The owner of Big Deal Burgers and Custard in West Allis stopped trading mutual funds and started creating custards
WEST ALLIS - Brian Kruschel "never in a million years" saw himself owning a restaurant.
After graduating from Brookfield East High School in 1999, he went to the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater for finance. He traded mutual funds in the back office of a bank in Milwaukee for 11 years.
Two years ago, he left banking to take over Big Deal Burgers and Custard in West Allis. "It's just funny where life takes you," he said.
Brian Kruschel started the business with his two brothers about five years.ago. He said his brother, Tim Kruschel, had worked at Kopps and wanted to open his own place. His other brother, PJ Kruschel, was already a business owner in the Wisconsin Dells area. So, the three embarked on this burger and custard venture together.
The establishment was called Cream City Custard when they took it over. After a couple of months, they shut it down for a day to transform it into Big Deal Burgers and Custard.
"We tried to provide more variety than competitors in the area," Brian Kruschel said. In addition to burgers and custard, the restaurant offers gryos, chicken tenders, Italian beef, Reubens, fries, cheese curds, onion rings, salads, and homemade chili and soup.
"We like to provide quality food here," he said. The restaurant uses Pritzlaff Brothers Meats and buns from Peter Sciortino's Bakery.
During the establishment's first two years, Brian Kruschel worked at it full-time, while continuing to do his full-time banking job. He said when Tim Kruschel left to pursue teaching, he took over operations and PJ Kruschel continued helping on weekends and running the business's marketing platforms.
"This was an excellent opportunity to branch out, do something different and get out of the cubicle," Brian Kruschel said.
One of his favorite parts of the job is coming up with custards and working with his wife, Megan, and employees to create them. "We love to play around and see how it turns out," he said.
The restaurant serves one "flavor of the day" Monday through Thursday and two Friday through Sunday.
"We try to do one more grownup flavor on the weekend and one more kid-friendly flavor," he said. He said they'll pair a more complex kind like Mexican fried ice cream with a simpler option like cookies and cream.
Employee Jonalyn Castillo of Milwaukee got to concoct the "flavor of the day" for her 20th birthday, which was Oct. 2.
"I wanted to do red velvet cake," she said. Brian Kruschel said it took more than two days to develop it. Castillo said they decided on a cream cheese, cheesecake-flavored base with red velvet cake pieces on top and sugar sprinkles.
"I liked being creative and putting an idea out there," she said. She has been working at the restaurant for about nine months.
Before Big Deal, Brian Kruschel's only experience in the food industry was being a waiter at The Fireside Dinner Theatre during college, which is where he met his wife. The pair, who have been married for over nine years, and have three children.
When Brian Kruschel isn't at the restaurant, where he said he spends about 90 hours a week, he's playing with his kids. "I try to spend as much time as possible with them," he said.
Big Deal Burgers and Custard
ADDRESS: 1440 S. 84th St., West Allis
PHONE: (414) 774-4000
WEBSITE: bigdealburgers.com
PRICE RANGE: $2.69 for a grilled cheese to $10.99 for a Big Deal Burger, which has three patties
HOURS: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE: Yes
