In St. Louis, Missouri, there is a frozen custard stand that has been operating on Route 66 since 1931. It is called Ted Drewes. It has no indoor seating. In winter, it closes. In summer, the line wraps around the building. This has been true for almost a century.
Ted Drewes Sr. opened the original stand as a way to supplement his income during the Depression, selling homemade frozen custard for a nickel. His son Ted Jr. took over the operation and eventually invented the item that made the place famous: the Concrete, a frozen custard so thick that the server hands it to you upside down to prove it won’t fall out.
The Concrete has been copied all over the country under various names — Blizzard, Flurry, Arctic Rush. None of them are quite the same. The difference is the custard, which uses more egg yolk than standard ice cream and is served at a slightly warmer temperature that makes it dense and creamy in a way that soft-serve never achieves.
Ted Drewes became an institution in St. Louis the same way the best roadside stops always do — by doing one thing exceptionally well for a very long time. No rebranding. No expansion to other markets. No franchise operation. Just the same custard stand at the same address, serving the same Concretes to St. Louis families who’ve been coming since their grandparents were young.
There’s a lesson in that, if you want one. Sometimes the road isn’t about the next destination. Sometimes it’s about finding the place worth stopping for and stopping completely, custard dripping down your hand in the summer heat.
We are offering licences for ROUTE 66® Beer in specific territories. An invitation to others to become part of this story. To carry a piece of the road with them and to contribute to the story. We will share a percentage of royalties with Route 66 associations to keep the story alive.
The journey continues. This story is brought to you by ROUTE 66® BEER. Find us at ROUTE66BEER.COM
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