Looking to get into the frozen custard game?
Now might be the time. Fred’s Custard and Grill, 4726 W. Vliet St., is for sale and the asking price is $329,000.
Fred’s opened in 1967 and is popular with the Washington Heights crowds and folks in the surrounding neighborhoods. It does a brisk business especially when busy Wick Field across the street is rocking with softball and other leagues.
With little seating – but some – Fred’s does a lot of carry-out business, selling Chicago hot dogs, burgers and more.
The sale of the business includes the 967-square foot building – erected in 1957 to house a Tastee-Freez (and later home to Wilke Frozen Custard) – currently assessed by the City Assessor’s Office at $145,000, although the listing on BizBuySell.com states that owners Jim and Carol Carter are "willing to consider a sale without the real estate with a triple net lease."
The listing includes details on cash flow and gross revenues.
The Carters, who have owned Fred’s for about nine years, are willing to train the buyer in the nuances of the business.
"We are retiring," said Jim Carter. "The plans are to move to Florida and buy a boat."
Make sure they show you how to make a perfect dusty road before they go.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
