A Conversation With ... Andy Kuntz

We started Andy’s in 1986 in Osage Beach. I had just graduated from high school and was in college at University of Missouri-Columbia. Mom and Dad (John and Carol Kuntz) were the main proprietors … and we started our first store at the lake. We came to Springfield in 1986 and sold the store at the lake in 1988. We opened the South Campbell store in 1990 and the Glenstone store in 1999 and began franchising in 2003. We opened our first franchise in January 2005. We have eight franchises – Branson, Osage Beach, Columbia, Cape Girardeau, Rogers, Ark., Jonesboro Ark., Tyler, Texas, and Bolingbrook, Ill., which is a suburb of Chicago. The Springfield stores are corporately owned (and have) about 45 employees. Mom and Dad are still involved in the business.

How did you decide to join the family company? And what is your role?

It’s one of those things that just happened. My folks … decided to get into the frozen custard business, and one thing led to another. I seemed to follow the tracks and here I am. I’m in the stores every day, but Randal Schulze is our general manager and part owner of the north (Springfield) store, and he has (taken on) my duties and probably has done a better job at some of the in-store stuff than I did. Randal’s been a huge asset. My role now is more evaluating where we’re headed … whether it’s searching for new locations, evaluating the marketing, evaluating what treats are on the menu (and) our internal and external cultures. I got to where I’m at due to the opportunity that my parents have given me and a lot of great people that we’ve brought on board.

What about offering franchise support?

We have another guy in the office, Eric Reed, who is director of operations. He basically manages the franchise stores and visits them regularly. He consults with me on a daily basis on where the stores are going, where they’re at and what we need to do.

Where would you like to add locations, corporate-owned or franchised?

We’d like to continue to develop Illinois – the Chicago area – and also, we think Oklahoma would be a good place to be. There are a couple of areas (around Springfield) that we’re looking at, but we think they’re probably a little bit early. Our biggest challenge has been finding “A” locations that are affordable for us … . Real estate is one of the toughest things that we deal with, and as a small company, when you go into a new market, you have to prove who you are. Our focus now is to expand our corporate stores outside Springfield.

Is it difficult to find new franchisees?

Franchisees have to be involved in their communities. It’s part of the deal. They seek us out, and the majority of the (potential) franchisees aren’t a good fit. Our percentage of signing new franchisees (from interested parties) is probably 3 percent to 5 percent. It’s not because they’re not qualified financially or they’re not good people. It’s just that we have a certain idea of what we want … and a better understanding of what we need.

What are other challenges you deal with?

Opening a store today is a whole lot different than when we opened a store 20 years ago. The people we hire today are different; the culture is different. There are just a lot of variables that have changed, but we have employees in Springfield who have been with us for 18 years, so we haven’t had a lot of change. Getting people who have been here a long time to accept change … is a challenge.

How do you come up with recipes for your menu items?

The core recipe of the product came from the guy that we met when my parents decided to go into business. As far as the treats go … (they’re) mainly treats that we dream up, but once in awhile it’s from a customer suggestion … whether it be a topping or something that they’d like to see.

What are your favorite Andy’s treats?

A hot fudge sundae with pecans. I’m always trying something different. I’m a huge fan of the pumpkin pie concrete, and I love the blackberry treats when they come out in the summer. I love the eggnog shakes.

Tell us about your family and your spare-time interests.

I have three kids, two girls and a boy, ages 15 months to seven years. My wife Dana and I have been married 16 years. Outside of work is chasing kids and spending time with my wife. We’re wanting to build a new house, and I love to look at and study architecture. And at the end of the day, I enjoy a glass of wine.