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Company type | Private |
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Industry | Dessert |
Founded | 1981 |
Founder | Steve Nielsen Debbie Nielsen |
Headquarters | Bountiful, Utah [1] |
Number of locations | 11 (2024) |
Area served | Nevada Utah |
Owner | Nielsen family |
Website | nielsensfrozencustard |
Nielsen's Frozen Custard is an American chain of dessert restaurants mainly serving frozen custard. Founded in 1981, it has eleven locations in Utah and Nevada. [2] It was the first frozen custard business west of the Mississippi and one of the only sellers of the dessert in the country at the time. [1]
The chain was founded in 1981 as Nielsen's Frozen Custard & Diner, by Steve and Debbie Nielsen. Its first location was at the former Crossroads Plaza in Salt Lake City, Utah, [3] [4] and the Nielsens aimed to have a family business to teach their children how to work. In 1983, Steve received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a custard-freezing machine he invented. [5] [6] [7]
All locations have the chain's signature frozen custard (called concretes) available, which are sold in cups or cones. A variety of toppings, including nuts, can also be added. Ice cream floats and sundaes are also offered. Select locations offer meals and contain a diner. The menu for these includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, grilled cheeses, corn dogs, chicken fingers, submarine sandwiches (called grinders), french fries, and onion rings. The company has a signature fry sauce. [5]
The chain has eleven locations in Utah and Nevada, with seven locations in the former and four in the latter. All of the Nevada locations are in Clark County. [5] It formerly had a location in Vienna, Virginia, but it closed in 2016. [8] A Rexburg, Idaho, location closed in 2018. [9]