Andy's Frozen Custard has leased a space that formerly housed Fog City Coffee.
R.B. Murray Co. Vice President Ross Murray said he closed on the lease May 4 with Andy's Frozen Custard President Andy Kuntz.
Murray, who declined to disclose details of the lease, said the roughly 450-square-foot site at the Fremont Center, 1300 E. Battlefield Road, would house what is tentatively being called Andy's Frozen Custard Express.
Murray said he and Kuntz have been working for about two years to find a location near Battlefield Mall for an Andy's location.
Kuntz said the shop, under a five-year lease, would allow his company to test the express-style concept, which would incorporate the Andy's fast-casual style in a smaller space.
"It might lead to bigger and better things," Kuntz said. "It's an opportunity to try that corner of town; it's obviously a very busy traffic area."
He said the store, which would likely open within 90 days, is the smallest location for Andy's to date, the second-smallest being a 900-square-foot shop in Chicago. The Springfield shop would have a drive-through and outdoor patio seating, and carry about 90 percent of the Andy's menu, Kuntz said.
Fog City Coffee closed in the wake of Springfield restaurateur
Bruce Swisshelm's Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In the filing, Swisshelm listed 20 percent ownership in Fog City Coffee Inc. among his personal property holdings.
In a separate move, Andy's is nearing completion of its first location in Joplin.
"We think Joplin's a great community," Kuntz said. "With the devastation in the last year, it's going to come back stronger."
He declined to disclose the cost of the project, a 2,000-square-foot location being built by Springfield-based Build LLC on Range Line Road. The shop, which also would allow for walk-in customers, likely will be completed in early July, Kuntz said.
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