Murfโs Frozen Custard & Jumbo Burgers in Waukesha closed today, after nearly three decades.
Jerry Murphy, who has been involved in the custard business for 39 years, opened the Murfโs Waukesha location in 1993.
Murphy got his start in custard as a high schooler working for Koppโs Frozen Custard in the โ80s. While he was in college, Murphy helped open Freddyโs Frozen Custard in Mequon. He later opened his first Murfโs operation in Waukesha and eventually purchased Freddyโs, which he owned from 1994 to 1999.
Murphy then sold Freddyโs and opened Murfโs Frozen Custard & Jumbo Burgers in Brookfield, which is still in operation today. He said the sale of his Waukesha location was โcarefully orchestrated,โ adding that he wanted to simplify his operation and the timing was right.
โIt was just time to sell, we had a good long run, great community support,โ Murphy said. โAnd to be honest with you, right now is a great time to sell a drive-thru restaurant because COVID canโt shut you down in a drive-thru.โ
Murphy said he has a buyer for the Waukesha location who will likely stay in the custard business because of the locationโs high volume of sales.
โI canโt reveal it now because itโs in the works, but itโs being sold,โ Murphy said. โIโm sure the next people will follow the same type of business because it was really successful there.โ
During the pandemic, Murfโs in Waukesha had been drive-thru only, with the Brookfield location offering carryout as the only option for its customers. In fact, the Brookfield location has more business than last year, Murphy added.
โSo, I feel very lucky about that,โ Murphy said. โItโs very disappointing that other folks in the restaurant business arenโt doing well. Itโs tough to watch.โ
Just as Murphy started off working for a custard business before eventually owning his own, former Murfโs employees have followed in his footsteps, he said.
โIf youโre in the business, the great part is the people,โ Murphy said. โIโve had some great people work for me and sharp enough to go into the business for themselves, which is always great to see.โ