Consistency key to frozen custard shops' success

On any given night, especially in the summertime, Nielsen's Frozen Custards in Bountiful is a beehive of activity.

A steady stream of visitors wait at the walk-up window. Outside tables are full of teenagers or families enjoying a laugh or frozen treats. Every few minutes a car makes its way to the drive-through window. Inside, 10 people wait in line to order. Booths and tables are full of people enjoying a burger or Concrete — thick, rich milkshakes the business is most known for.

"Concretes are by far (our most popular item)," said Steve Nielsen, who founded the business. "Of the 65 percent of total business that is custard, 65-70 percent of that is Concrete.... There's a lot of Concretes going out of here every day. That is our number one item."

Nielsen's Frozen Custards, 570 W. 2600 South, Bountiful, with its trademark Concrete, has been a landmark in the Salt Lake Valley since it opened 26 years ago. It's come a long way from its humble beginnings in the food court of the Crossroads Plaza, even becoming a franchise, with stores in Nevada, Arizona and Virginia in addition to locations in Holladay, Bountiful and Layton.

Steve said one of the biggest hurdles to overcome was to introduce audiences to the concept of frozen custard.

"We wanted to go into the ice cream business.... We wanted a family store," he said. "We ran into an old fellow who said 'before you open an ice cream store, you need to find out about frozen custard.'"

Steve connected with a man running a frozen custard store that has been operating since the early 1900s. He bought the rights for a machine and got a patent for it. When the store opened in 1981, it was the only frozen custard business west of the Mississippi and one of a handful in the United States, Doug Nielsen, one of Steve's sons who manages the business, said.

"Everybody knew each other. We got to meet all the old timers," Steve said. "Now there's a lot of frozen custards around."

The reason for starting in the Crossroads Plaza was to promote product identity by handing out samples to a high volume of people, Steve said. It took about three years before they started doing decent business, Steve said. The first stand-alone store was located in Holladay at 3918 Highland Drive. Shortly afterward, stores opened in St. George and Bountiful. The Bountiful location is now the headquarters and serves around 1,000 people each day, Steve said.

When the Nielsens opened the Bountiful location, they added burgers, fries and chicken to the menu, decorating the store to resemble a 1930s diner.