This article is in need of a Photo.To add an image to this page, click "Edit" then click the "Files" button.

I’m a student at Buffalo State College and I’m writing this for Professor Maria Pabico’s Web Publishing and Social Media class.

Anderson’s Frozen Custard is a local restaurant chain unique to Western New York. According to their website, Anderson’s began as a small custard stand in 1946. Buffalo natives Carl and Greta Anderson, whose parents were Swedish immigrants, opened their first stand in Bronx, New York, but a year later returned to Buffalo, New York to open one on Kenmore Avenue instead. The custard stand became so popular that the Andersons had to open a bigger venue on Sheridan Drive in 1953. Throughout the years the next generation of Andersons took over the business and now Holly, Keith, and Nels Anderson still have ownership over it today.

Anderson’s is no longer just a frozen custard stand. There are now seven locations across Western New York- in Buffalo, Kenmore, Amherst, Cheektowaga, Lockport, Lancaster, and Williamsville. All locations are open all year round (with the exception of each closing at different times for short breaks during the winter months) and some, like the one of the first locations on Sheridan Drive, have garage-door-type walls and turn into an open-air kind of restaurant in the summer so that guests may enjoy the warm air and sunshine. The hours vary according to store and season. In the winter, they are typically open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Summer hours are normally longer; Monday-Friday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. They are still famous for their homemade soft-serve, but they now offer a wide variety of foods as well, including hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, turkey sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, salads, soups, baked potatoes, and curly fries. They are especially famous for their roast beef, and they recently started carrying all natural, gluten-free roast beef from Vintage Beef Farms. They have a variety of gluten-free menu items already, and they are working on creating more options for their customers who suffer from Celiac’s disease and other gluten and wheat allergies. And of course they still have tasty desserts such as frozen custard, Italian ice, hard ice cream, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, smoothies, and frozen coffee drinks. They even offer catering services and sundae parties for parties and other special occasions, and they sell ice cream cakes and other frozen treats.

Anderson’s is not just a typical a restaurant; they are also very involved in the community. They fund-raise for different organizations, including Camp Good Days & Special Times, for which they raised over $7,000 in 2011.They also have a coupon book that they allow different organizations to sell and benefit from. They even give those organizations free ice cream if they sell enough books. In 2011, Anderson’s donated gift certificates to over 1,348 groups and organizations. They are always willing to donate to neighborhood block parties, raffles, and auctions. They also host “School Spirit Nights,” where they allow local high school teams and clubs to set up special events and have the opportunity to earn 20% of the sales from the guests who come to support them. In 2012, students from 24 different groups raised over $12,000 with the help of Anderson’s Frozen Custard.

Anderson’s loves to host special events to support the community. For example, each year they hold Boy Scout Day to celebrate the Boy Scouts of America. For this event Boy Scouts can come to Anderson’s in uniform or with their scout I.D. and receive a free lemon ice. They even have special days every month that give their customers great deals, such as Meal Deal Tuesdays. During the Lenten season they offer Fish Fry Fridays. They use Facebook to give coupons to customers and they even give away prizes to Facebook users on Fridays. To celebrate classic Buffalo weather, they even give away half-price cones when it snows. They have also hosted fun events such as “Scoopfuls of Summer Fun” and “Songs and Sundaes on the Patio,” which involved live music, ice cream related games, and of course raising money for an organization called Variety Kids.

The involvement in the community doesn’t stop there. Anderson’s recently expanded its support and care overseas when they sent ice cream, packaged using dry ice, to Afghanistan, so that American soldiers could enjoy a little taste of home. The restaurant chain was also recently given an award for Community Contributions by the Tonawanda Police Club. That’s not their only award; their vanilla and chocolate ice creams were given blue ribbons at the 2012 National Ice Cream Retailers Association, and vanilla and strawberry won blue ribbons in the 2011 competition. Anderson’s was also given the “Best New Flavor” award for their “Salty Caramel Pecan Pie” ice cream in 2011.

Anderson’s is a favorite of many Buffalo locals, and it’s not only their great food that has made them famous, but their immense contributions to the community as well. Anderson’s Frozen Custard is a great example of a small Buffalo-based business that has grown and prospered within the Western New York area but has still managed to stay local and in touch with where they started. It is just one of the countless things that make Buffalo so unique and interesting.

References:

http://www.andersonscustard.com

All pictures were taken by Tara MacAuley.

Comments