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 in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. It is famous for its delicious frozen custard and big "jumbo" hamburgers. Elsa Kopp started the first restaurant in 1950.
People in Milwaukee often praise Kopp's for its great food. You can find Kopp's in three suburbs of Milwaukee: Greenfield, Brookfield, and Glendale. Kopp's was also the first custard shop to offer a special "flavor of the day." This was in addition to classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla.
Contents
History of Kopp's Frozen Custard
How Kopp's Got Started
Elsa Kopp opened the very first Kopp's stand in 1950. It was located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elsa was an immigrant from Germany. She had no business experience before starting Kopp's. She began the stand after her husband, Karl Kopp, became sick with Parkinson's disease.
A man named Leon Schneider helped her start the business. He repaired custard machines and had founded Leon's Frozen Custard in 1942. Elsa met him while she was working at a bakery.
Growing Popularity and New Flavors
Kopp's frozen custard stand quickly became popular in the 1950s. It soon became a favorite spot in Milwaukee. By 1960, Kopp's was doing so well that Elsa felt ready to try new frozen custard recipes.
At first, she mixed chocolate and vanilla flavors together. This was a big deal back then in the frozen custard world! After that, Kopp's started offering many different and unique flavors. These became their famous "flavor of the day" options. Today, Kopp's offers two special flavors every day. They also have 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 special. It is built where an old drive-in restaurant called the Milky Way used to be. The Milky Way was the inspiration for Arnold's Drive-In, the diner in the TV show Happy Days.
Who Owns Kopp's Now?
Today, Elsa's son, Karl Kopp, owns Kopp's. He also owns another restaurant called Elsa's on the Park in downtown Milwaukee. It opened on New Year's Eve in 1980. Karl Kopp has also opened restaurants in other states. In every Kopp's location, you can see a picture of Elsa Kopp.
Famous Visitors to Kopp's
Over the years, some important people have visited Kopp's. In September 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit. He was campaigning for his and George W. Bush's reelection.
In June 2010, Vice President Joe Biden also visited a Kopp's. He was campaigning for Senator Russ Feingold. Biden asked the manager, Scott Borkin, what he owed for his custard. Borkin joked, "Don’t worry; it’s on the house. Lower our taxes and we’ll call it even." Biden later came back and joked with the manager again. A few minutes later, Biden apologized and said he was just kidding. This fun interaction was talked about on local and national news.
See also
