FrickleBurgers Takes Lessons From Food Court, Reopens Across Town

FrickleBurgers may have struggled when competing next to a McDonalds at the food court, but it has turned a new leaf at its new location in Cathedral City.

“You cannot beat a $1.59 Big Mac,” FrickleBurger owner Michael Zoll told Patch. “It’s almost impossible for a small guy with a start-up business to thrive in a setup like that.”

The eatery's new location west of the Desert IMAX on East Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City boasts a big screen TV and pull-up parking. Zoll said he plans on applying for a liquor license to serve beer in the coming months.

"It will be wonderful, you can get a burger and beer," Zoll said. “Cathedral City, this is where the locals live ... People have embraced me and it’s such a neighborhood place.”

Zoll’s fast-fresh concept allows patrons to personalize nine core items on a paper checklist. The average price is $10 a person.

They can choose from a FrickleBurger, a chicken schnitzel sandwich, a bratwurst, an all-beef frankfurter, a grilled chicken breast sandwich, a salad bowl and a fry bowl.

Each choice can be dressed with more than 35 toppings. Some of those toppings – mainly the vegetables – are purchased locally. All the food is made fresh to order.

The beef and chicken is naturally raised and hormone free, Zoll said, adding that the bread is made by Thousand Palms-based Bosch Baking.

The name FrickleBurgers derives from Zoll’s family name for a German beef patty called “Frickadellen.”