🍨 Wisconsin frozen custard legends surprise Oscar’s owners after devastating fire

For decades, Oscar’s Frozen Custard has been a staple in southeast Wisconsin. Families gathered after baseball games. Parents brought their children after school concerts and sporting events. Friends met over burgers, onion rings and hot fudge sundaes. Employees grew up together. Generations returned again and again.

And for owners Jim and Susie Taylor, Oscar’s became part of their own family story too.

“In 1984 my mom’s brother, my uncle Charlie, and I started Oscars because we liked going to Kopp’s and Leon’s and loved their custard,” Jim Taylor said. “So, we found out who made machines, and we gave it a whirl…and look what happened.”

Back then, Susie Taylor was still in high school.

“I went and applied, and Jim hired me,” Susie Taylor said. “So, I’ve also started working at Oscar’s since the day it opened. Day one.”

Over the years, Oscar’s became a true family business.

“Our kids have been a part of Oscar’s. Our nephews. Jim’s mom,” Susie said. “My brother did artwork. My sister did the books. It’s definitely a family affair, which makes working a lot not so bad, because at least we can all be together.”

That family affair nearly disappeared for one of their locations, on Nov. 19, 2024.

“So, on November 19, 2024, my daughter in law called me and said, ‘Susie, Oscars is on fire. You and Jim need to go right away,’” Susie recalled.

At first, the couple thought the fire might be small.

“I bet like the neon or the awning caught on fire,” Susie said. “We thought it would be like a small fire.”

But as they exited the freeway near the Town of Brookfield restaurant, reality quickly set in.

“As we are getting off the freeway, it was all black smoke,” Susie said. “You could hardly see the road.”

“And yeah, so we pulled into huge flames, and it was really sad.”

Jim Taylor described watching the fire spread while firefighters fought to contain it during the windy and rainy conditions.

“When we were pulling off the freeway where we could finally view our building… the flames were on the rooftop up,” Jim said. “The flames would dance from the very south end of the building 60 feet over to the north end… because of the wind.”

The couple watched from a nearby Taco Bell while crews eventually began tearing parts of the building down to stop the flames from spreading.

“We were in shock,” Susie said. “We drove home at like five or six in the morning, tried to get an hour of sleep, and woke up like, ‘Oh my God, that’s right. Oscars burned down.’”

Still, even while watching the building burn, the Taylors said one thing became immediately clear.

“We were really shocked and sad, but the one thing we also knew is we were going to rebuild,” Susie said. “There was just no way.”

“There was never a doubt in my mind we wouldn’t rebuild,” Jim added.

In the months after the fire, the rebuilding process slowly began.

“Every day there’d be a change,” Susie said. “We’d be like, ‘Oh gosh, they put the window, the tile floor in, the windows.’ Just seeing the walls go up, it was just so exciting.”

The new Oscar’s still carries pieces of the original restaurant.

“We were able to save a few of the railings that went around the circumference of the dining room,” Susie said. “So, we’re going to put those outside.”

The rebuilt restaurant also features new artwork created by Jim Taylor’s brother, Richard.

“My brother Richard did the metal sculpture and colorful aluminum sculpture on the wall,” Jim said. “Took him about six weeks to do.”

Susie said the artwork was intentionally designed to honor the history of Oscar’s.

“If you look at the art, each piece represents something really special about Oscars,” Susie said. “Whether it’s the scooper for the cones, whether it’s Oscar the wiener dog, our homemade cone, the sundaes, the onion rings, the burgers, the chicken sandwiches.”

One especially emotional detail was the red button incorporated into the art display.

“The red button honors Jim’s dad, because anytime he fixed something, he always put a red button on it,” Susie explained.

The Taylors also addressed one of the biggest questions customers had after the fire — what happened to the iconic silhouettes from the original restaurant.

“One of the most common questions asked from the public was what happened to all the silhouettes?” Susie said.

“A lot of them didn’t make it through the fire.”

