Andy's Frozen Custard

Andy's Frozen Custard is a chain of frozen custard stores with locations in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas and Illinois. Company headquarters are in Springfield, Missouri, where the company's namesake Andy Kuntz runs the business. Frozen custard-based desserts filled with fresh ingredients are the company's specialty. In 2009, after six months of tournament-style eliminations, Andy's Frozen Custard was voted the best thing about area code 417 by readers of 417 Magazine.

History
Andy's was founded by John and Carol Kuntz in 1986 in Osage Beach, Missouri, after the couple first tasted frozen custard in Wisconsin. Desiring to bring frozen custard to Missouri, the Kuntzes dedicated themselves to creating a frozen custard brand of their own. They sought the mentorship of Leon and Doris Schneider, who had owned a Milwaukee frozen custard shop since 1942; Leon provided much of the knowledge and guidance the Kuntzes needed to open their own store. The Kuntzes named their shop after their son Andy.

Soon after, the operation expanded to Springfield, Missouri, where Andy Kuntz, along with his wife Dana, learned the frozen custard business. In 2008, John passed away, and Andy, Dana, and Carol continue to run the business. As of 2013, Andy's has more than 16 locations that spans four states: Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois. The company's head office is in Springfield.

Menu
The company specializes in frozen custard-based desserts, from cones to concretes, malts to sundaes. Their custard, available in vanilla or chocolate, is made fresh every hour and served within one hour of being made. No fillers or substitutes are used in any of their products. Brownies, pies, shortcakes, and cookies are baked fresh daily at Andy's stores. Nuts are roasted fresh every week in downtown Chicago and shipped next day to Andy's locations. Andy's only uses real fruits—no syrups or sauces—in its desserts.

Andy's is well-known for their pumpkin pie concretes and apple pie concretes in the fall, where slices of pie are blended into the frozen custard. Winter specials include Andy Nog shakes, made with vanilla custard and eggnog; candy cane concretes, made with bits of peppermint candy; and Thin Mint concretes, blended with Girl Scout cookies. Andy's purchases about 3,500 boxes of Thin Mint cookies from local Girl Scouts of the USA troops every spring and serves more than 100,000 Thin Mint treats while cookies are in stock. The Thin Mint shake was named one of 417 Magazine's 5 Best: Green Drinks in its March 2013 issue. Fresh blueberries and strawberries are featured in Andy's desserts in the spring, while fresh blackberries, peaches, and key lime pie round out the summer menu.

Some of their top sellers are the "Ozark Turtle," a sundae with hot fudge, caramel, and roasted pecans, and the "James Brownie Funky Jackhammer," with peanut butter and brownie chunks blended into vanilla custard with a hot fudge center.

In 2012, Andy's announced the flavor of the Boomer Bear Concrete, a dessert created to support Missouri State University's athletics program and named after the school's mascot. The dessert is made with vanilla custard, fresh strawberries, almonds, and Heath Bar. It's available in Andy's Springfield, Missouri, locations.

Philosophy
Product quality, customer service, and community involvement are the primary values of the company. First and foremost, Andy's focuses on creating the best product for its customers using high-quality, fresh ingredients. For them, an excellent product is an expression of how they view excellence in the world.

Second, the company believes in treating its customers like family and strives to put a smile on customers' faces. They hire employees who are eager to serve. They pay their employees above average, train them well, and demand their best. Andy's encourages employees to truly interact with customers instead of merely filling orders.

Third, Andy's is convinced that community involvement is necessary to keep communities thriving. For example, Carol Kuntz believes that every child should have an Andy's treat whether or not they can afford it, so she started the tradition of donating custard to the elementary schools in their communities.