Kopp's Frozen Custard

What Kopp's Frozen Custard does

Kopp's Frozen Custard is a privately held, founder-owned quick-service restaurant company founded by Elsa Kopp in 1950 in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin metropolitan area. The company operates three walk-up counter locations in Greenfield, Brookfield, and Glendale, serving handmade frozen custard — including a rotating daily 'Flavor of the Day' that Kopp's originated in 1960 — alongside a grill and fountain menu of burgers, sandwiches, sides, malts, shakes, and specialty sundaes. Menu pricing is unit-based, ranging from approximately $3.75 for a single-scoop cone to $10.00 for a signature KRK Burger and $19.50 for a half-gallon of take-home custard.

The company monetizes primarily through point-of-sale transactions at its three physical locations, supplemented by two proprietary consumer mobile applications: a Flavor Alerts app (iOS/Android) that notifies registered users when favorite rotating flavors appear on the forecast calendar, and a separate Ordering app (iOS/Android) that supports online ordering, saved payment methods, and reorder history. A third gift-card channel is operated through the third-party CardFoundry platform with Givex balance infrastructure. The technology stack is consumer-facing engagement software layered on top of a traditional QSR operation; no franchise, wholesale, or out-of-market distribution channels are in use.

Kopp's primary customer segment is local Milwaukee-area individual consumers (families, students, food enthusiasts) seeking nostalgic comfort food and quality frozen custard. The company positions itself on the heritage of its 70+ year brand, an extensive proprietary recipe library, and its invention of the daily rotating flavor concept. The business is independently operated with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or subsidiary relationships.

Name

Kopp's Frozen Custard

Legal name

Kopp's Frozen Custard

Website

https://kopps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kopp's Frozen Custard is a privately held Milwaukee-area quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1950, operating three walk-up locations serving handmade frozen custard — including its originated 'Flavor of the Day' — alongside burgers and fountain items to local consumer customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Custard Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Soft-Serve & Custard Stands (THAFAGAC)

Keywords

• Frozen custard desserts
• Quick service restaurant
• Burgers and shakes
• Dairy dessert products
• Wisconsin diner fare

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. In-Store Retail Sales: The primary revenue stream consists of point-of-sale transactions at three physical restaurant locations in the Milwaukee area. Customers purchase frozen custard, burgers, sandwiches, fries, beverages, and specialty items directly at walk-up counters. This is a one-time transaction model with no recurring revenue component.
2. Mobile Ordering: Revenue generated through the Kopp's To Go mobile ordering app, allowing customers to save payment methods, use quicker reorder options, and access order history for efficient purchasing.
3. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards through the company's CardFoundry storefront, providing prepaid value that can be redeemed for food and beverages at any Kopp's location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kopp's Frozen Custard operates three quick-service restaurants in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area (Greenfield, Brookfield, and Glendale), selling handmade frozen custard in cones, sundaes, malts, shakes, sodas, floats, and take-home containers alongside a grill menu of jumbo burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches, grilled cheese, fries, and onion rings. The signature offering is the company-pioneered "Flavor of the Day" rotating flavor program, supported by mobile ordering and Flavor Alerts apps.

Product overview

Kopp's Frozen Custard operates as a restaurant chain with three physical locations in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area (Greenfield, Brookfield, and Glendale). The company offers a dual product portfolio centered on (1) handmade frozen custard — including a daily Flavor of the Day program pioneered by the company — and (2) grill/fountain items such as burgers, sandwiches, malts, shakes, sundaes, and specialty drinks. Digital products include two separate mobile applications: the Flavor Alerts App (iOS/Android) for flavor notification preferences and the Ordering App (iOS/Android) for online/mobile ordering. Additional services include gift cards, an online ordering platform, and a Flavor Alerts email notification system. The company's product architecture is best characterized as a restaurant hospitality offering supplemented by consumer-facing digital tools (mobile apps and online ordering) rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flavor of the Day A rotating daily special frozen custard flavor, originally pioneered by Kopp's, featuring unique and seasonal flavors that change daily. Available as cones, dishes, shakes, malts, sodas, and take-home containers for individual consumers at Kopp's three Milwaukee-area locations.
• Grill Menu A grill menu featuring jumbo burgers (Hamburger, Double, Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, KRK Burger), grilled chicken sandwiches (Grilled Chicken, Chicken L.T.M, Chicken Caliente, Chicken Buffalo), fish sandwiches, grilled cheese, and sides (French Fries, Onion Rings) for individual consumers dining at Kopp's locations.
• Fountain Menu (Malts, Shakes, Sodas, Sundaes, Cones, Floats) Frozen custard fountain menu offering malts and shakes (Regular $5.50, Thick $6.25), custard sodas ($5.25), specialty sundaes ($8.50-$9.00) including Kopp's Special, Peanut Butter Log, Banana Split, Smile, Fudge Delight, Cashew Creation, and Turtle, regular sundaes in three sizes, cones and dishes, and floats for individual consumers.
• Frozen Custard To Go Frozen custard available for takeout in pint ($6.00), quart ($12.00), and half gallon ($19.50) sizes, in Vanilla, Swiss Chocolate, and Flavors of the Day, for individual consumers.
• Gift Cards Prepaid gift cards sold through the CardFoundry storefront that can be redeemed for food and beverages at any of the three Kopp's Frozen Custard locations, with online balance checking available.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Shake Shack: Premium fast-casual burger chain with a meaningful frozen custard program—relevant as a dual-menu comparable at the higher price tier, though at significantly different scale and operating geography.
• Marble Slab Creamery: Specialty small-batch ice cream franchise focused on mix-in customization—shares Kopp's rotating novelty engine but operates through franchise stores rather than founder-owned stands.

Direct peers

• Graeter's: Family-owned, premium frozen dessert maker and scoop shop operator with retail scoop, take-home pints, and mail-order—a peer on the craft, family-owned frozen dessert side rather than the grill side.
• Dairy Queen: Iconic soft-serve/frozen custard chain with food menu—competes for the same Wisconsin treat occasions as Kopp's, albeit at vastly larger scale and with broader geographic coverage.
• Culver's: Midwest-based quick-service chain best known for frozen custard and ButterBurgers—operates from Wisconsin and offers nearly identical dual custard/grill menu economics to Kopp's, making it the closest direct comparable.
• Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: National chain built explicitly on the custard + steakburger format; demonstrates the scaled, franchise-driven path of the same operating model Kopp's operates at three independent locations.
• Andy's Frozen Custard: Multi-unit frozen custard specialist with both walk-up stands and combined grill locations—matches Kopp's on the Frosty Treats + savory food combination and shares the Midwest operating roots.

Regional players

• Oberweis Dairy: Midwest family-owned dairy brand with ice cream and home delivery heritage—overlaps with Kopp's on the Wisconsin/Midwest family-run frozen-dessert identity rather than direct QSR competition.

Broad incumbents

• Häagen-Dazs Shops: Premium frozen dessert café brand owned by a global CPG parent—adjacent in product category and business model (dessert-focused specialty shops) but much broader in scale and capital structure.
• Steak 'n Shake: Long-standing national burger chain with iconic milkshakes—broad incumbent in the same dual menu/counter-service space but without the Wisconsin custard heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/koppscustard
• Facebookfacebook.com/koppscustard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kopps-frozen-custard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kopp's Frozen Custard