Kopp's Frozen Custard facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | fast-casual |
| Founded | 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | 7631 W Layton Ave Greenfield, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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3 (2021) |
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Area served
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Milwaukee metropolitan area |
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Key people
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Karl Kopp (son), owner of Greenfield and Glendale stores Mac McGuire, owner of Brookfield store |
| Products | fast casual restaurants specializing in frozen custard, jumbo burgers |
| Owner | Kopp and McGuire family |
Kopp's Frozen Custard is a popular restaurant chain found in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. It's famous for two main things: delicious frozen custard and really big "jumbo" hamburgers. Elsa Kopp started the first restaurant in 1950. Since then, local newspapers and people in the area have always praised Kopp's for its tasty food. You can find Kopp's in three suburbs near Milwaukee: Greenfield, Brookfield, and Glendale.
Kopp's was special because it was the first custard shop to offer a unique "flavor of the day." Before that, most places only had classic chocolate and vanilla flavors.
Contents
The Story of Kopp's
How Kopp's Began
Elsa Kopp opened her first Kopp's stand in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1950. Today, a different restaurant is in that spot. Elsa was an immigrant from Germany and didn't have much business experience. She decided to start the custard stand after her husband, Karl Kopp, became ill with Parkinson's disease.
Elsa got some help and advice from Leon Schneider. He was a repairman for custard machines and had started his own famous custard shop, Leon's Frozen Custard, in 1942. Elsa had met him when she worked at a bakery.
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The Kopp's frozen custard stand quickly became very popular in the 1950s. It was soon seen as a favorite spot in Milwaukee. By 1960, Kopp's was doing so well that Elsa felt ready to try new and exciting frozen custard recipes. At first, she mixed chocolate and vanilla, which was a big deal in the early frozen custard world! After that, Kopp's started offering more and more different flavors. This led to their famous "flavor of the day" menu. Kopp's now offers two special flavors every day, plus a featured shake and sundae each month. These special flavors often relate to events happening that day or month.
The Kopp's location in Glendale is built where an old drive-in restaurant called Milky Way used to be. That Milky Way drive-in was actually the inspiration for the look of Arnold's Drive-In in the TV show Happy Days.
Today, Elsa's son, Karl Kopp, owns Kopp's. Karl also owns another restaurant called Elsa's on the Park in downtown Milwaukee, which opened in 1980. He has also opened restaurants in other states like Arizona and New York. In every Kopp's location, you can see a portrait of Elsa Kopp, honoring her legacy.
In 2024, Bill Zito, who is the general manager for the Florida Panthers hockey team and used to work at Kopp's, visited a Kopp's restaurant. He even used the Stanley Cup as a bowl for his custard!
Famous Visitors
Kopp's has had some important visitors over the years.
Vice President Dick Cheney's Visit
In September 2004, during his campaign for reelection, Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to a Kopp's. He went there because Bart Starr, a famous football player, suggested it. Cheney first ordered coffee. Then, the store manager, Scott Borkin, offered him a cup of custard, which Cheney happily accepted.
Vice President Joe Biden's Visit
In June 2010, Joe Biden, who was also a vice president at the time, visited a Kopp's location. He was in Wisconsin to support Senator Russ Feingold during his campaign. Biden was invited to serve Feingold's custard order. When Biden asked how much his own custard cost, the manager, Scott Borkin, told him it was free. Borkin jokingly suggested Biden "lower our taxes and we’ll call it even." Biden responded with a joke back, saying, "Why don’t you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time?" He later apologized to Borkin, explaining that his comment was meant as a joke. This funny moment was talked about on TV shows and in the news.
See also
