North Point Custard Stand
The North Point Custard Stand, located to the south of Bradford Beach, has been open for four years. The building houses a kitchen, pantry area, a small office, storage space, and men's and women's bathrooms. The building is very lively due to its large, red fabric canopy and its painted siding. Adjoining the building is a queue space where customers place their orders and a paved area with benches and tables shaded by umbrellas. The surrounding area is lined with trees and shrubbery, helping to form an edge with the adjacent parking lot. This parking lot overlooks Lake Michigan and is bordered by boulders; these rocks are a popular place for people to sit while they eat their food.
Custard Stand HistoryThe North Point Custard Stand is located in a sliver of land between Bradford Beach and McKinley Beach. In the 1960s, Bradford beach was not considered a safe place for families because of drug activities and violence; hence McKinley Beach was preferred by families and nearby residents. At this time, very few trees existed on this part of the lakefront. The county, which maintains Bradford Beach, was continuously trying to make the beach a safer place. The first step was the addition of the parking lot that now serves the North Point Custard Stand. A small hot dog stand existed at this location. It was later replaced by the custard stand. To this day, the North Point Custard Stand (and its surrounding area) continues to be an attraction for the residents of the nearby Historic Water Tower Neighborhood.
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A Quick Retreat
The North Point Custard Stand is run by the Bartolotta Restaurant Group and sells Bartolotta food and custard. Since the Bartolottas took over North Point Custard in 2009, visitors have raved about the good food sold there. North Point Custard is a place favored by those looking for a spot to eat by the lake where they won't get sand in their food.
Compared to Bradford Beach, the North Point Custard Stand is a more family-oriented and controlled area. There are designated areas for ordering food, picking up orders, and eating. Plants identify the edge between the restaurant area and the parking lot. The Custard Stand is situated so all of this activity takes place on the opposite side of the building from the beach. This makes the North Point Custard Stand's link to the city of Milwaukee stronger than that of Bradford Beach. The Custard Stand attracts people from the city for a quick lunch or a break from work, and is purposefully built close to the road and downtown. |
Jared Salisbury, manager of North Point Custard Stand, talks about the variety of patrons, and general accessibility of the custard stand. Who wouldn't go for a scoop of custard?
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- Jared Salisbury, interview by Maia Stack, Milwaukee, June 26, 2013.
- Barbara Elsner, interview by Niyati Naik, Milwaukee, June 17, 2013.