Andy’s Frozen Custard

Andy’s Frozen Custard is a family-owned frozen dessert chain focused on serving freshly made frozen custard in a quick, convenient format. The restaurants specialize in vanilla and chocolate custard made throughout the day, which guests can customize with a wide range of toppings or order as signature creations like Concretes, sundaes, Jackhammers, splits, malts, and seasonal specials. The product is richer and creamier than traditional ice cream, which has helped the brand build a loyal following in every market it enters.

The company began in 1986, when John and Carol Kuntz opened the first Andy’s Frozen Custard in Osage Beach, Missouri, after discovering frozen custard on a trip to Wisconsin. With guidance from a classic Milwaukee stand, Leon’s Frozen Custard, they decided to bring the concept back to Missouri and named the business after their son, Andy. That single stand has grown steadily over the decades, remaining family-owned and now led by CEO Andy Kuntz.

A notable milestone in the brand’s evolution came as it began moving beyond its Midwest roots and into high-growth Sun Belt markets. The entry into Texas in 2016 marked a shift from a regional chain to a multistate platform and set the pattern for expansion through clusters of locally owned franchise locations. Since then, Andy’s has continued to build out in the South and Southwest, using that clustered approach to deepen brand awareness and operational consistency.

As of December 2025, Andy’s Frozen Custard operates 186 locations across 15 states. The chain maintains a particularly strong presence in the Midwest and has built meaningful scale in Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, and other Sun Belt markets. Texas has become a key growth state, with 39 locations opened since entering the market, including a new store in Cibolo within the Buffalo Heights retail development that opened on December 3, 2025. The company is also adding units in and around Nashville, with multiple suburban locations serving communities such as Spring Hill, Murfreesboro, Gallatin, Smyrna, and Mt. Juliet.

Over roughly the last five years, Andy’s has evolved from a primarily Midwestern brand into a broader suburban concept anchored in the South and Southwest. The system has expanded through a franchise model that leans on local ownership, with many franchisees operating multiple units within regional clusters. This structure supports infill growth, consistent operations, and the ability to plug into local schools, teams, and community events, which is a core part of how the brand builds traffic.

From a real estate perspective, Andy’s typically operates freestanding restaurants with drive-through and walk-up service, oriented around speed, visibility, and ease of access. The concept tends to perform well in secondary and suburban markets where it can function as a neighborhood stop for families and students and benefit from evening and weekend traffic. The brand’s ongoing expansion across priority markets such as Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, combined with its established franchise system and family ownership, positions Andy’s Frozen Custard as a credible and repeatable user of quality retail sites in growing suburban trade areas.