Frozen custard has long been a traditional summer treat here in Milwaukee. Jim and Susie Taylor, owners of Oscar’s Frozen Custard ought to know; they’ve been serving up their signature homemade waffle cones and deliciously decadent custard for more than 30 years. When the long-standing signs which displayed the flavor of the day at the Waukesha and West Allis Oscar’s locations would no longer be serviced by the manufacturer, the Taylors knew they wanted to replace them with something creative. “We wanted to bring a sense of what we are famous for—our homemade cones topped with a scoop of our frozen custard,” says Susie Taylor.
The Taylors took their idea around to several sign makers. They finally went with a local company, Sign Effectz, who created the modern, unique design that was installed at the Waukesha location in early July. The West Allis location will have it up by August, and the new Franklin location will have it by the end of August. All three of the municipalities involved accepted the new design and approved the required variances without any hassle, much to the relief of the Taylors. “Normally when you go for a variance, a city will flat out say no or water it down and force changes,” says Jim Taylor.
The base of the new signs are made to look like a huge waffle cone, down to the waffle square imprints and at night, the “fold” of the cone is lit. The top of the cone looks like a scoop of custard, including the start of a little “drip” about to go over the edge. In the middle a message center displays the flavor of the day. “The LED backlighting in the cone can be changed for a holiday or to reflect the flavor of the day,” says Susie Taylor. “Like red, white and blue for the Fourth of July, or we can make it green for a mint flavor. It’s pretty fun!”
In Waukesha, the new sign has been getting lots of attention already. Customers are posing for pictures in front of it, and the Taylors say they’ve been getting lots of positive feedback. “People have told us it’s beautiful and compared it to something you’d see in Las Vegas,” says Jim Taylor.
In the end, the Taylors are happy their vision translated so well. The sign is so “artsy” and unique that it shows Oscar’s isn't just another chain restaurant. Their hope is that over time the signs will become so iconic people will look for them when they are in the vicinity of an Oscar’s. “It gives people something positive to talk about,” says Susie Taylor. “We are so excited about it.”
For more information, visit oscarscustard.com.
