Frozen custard icon Ted Drewes Jr. passes away at age 96

Ted Drewes Jr., the custodian of Ted Drewes for decades and son of the founder of the iconic St. Louis frozen custard, passed away at age 96 on Monday, Aug. 26. Mr. Drewes’ family confirmed the news to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. To many St. Louisans, Mr. Drewes' Jr. was synonymous with the brand, and known for his catchphrase, "It really is good, guys ... and gals!" 

Mr. Drewes Jr. was born in 1928, just one year before his father, local tennis star Ted Drewes Sr., opened his first frozen custard stand in Florida. The Florida shop was quickly followed by a shop on Natural Bridge Road (1930), then the South Grand Boulevard location (1931) that is still in operation today through the summers. The Chippewa location opened in 1941. 

Although it was his father who laid the foundations for what would become a local institution, Mr. Drewes Jr. was responsible for many of the innovations that have made Ted Drewes beloved by generations of St. Louisans and a must-visit Route 66 icon, from the creation of the concrete to selling Christmas trees out of the Chippewa location’s parking lot every winter. Ted Drewes marked its 95th anniversary in April 2024.