families from a quick visit due to the long line for food.

Discerning diners might have already noticed minor adjustments to the flow of service.

The Xitcos have installed a new point-of-sale system that allows staff to receive tips on credit-card sales, which now account for a majority of orders. Scheduling has shifted to accommodate dinner rushes. There’s a new walk-in freezer outside the building, around which they plan to build a custom shed. In September, they installed new, self-filtering, energy-efficient fryers. Over the summer, they partnered with Sterino Farms in Puyallup to source lettuce and invested in a Robot Coupe to chop said greens and cube onions in a snap, trimming prep times and allowing staff to focus on keeping the line moving.

Overall, though, the second-in-history owners plan to simply continue the Tacoma tradition.

“It’s been a lifelong goal,” said Xitco, who was raised in Gig Harbor but whose mother’s childhood home was a few blocks from Frisko Freeze. “I grew up going here — my order was three double cheeseburgers and a shake.”

About six years ago, he told me, he cold-called Jensen (not yet married to her surviving husband, Bill Gerber), whose business advisor, Dobler, responded. “‘If you’re ever looking to sell, you know, I’m interested,’” Xitco recalled. He would reach out a couple of times a year, he said, to reiterate that he hadn’t lost that interest.

“One day, my phone rings — and he never called me,” said Xitco. “I see it’s him. I mean, my heart started pounding. I’m getting goosebumps now.”

Over the long-term, Nico Xitco will grow into full ownership. He has stepped into day-to-day operations, working in tandem with a former manager who is now the lead supervisor.

Frisko Freeze earned historic Tacoma landmark status in 2008.

FRISKO FREEZE

▪ 1201 Division Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4800, friskofreeze.com

▪ Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-2 a.m.

▪ Details: 1950s walk-up/drive-thru burger shack under new ownership; anticipated update early 2024

This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 1:28 PM.