For nearly a century a Shreveport shop floor has been sending out one of the most ubiquitous pieces of equipment in American restaurants: the commercial fryer. Frymaster, which touts on its website that its gear is “Trusted Worldwide. Built in Shreveport,” says its units are used at national chains and in small islandside cafes alike.
From downtown Shreveport to chains across the country
The company, in business in this city for 91 years, supplies equipment to big-name chains and independent operators. Company executives told reporters that customers include Burger King, Popeyes, Taco Bell and Raising Cane’s, and Frymaster leaders estimate that about 30% of all fried food eaten daily is prepared on their fryers.
Those numbers matter for Shreveport because they link a local factory to national menus and steady demand. For residents watching manufacturing trends statewide, Frymaster’s presence is a reminder that production and product innovation still happen in Louisiana towns outside the I-10 corridor.
Design shaped by real kitchens
Frymaster’s executives described how product development is rooted in time spent on the line, not in conference rooms. Wendell Hays, the company’s vice president of new business and products, recounted learning fryer operation firsthand while working at a Bonanza steakhouse and how that experience shaped the company’s approach: equipment must be simple enough for brief training and hard-use environments.
“You really have to figure out ways to dumb it down, make it intuitive,” Hays said, describing the need to design for workers who may receive only minutes of instruction.
That practical outlook has led Frymaster to adopt touch-screen controls to replace complex button banks that intimidated some users. Executives say the goal is to make machines easier for a range of kitchen staff, from short-training teens to seasoned cooks.
Local identity, global reach
Anecdotes from company leaders illustrate the range of Frymaster’s reach. One vice president recalled finding two Shreveport-made fryers on a tiny, boat-accessible island in the Virgin Islands — a small moment that underscores the breadth of the company’s distribution.
For Shreveport, Frymaster’s continued growth carries several concrete implications:
- Employment and skills: Manufacturing jobs tied to equipment production support local wages and technical skills.
- Local supply chain: A long-standing manufacturer anchors related suppliers and service businesses in the region.
- City reputation: Having a globally used product built here strengthens Shreveport’s identity as a manufacturing hub.
| Firm | Detail |
|---|---|
| Years in Shreveport | 91 |
| Estimated share of daily fried food | 30% (company estimate) |
| Noted national customers | Burger King, Popeyes, Taco Bell, Raising Cane’s |
As Frymaster updates controls and leans on field experience to guide design, its moves matter for anyone in Shreveport tracking jobs, manufacturing investment and how local companies connect to national food trends. The company’s story is both a local labor tale and a window into how Louisiana-made equipment continues to turn up in kitchens around the world.
