Ted Drewes Frozen Custard: The Sweetest Stop on Route 66

The draw is the Concrete — a serving of frozen custard so dense that it is presented to every customer upside down, demonstrating that it will not fall from the cup. It has been Ted Drewes’ signature since 1959, when Ted Drewes Jr. first served it to a teenage regular who kept requesting the thickest shake the stand could make. Nearly 70 years later, people still drive across the city — and across the country — to experience it.

Where Is Ted Drewes Frozen Custard?

Address (Chippewa / Route 66 location): 6726 Chippewa Street, St. Louis, MO 63109

Phone: (314) 481-2652

Website: teddrewes.com

Hours: Monday–Sunday, 11:00 AM – 10:30 PM (Chippewa location). Closed the month of January. Verify current hours at teddrewes.com before visiting.

Admission / Cost: No admission fee. Concretes, sundaes, shakes, and floats are priced individually — expect to spend $6–$12 per person depending on size and mix-ins.

Second Location: 4224 South Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63111 — the oldest Ted Drewes location still in operation (since 1931), open seasonally. Check teddrewes.com for current hours.

Driving Context: The Chippewa location sits directly on the historic Route 66 alignment through St. Louis. It is approximately 10 miles southwest of the Gateway Arch and 20 miles northeast of Route 66 State Park in Eureka. From I-44, take Exit 287A (Hampton Avenue) and head south; turn right on Chippewa. The stand is about 1 mile from the interstate. Parking is available in the adjacent lot.

The History of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard

A Tennis Champion Discovers Custard

In 1930, Drewes brought the business home. He opened a St. Louis location on Natural Bridge Road, then a second on South Grand Boulevard in 1931 — a location that remains the oldest standing Ted Drewes in operation today. In 1941, he opened a third stand at 6726 Chippewa Street. That address sits directly on Historic Route 66, and it became the location that defined everything that followed.

Route 66 Makes the Chippewa Stand the Flagship

Through the 1940s and 1950s, Route 66 traffic through St. Louis was heavy and sustained. The Chippewa stand — positioned on the Mother Road itself — drew a constant stream of travelers alongside its devoted local regulars. As St. Louis’s population shifted westward and Route 66 continued bringing visitors through the South Side, Chippewa became the flagship. The stand expanded its building and purchased a neighboring property to accommodate parking. By 2006, the company was producing more than 150,000 gallons of custard annually.

The Concrete: Born in 1959

The signature item that made Ted Drewes nationally famous was not part of the original menu. In 1959, a teenage regular named Steve Gamber repeatedly requested the thickest malt the stand could produce. Ted Drewes Jr. responded by leaving out the milk entirely, scooping hard frozen custard with mix-ins, and presenting the result upside down to Gamber. The custard didn’t move. He called it a Concrete. The name and the upside-down presentation have been standard ever since — there are now more than 30 mix-in flavors to choose from.

Four Generations and Counting

Ted Drewes Sr. passed the business to his son Ted Drewes Jr., who has run it for decades while explicitly declining numerous requests to franchise nationally — a decision that has kept the business authentic and the lines long. The company is now in its fourth generation of family ownership. A seasonal tradition that began under Ted Jr. — hand-selecting Canadian Balsam Fir trees from a farm and selling them on the Chippewa lot beginning the day after Thanksgiving — continues today, giving the stand a second identity as a St. Louis Christmas tree source for much of the year when custard season slows.

Ted Drewes in Film, Television, and Media

Ted Drewes has accumulated a media presence that reflects its status as a genuine American institution rather than a constructed attraction. In 2011, Adam Richman featured it in a Route 66 episode of Man v. Food Nation on the Travel Channel — one of the show’s most-watched episodes among Route 66 enthusiasts. In 2017, an Irish marketing firm named Ted Drewes the best ice cream shop in the world in its annual global ice cream index. In 2024, it was featured in the History Channel’s The Food That Built America. The stand has earned a historical marker noting its Route 66 significance, erected by the Hampton Hotels Save-A-Landmark Program.

None of this attention has changed the operation. The stand is still family-owned, still in the same location, still serving the same custard from windows staffed by workers who hand every customer their cup upside down.

What to Expect When You Visit

Ted Drewes operates from walk-up windows — there is no indoor seating and no table service. You order at a window, wait while your Concrete or sundae is assembled to order, receive it upside down with a flourish, and find a place in the parking lot or on the grass to eat it. The atmosphere on a warm evening is pure St. Louis: families, couples, teenagers, road trippers, and old regulars all sharing the same small piece of Chippewa Street. The energy is casual and genuinely communal.