Still, a few damaged pieces survived.

“We tried to fix it up as much as we could,” Susie said.

The fire sparked an emotional response across southeast Wisconsin. Thousands of people reached out to the Taylors with memories connected to Oscar’s.

“If there could be the best part about the awful fire, it’s hearing from people how much Oscars meant to them,” Susie said.

One message especially stood out.

“A city of Waukesha police officer sent me a message and said, ‘Susie, Oscars wasn’t just a restaurant to my family. It was a memory maker,’” Susie recalled.

The officer described leaving Milwaukee Bucks games early just so his family could make it to Oscar’s before closing time for hot fudge sundaes.

“There were thousands of those comments,” Jim Taylor said.

For the Taylors, the support changed how they viewed the role Oscar’s played in people’s lives.

“You think to yourself, ‘Wow. I do have a purpose,’” Jim said.

“It means so much that we meant so much to people, and we didn’t know how much Oscars meant to people until a tragedy happened,” Susie added. “So that’s the good that came out of it.”

As the reopening approached, the Taylors thought they had already experienced the full extent of the community’s support.

Then came another sweet surprise.

The families behind Leon’s Frozen Custard, Gilles Frozen Custard, Culver’s and Kopp’s Frozen Custard walked through the doors together once again.

“Oh my gosh! Holy cow! Thank you!” Susie exclaimed as the group walked in.

For Craig Culver, the moment carried deep meaning.

“Jim and Susie were completely shocked,” Culver said. “I could see how much that meant to them.”

“It was cool for certainly me and I think the whole group as well,” Culver added. “There is a camaraderie amongst us.”

Culver said Wisconsin’s frozen custard community has always been closely connected.

“We’re all a little different, but we’re all same in a way as well,” Culver said. “We’re all entrepreneurs. We all love what we do. We love Frozen Custard.”

Long before Culver’s became a national brand, Craig Culver said he and his father studied Milwaukee’s iconic custard stands.

“Before we ever opened Culver’s, I visited every one of their restaurants,” Culver said.

He even worked a shift at Leon’s decades ago.

“I even worked in his store on 27th and Oklahoma for a day,” Culver said.

“Our first custard machines we bought from Ron, as a matter of fact, from Leon’s.”

Culver described Wisconsin — and Milwaukee specifically — as a frozen custard “mecca.”

“This is a mecca for Frozen Custard,” Culver said. “Milwaukee specifically.”

Few people symbolize Milwaukee frozen custard history more than Ron Schneider, owner of Leon's Frozen Custard. 

For decades, the Schneider family helped build and maintain the specialized custard machines used by many iconic Wisconsin stands.

“Before I was scooping cones, I was helping my father build the custard machines,” Ron Schneider said.

Schneider explained that his father originally sold and rebuilt custard equipment after seeing a machine demonstrated at a restaurant show.

“He helped people get into the business,” Schneider said.

Schneider said rebuilding and maintaining frozen custard equipment became increasingly difficult through the years as refrigeration regulations changed.

“Nobody really understands our little industry,” Schneider said.

“Frozen custard is difficult to freeze,” he explained. “Our whole business depends on volume.”

Schneider said the equipment used for frozen custard has to work differently than traditional restaurant refrigeration systems because of the heavy mix and high butterfat content.

“People don’t understand,” Schneider said. “We’re talking about a heavy mix product.”

Even with the challenges, Schneider continued helping frozen custard businesses across Wisconsin keep their machines running.

“I would not ship anything until I knew it was perfect,” Schneider said. “Took a lot out of my hide.”

After the fire at Oscar’s, Jim Taylor turned to Schneider for help.

“We had quite a few conversations, especially about the machines and refrigeration and whatnot,” Schneider said.

“He had 101 questions for me.”

At one point, Schneider agreed to help provide equipment for the rebuild.

“‘It’s for the kids. It’s for Susie,’” Schneider recalled telling himself. “I said, ‘I’ll tell you what. I will sell you the basics. I’ll help you.’”

