For the past 75 years, Kopp’s Frozen Custard has been a Wisconsin staple. Every year, thousands of hungry locals make their way to one of Kopp’s three locations for burgers, shakes, and some of dairyland’s finest custard.
The original Kopp’s was opened in 1950 by its founder, Elsa Kopp. Elsa was a German immigrant who moved to Milwaukee when she was a teenager in 1929. She married her husband Karl, who was less involved in the business due to his health struggles, as he was later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Her first custard stand was located on 60th and Appleton in Milwaukee. Quickly, Kopp’s gained a reputation for having high quality food that was served in a relaxed, nostalgic setting.
Elsa also had another invention that has created a lasting legacy: the ‘Flavor of the Day’. As other local custard stands like Gilles tried to take a piece of the custard business’s profits, Elsa knew she had to distinguish herself. The ‘Flavor of the Day’ concept kept customers interested, as it encouraged them to stop by to see if an old favorite was on the menu or try something totally new.
In the mid 1970s, Elsa sold the shop to another businessman who was inspired by the store’s successful reputation. In 1991, he opened the location in Brookfield, which helped expand Kopp’s legacy further west. Elsa was involved with Kopp’s throughout much of her life, even after she sold the shop.
Today, there are three Kopp’s locations between Brookfield, Glendale, and and Greenfield. However, as time has gone by, Kopp’s has made some welcome changes. The business hasn’t skimped on quality or tradition, meaning that guests can look forward to new, fun, and fantastic flavor of the days each week. But, guests don’t have to drive to the shop to see what today’s flavor of the day is. Recently, Kopp’s launched an app that allows customers to set flavor alerts so that they can be notified when their favorite flavors are being served.
Kopp’s also now has a flavor forecast, where each month’s two daily special flavors are listed. There are classics, like turtle and birthday, but also some that are totally unique, such as bienenstichkuchen (A German inspired flavor that has almond flavored custard that is swirled with honey, almond slices, yellow cake, and Bavarian creme).
In a state where dairy is everywhere, Kopp’s has managed to stand out for 75 years.
