OCEAN CITY — Kohr Brothers is heading south, but staying on the island.
The iconic custard business is set to open a new location in Ocean City at the corner of 55th Street and Asbury Avenue this summer.
Owner and operator Randy Kohr said he is excited about the opportunity to bring his family business to a place he considers home.
“My family has a deep connection to the Southend of Ocean City. My grandparents, Bob and Sis Birchtold, were year-round residents who raised their two daughters on Dory Drive,” Kohr said. “I spent many of my childhood summers on the 52nd Street playground, fishing along the railroad tracks with my grandfather and playing on the beach just a block away from our new location.”
Kohr said the corner of 55th and Asbury is particularly special to him, as it is the former site of the church he attended while growing up, Chapel by the Sea.
“I have so many great memories here, and I’m glad that my family can still connect to this spot in some way,” he said.
Kohr is a year-round resident of the Southend and is now raising his two daughters in the area.
“I love taking my girls to the 52nd Street playground, or the ‘Big Fish’ playground, as they call it. It’s surreal to watch them play on the same playground I enjoyed as a kid. I just love this area — I think it’s one of the greatest places you can spend time with your family.”
Kohr’s great-grandfather, Archie Kohr, and his brother are credited with the invention of frozen custard. They discovered that adding egg yolks to ice cream made it smoother, creamier and slower to melt. They opened their first shop in Coney Island, N.Y., where they sold more than 18,000 cones.
Later, in 1933, frozen custard made its way to the Chicago World’s Fair and quickly exploded in popularity across the United States.
Today, Kohr Brothers remains a family-owned and -operated business, with locations in shore towns along the coast, all run by the Kohr family.
Currently, 12 blood relatives of Archie Kohr work within the stores, representing the fifth generation of Kohrs carrying on his legacy.
“We take great pride in the tradition that my great-grandfather started. You will see Kohrs serving custard, cleaning counters and fixing machines — we are still fully hands-on,” Kohr said.
His sister, Lindsay (Kohr) Morris, is a teacher at the Ocean City Intermediate School and will run daily operations at the 55th Street location over summer break.
The location is even more sentimental to Morris, as it is where she was married to her husband, Billy, 19 years ago.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue family traditions in a place filled with childhood memories, where the foundation of my own family was first built,” she said.
Kohr Brothers still serves the original recipe of frozen custard created by Archie and his brother.
It remains a timeless tradition that has delighted beach-goers for over 107 years. This summer, customers can taste a bit of history at 55th and Asbury in Ocean City.
Kohr Brothers still has three seasonal locations on the boardwalk as well, at 986, 1140 and 820C Boardwalk.