“I’ve given him the tools for the frozen custard,” Schneider added. “It’s up to him to use them.”

Steven Schneider said seeing the emotional reaction from Jim Taylor made the reunion especially meaningful.

“The look on Jim’s face, I mean, that said it all,” Steven Schneider said. “He was in tears with everyone coming together and supporting him.”

Steven Schneider also reflected on the importance of Oscar’s returning.

“It’s nice for them to be able to rebuild and be part of the community again and serve their great product,” he said.

The frozen custard families also arrived carrying gifts.

Craig Culver brought a Culver’s scoop.

Tom and Willy Linscott of Gilles Frozen Custard brought one of the company’s final remaining vintage scoopers.

“It’s got the liquid in the handle that warms the custard as you scoop,” Willy Linscott said. “And we thought that this was a good destination and home for it.”

Jeff Feist of Kopp’s Frozen Custard brought one of the company’s classic, red-handled scoopers.

“It’s the main tool of the business,” Feist said.

Ron and Steven Schneider of Leon’s Frozen Custard arrived with a golden scoop.

“Because he’s going for the gold,” Ron Schneider joked.

The gifts symbolized more than frozen custard. They represented decades of shared history between Wisconsin’s frozen custard families.

“We all have an old story that goes back to Ron and his father, Leon,” Jeff Feist said. “It started with helping one another.”

Feist said many of Milwaukee’s frozen custard stands remain connected through decades of shared history, equipment and support.

“There’s the connection between all of them,” Feist said. “Gilles and all of them.”

Feist said seeing Oscar’s return after the fire means a lot to Wisconsin’s frozen custard industry.

“Wish them well, because I know how stressful the mechanicals are in the middle of the night,” Feist said. “Had to get everything up and running and just getting the feel of where everything is.”

Feist also praised the rebuilt restaurant itself.

“It’s beautiful,” Feist said.

“It’s always good to have a competitor back,” Feist added. “It keeps us all strong.”

“What a tragedy to have it burned down,” Feist said. “I can’t imagine what that would be like.”

Willy Linscott said the support shown to Oscar’s reflects something bigger than competition.

“It definitely tugged at the heart,” Willy Linscott said. “We genuinely care.”

“To see their reaction and just supporting each other… that’s super special.”

“Wisconsin is better off with Oscars,” Willy said. “We truly are all better off with each other.”

Willy Linscott said seeing the Taylors’ reaction during the surprise reunion became one of the most emotional parts of the day.

“To see their reaction and just supporting each other, like that’s super special,” Linscott said.

Linscott said the reunion also served as a reminder to slow down and appreciate what truly matters.

“We got to keep in perspective the important stuff along the way,” Linscott said.

While walking through the rebuilt restaurant, both Willy and Tom Linscott reflected on how much work the Taylors endured to reach reopening day.

“It’s beautiful, remarkable,” Willy said. “It’s going to be buzzing; it’s going to be great.”

Tom Linscott said family support plays a huge role in businesses like Oscar’s and Gilles.

“They’ll go over and above and handle responsibilities and things that other people would just look at you and think, ‘What are you nuts?’” Tom said.

Willy Linscott also thanked CBS 58 for helping reunite the frozen custard families once again.

“This was really special,” Linscott said.

For Tom Linscott, seeing the rebuilt restaurant in person felt emotional.

“I was thinking of them ever since I heard the news of the fire,” Tom said. “I felt really grateful to be a part of it.”

“The uphill battle and the work and everything that they had to go through… to see them this close to getting this going, I’m like, wow.”

The Taylors say they are exhausted, emotional and grateful. But most of all, they are ready. “It’s going to be a fun place to gather,” Susie said. “A happy place,” Jim added.

The story of Oscar’s rebuild became about much more than a restaurant. It became about family businesses, community, tradition, and the people who continue showing up for one another.