ice-cream vending machine

Custard vending machine at STL Airport

STL custard

Just in time for summer, vending machines dispensing a frozen custard famous in St. Louis have been installed on the concourses at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The machines are filled with custard cups known as concretes – malts or shakes so thick they can be served upside down – from Ted Drewes, a popular family-owned ice-cream shop with two branches in St. Louis.

STL custard machine

The vending machines are stocked with six “concrete” flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, Oreo cookie, Heath Bar and chocolate chip. Each 8 ounce cup is $6 and when a purchase is made “the machine opens the fridge door, and arm with a suction picks up the flavor requested and then drops it into the retrieve area,” said airport spokesman Jeff Lea.