February 10, 2010 - 402 words
Scoops brings dogs, cones to Madison
MIKE NEUMANN - The Woodstock Independent
Kevin Cooper thinks that when Scoops Dairy & Dogs opens in Woodstock in mid-February, the business will offer residents and visitors the best tasting hot dogs in town.
"The quality of the food is going to be far superior to the competition," Cooper boldly predicted when asked what he thinks sets Scoops apart from other ice cream and hot dog eateries.
While Cooper is managing the business, Scoops is a family affair. His dad, Steve, owns the new restaurant and building, which is located at 203 N. Madison St., east of the Challenger Learning Center for Science & Technology.
Kevin Cooper has worked the concessions stands at Miller Park in Milwaukee, however, he notes that running Scoops will be an entirely different game, mostly because Scoops has more advanced equipment.
Ice cream machines can dish out 400 cones per hour. Because Scoops has three machines, employees working the main registers and the drive-through register have the ability to serve more than 1,000 cones an hour. The milkshake machines dispense ice cream and milk simultaneously, with only the toppings added by employees. As for the hot dogs, they will be cooked using steam rather than sitting in boiling water. Steve Cooper said this provides for a tastier product and a more sanitary workplace.
When it came time to choose products, Steve Cooper said local teenagers were the deciding factor in come cases. Forty taste-testing teenagers munched on Vienna beef hot dogs and Red Hot Chicago beef hot dogs. Thirty-eight of the testers chose Red Hot Chicago, which made the Coopers' decision a little easier.
"Do you go for the name brand or do you go for the taste?" Steve Cooper asked. "We went for the taste."
Most combo meals fall in the upper $4 to lower $5 range. Kevin Cooper said his favorite item, the footlong hot dog, sells for $3.50 by itself or $4.75 with chips and a drink. Condiments can be added at no charge to make the dogs Chicago-style.
Scoops has a drive-through window, and an inside area for ordering. There is currently no seating available. Steve Cooper said the restaurant will target children in sports leagues, downtown traffic, walk-in traffic from the neighboring residential areas and residents and visitors on the go.
Scoops will be open year round, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Oct. 15 to April 14 and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily from April 15 to Oct.14. Scoops can be reached at 815-338-2270.
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