Culver's once even donated percent of their daily sales to provide a proper burial for a long-time employee. The corporate arm does it's fair share as well, including providing scholarships for Culver's collegiate candidates. If your local Culver's seems to be stocked with eager high schoolers, that could be part of the reason. Culver's began as a family business, with Ann and George Culver starting up the chain with their son Craig. Ann passed away in , and George in at the age of Son Craig and his wife aren't spring chickens anymore, but even prior to his parents passing, the Culver's were thinking of doing something to lighten the load a bit.
It took a bit to get there, but in Culver's sold a minority share to Roark Capital Group , an Atlanta-based equity firm. Roark Capital probably doesn't ring a bell unless you collect investment firm trading cards, but you probably know a few of their other investment holdings. So the same company that almost put them under in year one is now a business partner, technically speaking. Oh the tangled web corporate ownership weaves. So what's the trick to making a Butterburger?
A kindly manager told me the secret: They start with fresh beef — not frozen — and use a mix of three meats ; sirloin, chuck, and plate. They also incorporate the puck method — which is a tried and true method that Steak-n-Shake, Five Guys, Shake Shack, and other famous recipes use.
The cooking utensils are unique; they use a YUGE spatula — a solid piece, no holes in that sucker. They drop the puck on a flat top grill and then press it nice and flat to seal in the flavor — but they don't use brute force; they have a stainless steel cylinder that they use to put weight on the super large spatula to get the burger evenly flat.
That's the true secret and how each burger comes out exactly the same. Culver's isn't a cheese in the middle place, like Five Guys , but rather rests it on top. As you know, the top bun gets a lop of butter on it and the toppings rest on the bottom bun. That's how the magic happens. Are you familiar with the Butterburger?
If so you know the drill. If you're not, let's break it down. Taste is subjective, but as the Chicago Tribune points out, they make a fantastic burger. Think Shake Shack with more flavor. Five Guys with better toppings. All the topping are always very fresh, and the condiment -to-bun ratio is about perfect.
There's one thing that might throw you on your first Culver's order — they put a pickle on the top of the bun. Well, because they can I guess. The cheese doesn't come off wicked melty unless you get a melt, because duh , and the subtle buttery toasty flavor of the bun just hits all the right spots.
Not a burger person? That's fine, the chicken is surprisingly delicious, and the pot roast sandwich, which in perspective isn't too unhealthy keep in mind it's pot roast , is really unique and quite tasty.
Now, nearly 37 years later, Culver's is one of the fastest-growing chains in the U. More: Culver's becomes a fast-food force with 'butter burgers' and frozen custard. Think of stubby little mozzarella sticks but with fresh Wisconsin white or yellow cheddar from the same family dairy farm that has been partnered with the chain for nearly 20 years. In , they served more than 18 million orders of them.
Culver's was well ahead of the curve when it came to the "fast casual" trend. You order at the counter, take a number to your seat, and wait for your food to be delivered because nothing is cooked before you order it. Sort of. It's thicker and creamier than ice cream because Culver's uses eggs, and they slow-churn small batches throughout the day to keep it fresh. And, of course, they use dairy sourced from more than family farms in Wisconsin. They have several flavors and varieties available on the menu but fans keep an eye open for the "Flavor of the Day," a tradition that began with the very first restaurant.
Need to find out today's Flavor? You can sign up for a monthly calendar newsletter from your favorite location, or you can ask Alexa. For one thing, Craig Culver's parents were seasonal residents in Lee County. The original recipe for its root beer was developed by co-founder Craig Culver, who used locally sourced ingredients.
Many other fast-food chains just offer standard soda-fountain drinks, so I was really excited to have some fresh and original drink options. A ButterBurger with root beer and frozen custard is the classic Culver's meal. Culver's ButterBurgers get their name from the buttered and toasted buns, which won't get soggy even when they're piled high with sweet tomatoes, zesty mayo, and fresh lettuce.
The staple menu item earned the brand the title of America's favorite fast-food burger in , according to Restaurant Business. Each ButterBurger is cooked to order , which means mine arrived juicy, melty, and hot.
At the Oviedo Culver's, the team didn't skimp on the toppings, and my burger was nearly too big to eat. I love that this burger had a smoky taste that reminded me of homemade burgers cooked on a backyard grill.
Every meal comes with crinkle-cut french fries , green beans, coleslaw, or mashed potatoes. But if you want the full experience, you can upgrade to George's chili, named for the co-founder's father, or the classic cheese curds. I decided to try the cheese curds, which are a true Wisconsin staple. They resembled bite-sized mozzarella sticks but were filled with fresh, Wisconsin cheddar cheese.
When I bit into a cheese curd, there was a delightful crunch that was followed by the springy, creamy melted cheese pulling out of its crispy, fried crust. It had grown to 45 restaurants, and it began to push into neighboring Minnesota and Illinois. The company put a halt on new franchises within Wisconsin that year and concentrated on opening new locations out of state. The chain was growing in a widening circle, making it more difficult for Craig Culver to keep in touch personally with all his franchisees.
But despite how much the chain had mushroomed, Culver continued to handle much of the interviewing and training of franchisees himself. He sought out promising locations, looking for spots where at least 10, cars passed every day, where there was weekend tourist trade, and where the restaurant might draw a lunch crowd. The Culver's formula seemed successful wherever it landed, though the chain often seemed to puzzle restaurant industry analysts. The restaurants had a drive-through service that required patrons to wait some three to five minutes for food to be prepared.
This was a much longer wait than at a conventional fast-food drive-through. Yet customers seemed content with Culver's pace. The chain also spent little on advertising. But its reputation for quality was apparently enough to pull people in. The chain added ten new stores in , , and Stores that had been open at least one year also increased in sales.
Systemwide, this figure, known as same-store sales, grew by 7 percent in and then by more than 14 percent in By this time Culver's had opened almost units. The chain also left the Midwest for the first time, when Craig Culver's sister and her husband opened the first of several Texas franchises in Texas was potentially a huge market.
By , Craig Culver decided Wisconsin was saturated, and he pushed the chain to grow in the farthest reaches of its territory. This was a somewhat upscale version of the original Culver's. It served deli sandwiches and cappucino as well as fresh baked goods in a dressier space. Overall sales for the chain grew by more than 40 percent in The company opened its th location in and began gearing up for even faster growth.
The company planned to have close to units by The individual restaurants were getting bigger, moving from a format that seated 98 customers to one that seated The chain also revamped its strategy somewhat, moving into big cities and suburbs instead of small towns.
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