The wait is over, Waukesha.
Eighteen months since a fire destroyed Oscar’s Frozen Custard Waukesha in the Town of Brookfield, 21165 E. Moreland Blvd., the beloved shop is back in business with a brand-new building.
Oscar’s will host its grand opening on May 12, a day after soft-opening its doors to friends and family Monday.
Co-owner Susie Taylor encourages customers to think of May as a “grand opening month,” as she anticipates big crowds will pack the store in the first few days open, she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It’s a moment Susie, her husband and co-owner Jim Taylor, their family, and staff have been working for since they first got to work rebuilding the Brookfield location of their family business after the November 2024 fire.
“We are ready to turn the shovel in for a scooper,” she said.
Fire destroyed Oscar’s, but made way for new design build
When an early morning fire destroyed Oscar’s Frozen Custard Waukesha Nov. 19, 2024, Town of Brookfield Fire Department Assistant Chief Tony D’Amico told media the building was a “total loss.”
Fire damage caused the roof to collapse into the shop, leaving the building damaged beyond repair, the Journal Sentinel previously reported.
The town fire department never determined what ignited the fire, although its investigation revealed no foul play was involved in the incident.
Following the fire, the Taylor family assured customers that the beloved custard spot would make a comeback.
Every day since then, the Taylors have taken a step forward, working with contractors, designers and their staff to bring the location back.
“Our dining room became grand central station of architectural plans and kitchen design,” Susie said in a phone call.
Now, the owners are excited to show off the new Oscar’s built from scratch, unlike their other Oscar’s locations which were built out from existing kitchens.
“So many people came together to help,” Susie said. “The building is truly going to be an experience for people.”
She drew inspiration from a gelato shop in Italy to hang a chandelier from the new space’s tall ceiling. Jim’s brother brought in the idea of a wall sculpture that incorporates aspects of other locations.
As in other Oscar’s locations, all custard is made and served from original custard machines built by Leon Schenider, creator of Leon’s Frozen Custard in Milwaukee who for years distributed and built frozen custard machines and their parts, the Journal Sentinel previously reported. And from the street, you can’t miss the imagery of an Oscar’s homemade cone on top of the new building.
“That pulls it all together,” Susie said.
Susie said the rebuild she and Jim undertook couldn’t have been made possible without her employees, her sons – Jimmy and Zach Taylor – and her nephew Grant Brown, all of whom work for Oscar’s.
Fire showed owners just how much Oscar’s means to community
Oscar’s and frozen custard means the world to the Taylor family. Jim started the business in 1984 with his uncle Charle, and Susie began working there since day one, first as a cashier and shortly after as a manager.
“Oscar’s put me through college,” she said. It also introduced her to Jim, and once they married, it remains a staple in their children’s – and now grandchildren’s – lives.
What they didn’t fully understand until the fire was how much Oscar’s means to people. The Taylors received letters, kind messages and phone calls from people who reached out to share the role Oscar’s has played in their own families’ lives.
People who insisted on having Oscar’s at their weddings. A family that went to Oscar’s after their grandfather’s funeral for butter pecan custard, his favorite flavor. A Wisconsin-born California resident who makes a stop at the shop for their favorite burger every time they return home.
Those messages lifted the Taylors and their employees through the process of rebuilding the shop.
“Oscars wasn’t just a custard stand to them, it was a memory maker,” Susie said.
Hours at Oscar’s Frozen Custard Waukesha in the Town of Brookfield
Oscar’s Frozen Custard Waukesha is open seven days a week. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Bridget Fogarty covers Brookfield, Wauwatosa and Elm Grove for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be contacted at bfogarty@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Oscar’s Frozen Custard Waukesha reopens 18 months after fire
Reporting by Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
