Opinion: Adam Sandler likes Andy's Frozen Custard

The story goes like this, as told to me by an eyewitness:

Late one Friday night in early June, an eight-member Andy’s Frozen Custard crew was cleaning up their Rogers, Ark., store immediately following a weekend rush. Out of nowhere, three sport utility vehicles pulled up and 15 men approached the walk-up window.

“We were pretty much closing,” recalls franchise store owner Katy Powell. “Emily and I just happened to be standing there cleaning the dip station and she looked up and said, ‘Is that somebody famous?’ I looked up and thought, ‘What is she talking about?’ Two minutes later, she said, ‘Hey, that’s Adam Sandler.’ So then I looked a little bit harder when she said a name and said, ‘That IS Adam Sandler.’”

Sandler’s entourage included Jon Stewart and Sandler sidekicks Allen Covert and Nick Swardson. The group of actors and comedians was in northwest Arkansas for a celebrity golf tournament.

“Let’s just say the inside of Andy’s went crazy,” said Andy’s owner Andy Kuntz, who received a detailed e-mail from the employee, Emily Washburn, who first spotted Sandler and company.

The story gets better. Witnesses say Sandler first ordered a small chocolate custard cone, then, returned to the window for a medium cone. But he wasn’t done there. Sandler reportedly finished the evening with a large chocolate malt.

Store employees received reports the next day that at a benefit attended by more than 2,000 people Sandler said: “Don’t pay any attention to me, because I’m all jacked up on chocolate custard from Andy’s.”

Powell also was told that Sandler challenged Peyton Manning, another celebrity golfer, to an Andy’s Frozen Custard-eating contest.

“He was real enamored with the product and really liked it,” Kuntz said. “That’s kind of the scoop.” Pun intended, I’m sure. “I think it’s real cool.” Cool as his custard.

Franchisee Powell, a Springfield native and daughter of Herrman Lumber owner Ed Powell, said she was impressed with the celebs’ response to excited employees.

“We automatically took our hats off and kindly asked for autographs,” Washburn wrote to Kuntz.

The entertainers easily obliged, hanging out for 30 minutes, signing autographs on Andy’s hats, talking with staff and eating custard. Covert even bought an Andy’s hat.

“They were very cordial, very nice,” said Powell, who has since e-mailed Sandler, Covert and Swardson to thank them. She hasn’t heard back and doesn’t have high hopes that she will.

Nonetheless, the famous Sandler craze for custard has created quite a buzz around the store.

“For the next week, I had people coming up asking, ‘Was he really here? Did he really do that?’” Powell said.

Surely, there’s a marketing opportunity to be had. Kuntz is on top of it. “We’ve tried to get in contact with him but haven’t been able to yet,” he said.

Turns out, Sandler is not the only celebrity/actor with an affinity for Andy’s custard.

Earlier this month, Kuntz received an e-mail report saying that during the 4th of July weekend, actress/ singer Tatyana Ali stopped at the Osage Beach store. Ali is best known as Ashley, Will Smith’s younger sister on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

According to the e-mail with “Another Famous Person” in the subject line, Ali and two guys in a “nice convertible” ordered her an Up Chocolate in the drive-through.

Ali said she was “just having fun” at Lake of the Ozarks.

No pressure Springfield stores, no pressure. Where’s Brad Pitt when you need him? He’s sure to like Andy’s, too.

Eric Olson is SBJ editor.