The Concrete is the order. It comes in small, medium, and large; the medium is substantial. Choose your mix-in at the window — options include everything from fresh strawberries and Oreos to peanut butter and fudge. The custard itself is vanilla base, made fresh in small batches throughout the day. It is richer and denser than ice cream, with a texture closer to soft-serve gelato. If you finish a medium Concrete without assistance, you’ve earned it.

Honest caveats: the wait on summer evenings and weekends can run 20 to 30 minutes. Parking in the lot fills quickly on busy nights; street parking on Chippewa is available but can require a short walk. The stand is closed the entire month of January — the one month the Chippewa location does not operate.

Best Time to Visit and Photography Tips

Ted Drewes is best experienced on a warm weekday evening — enough atmosphere to feel the tradition but short enough lines to enjoy it without a long wait. Late spring through early fall is prime season. Avoid Saturday evenings in July and August if you’re in a hurry.

• The classic shot is from across Chippewa Street, shooting toward the stand’s lit facade at dusk or after dark — the green-and-white awning, the neon, and the line of customers give the image an immediate sense of time and place. A wide lens captures the full stand in one frame.
• The upside-down Concrete presentation is the money shot for food photography. Ask the server to hold the cup for a moment as they hand it over — the brief pause where it’s clearly inverted and clearly not moving is the image. Natural light from the stand’s windows is usually sufficient.
• Shoot early in the evening for warm golden-hour light on the building exterior. Later in the evening, the stand’s own lighting gives it a warm, retro glow that works well at slower shutter speeds.

Tips for Visiting Ted Drewes

• The Chippewa location is closed in January — the only month it does not operate. Every other month, it’s open daily from 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM.
• Order a Concrete. It is the signature item for a reason. If you want something lighter, sundaes and floats are excellent — but don’t leave without experiencing the upside-down presentation at least once.
• Weekday afternoons and early evenings offer shorter waits than weekend nights in summer. If you’re on a road trip schedule, aim for before 6:00 PM.
• The parking lot is small and fills fast on busy evenings. Street parking on Chippewa is available in both directions.
• The Christmas tree lot runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve — if you’re in St. Louis in December, it’s a genuinely different experience worth seeing.
• The stand is ADA-accessible at the walk-up windows; the outdoor gathering area is unpaved gravel and grass in sections.

2026 Route 66 Centennial Connection

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Concrete at Ted Drewes?

A Concrete is a serving of frozen custard so thick that it is presented to the customer upside down — and does not fall out. It was invented at Ted Drewes in 1959 when Ted Drewes Jr. made the thickest possible custard for a regular customer by omitting the milk and packing the cup with hard-scooped custard and mix-ins. There are more than 30 mix-in flavors available.

Is Ted Drewes ice cream or frozen custard — what’s the difference?

Ted Drewes serves frozen custard, not ice cream. Frozen custard contains egg yolks in addition to cream and sugar, which gives it a denser, richer texture than standard ice cream. It is also made in smaller batches and served at a slightly warmer temperature, which enhances the creaminess. The difference is noticeable.

Is Ted Drewes open year-round?

The Chippewa Street (Route 66) location is open every month except January. Hours are 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM daily. The South Grand location operates seasonally during summer months. Verify current hours at teddrewes.com before visiting.

Has Ted Drewes ever franchised or expanded beyond St. Louis?

No. Ted Drewes Jr. has explicitly declined multiple requests to franchise the business nationally over the decades. The company remains family-owned with two St. Louis locations (Chippewa and South Grand) and a gift shop. That decision to stay local and stay small is a significant part of why the brand has retained its authenticity and its loyal following.

Is Ted Drewes really on Historic Route 66?

Yes. The Chippewa Street location at 6726 Chippewa Street sits directly on the historic Route 66 alignment through St. Louis. The stand has been at this location since 1941 and holds an official Route 66 historical marker. It is one of the most historically documented Route 66 food stops in Missouri.

Final Thoughts on Ted Drewes Frozen Custard

There are plenty of places on Route 66 that evoke the past through signage, theming, or careful restoration. Ted Drewes is not one of them — it evokes the past by simply having been there the whole time. The Chippewa stand has operated continuously on Historic Route 66 since 1941, through the highway’s peak, its decline, and its revival. The custard is made the same way it has always been made. The Concrete is still presented upside down. The line still forms on warm evenings.

Nearby Route 66 Highlights

• Meramec Caverns — 50 miles southwest on Route 66 — the cave system Jesse James allegedly used as a hideout, and one of the most aggressively advertised stops in Missouri Route 66 history.
• Coral Court Motel Site, Marlborough — 5 miles west — the Route 66 motel that inspired countless imitations is gone, but the St. Louis Preservation Board and historical markers keep its memory alive on the alignment.