1949 - The Start
June of 1949, Gilles Frozen Custard opened in Fond du Lac, WI. Tom Gilles was 22 years old. After working at Gilles in Milwaukee for ten years, Tom set out to build a drive-in of his own. He paid $900 for a 1-acre piece of land. The only catch, Tom had to take the extra land near the back of the lot. The price? Free. Tom borrowed $17,000 from his brother to build the stand and in 10 weeks it was complete.
Early 1950's
In February of 1950, Tom married Doris Curler, a former carhop at Gilles in Milwaukee. Conveniently, Doris was a bookkeeper, and she straightened out Tom’s growing shirt box of bills and receipts. The newlyweds’ first “home” was the 9x12 foot room, without heat, in the back of the restaurant. Early times were tough, but over time business grew.
Mid 1950's
One day in 1953, while Tom was at the printer, Bunch Remo suggested that Gilles needed a mascot and scribbled up a cone character quickly for Tom then tossed it in the pile of scraps. After some thought, Tom went back for the sketch, but Bunch couldn’t replicate it, so they dug through the trash, found the original sketch, and the Gilly Guy was born! In 1954, lifelong carhop Kathy Omland began working at Gilles at the age of 16.
Late 1950's
What’s a drive-in with out a canopy? In 1958 Gilles added the famous canopy. Tom signed the contract and later that day realized it was too expensive, but a deal is a deal. The canopy still stands as an icon today.
The 1960's
As business grew, so did the Gilles family. Having four kids in five years during the 50’s forced Doris to work from home. Still Tom needed her on Friday nights, the busiest time of the week. The local stores stayed open late on Fridays and by 9 pm the drive-in was packed! By the age of 11 and 10, sons John and Jim began helping Tom at the stand.
The 1970's
Gilles Frozen Custard stayed right in the family. Still in the 1970’s Tom and his two sons were the only employees permitted to run shifts, make custard and check out at night. By 1977, business had really improved; Gilles was selling over 300 gallons of fresh creamy custard per week. The total grew to over 15,000 gallons that season!
The 1980's
In fall of 1980, Jim married Gwen Nesvold, a teacher from northern Wisconsin. Because of their opposite schedules, Gwen came to work for the family business in 1981. In 1984 their daughter Molly was born. Future managers Chris Meyer and Scott Gilgenbach began working in 1982 and 1987 as high school students.
The 1990's
By 1992 it came time for Tom and Doris to retire and that year they sold GFC to Jim and Gwen. Joanne Theyerl, Jim’s sister, came back to work for the drive-in full time as a manager, taking over the bookkeeping for Doris. Chris and Scott became part of the Gilles management team. Gilles also celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1999.
The 2000's
In 2008 the expansion process began! After 60 years of business Gilles looked to grow outside of Fond du Lac with a new Green Bay store that opened June of 2009! What a great way to celebrate the 60th anniversary! Gilly's Frozen Custard (spelled now as most people pronounce it), is now available in three locations: the Fond du Lac original, Green Bay, and Sheboygan! Don't worry, all 3 have the same great custard and carhops we've had since 1949. Stay tuned to learn more about our expansion into the Fox Valley and beyond!
