Tate gives fresh look to old favorite Freddie’s Inn
SAINT LOUISVILLE — Jeremy Tate is a former state wrestling champion, a long-time Licking Valley wrestling coach — and he has an entrepreneurial spirit for business.
“The restaurant/bar business has interested me for many years,” he said. “I was just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.”
Tate now owns Freddie’s Inn in St. Louisville.
“Freddie’s has been in St. Louisville since 1945,” he noted. “I knew what I could do with the place in my head, so I took the jump and purchased it and remodeled it.”
“I work there four days a week,” he added, “and do all the paperwork and payroll stuff, hire staff, and keep everything rolling smooth.”
It’s called Freddie’s, by the way, Tate explained, because “Freddy was the original owner of the place and it’s been that name since 1945. Many, many people have been in here and knew the name and location over the years, and I didn’t want to change it.”
Tate was born in Newark, moved to West Virginia until sixth grade, then moved back to Licking County, to the Licking Valley School District, “and been here ever since.” He graduated from Licking Valley High School, then went to Ohio State to wrestle and study education.
Ever since, he’s owned Jeremy Tate Trucking, a dump truck hauling business. He helps run Newark Materials, a gravel quarry. He now owns Freddie’s and still coaches wrestling at Licking Valley High School.
“I’ve owned dump trucks for 12 or so years,” he said. “I’ve helped Carl Hains run Newark Materials for seven or eight years. And I’ve coached wrestling since 1998. My wrestling career was from 1990-1994 at Valley. I was a 2-time state champ and I love this sport. I’m 46 years old and have either wrestled or coached every winter since I was 6.”
Randy Whisner has witnessed much of it. Whisner is a friend, St. Louisville councilman, and president of the St. Louisville Athletic Association.
“Jeremy is wonderful to the kids and teaches them to do their best and to show great sportsmanship,” Whisner said. “Jeremy puts others first and is always stepping up for the community, taking care of organizations and fundraising. He’s always there to help those in need. He does a fantastic job running Freddie’s and has put his heart and soul into making Freddie’s a great place to eat and enjoy entertainment with friends and family.”
“I do what I do with all my jobs because I love doing them,” Tate said. “I enjoy it and I have fun doing it. An old wise man once told me, ‘Once you quit having fun at what you do, get out.’ It’s still fun, so I keep going.”
Weekly highlights at Freddie’s include a fish fry every Monday and steak every Tuesday.
“Looking back, I’m really pleased where I am,” Tate added. “I’m thankful for the sport of wrestling. It’s helped me meet a lot of people. Carl Hains helped me learn the construction and dump truck business. And the restaurant business is something I jumped into and learned on the fly. I love it.”