When Fritz's Frozen Custard opens for the 2013 season on March 11, it will mark the beginning of a special year for the popular frozen custard franchise.

The family-owned business celebrates 30 years in business this year.

“We’ve been so fortunate to start our business from scratch and last,” Debbie Fritz, co-owner and co-founder of Fritz’s Frozen Custard, said.

The family business has remained a family affair through a number of ways.

The store has shops in St. Peters, O’Fallon, Florissant and West County, with all except the West County store being family-owned.

In addition, some of the concrete favorites, such as Adam’s Apple, Corey-O and Bryan’s Hawaiian are named for Debbie and Terry Fritz’s sons. Last year, the family released the Alli-Oop, which consists of vanilla frozen custard, fresh strawberries and cheesecake bites, named for the Fritz’s granddaughter.

Their employees are close to family, Fritz said, with approximately 80-90 percent of their employees returning each season to work.

The business has plans for its custard stores and customers to celebrate the anniversary, but Fritz said they are keeping the details under wraps for now while they work on the finishing touches.