Oscar’s Frozen Custard in Brookfield has reopened more than a year and a half after a fire destroyed the building in November 2024.
The new building is taller than the original and features a larger outdoor patio and a double drive-through — an upgrade owners say customers had long been requesting.
On Monday, Oscar’s held a friends, family and rebuild crew reopening event.
Among those invited was the fire department, and Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling received the first cone of the day. Owners Susie and Jim Taylor said he was with them the day the restaurant was destroyed.
“I can remember you watching,” Susie Taylor said. “The winds were so strong that the flames were going from one end of the roof to the other.”
For many employees, the reopening is a homecoming. Several have worked at the Brookfield location for decades.
“I started 33 years ago,” said Laurie Linstead, an administrative assistant at Oscar’s Frozen Custard.
“I have been here about 20 years,” said Margie Paczesny, a trainer at Oscar’s Frozen Custard.
Managers Zach Taylor and Jimmy Taylor also have deep roots at the location.
“We both started working here as teenagers,” Zach Taylor said. “There is something special about coming right here.”
The short commute back to the Brookfield location is also a welcome change for the two managers…