Culver's facts for kids
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Headquarters in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin
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Trade name
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Culver's |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Fast food restaurants Franchising |
| Founded | July 18, 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, United States |
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Number of locations
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1,000 (April 2025) |
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Area served
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26 U.S. states, mainly in the Midwest |
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Key people
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| Revenue |  $3.2 billion |
| Owner | Culver family |
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Number of employees
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25,000 |
Culver's is a popular American restaurant chain that serves delicious food like burgers and frozen custard. It was started in 1984 by the Culver family: George, Ruth, Craig, and Lea. The very first Culver's opened on July 18, 1984, in Sauk City, Wisconsin. It was called "Culver's Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers" back then. The main office is still in Wisconsin, in a town called Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. Today, Culver's has grown a lot! As of April 2025, there are 1,000 restaurants in 26 different states, mostly in the middle of the United States.
Contents
The Story of Culver's
How It All Started
George and Ruth Culver, who were already restaurant owners in Sauk City, Wisconsin, began their journey in the fast food world in 1961. They owned an A&W restaurant. Later, in 1968, they bought a restaurant near Devil's Lake. Their son, Craig Culver, even worked at a McDonald's after college in 1973.
On July 18, 1984, the family — George, Ruth, Craig, and Craig's wife Lea — opened the first Culver's. Craig was the main leader, or CEO, of Culver's from the very beginning until 2015.
Growing in Wisconsin
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In 1988, the Culver family decided to let other people open Culver's restaurants, which is called "franchising." Their first attempt at franchising didn't go so well because the person didn't have much of their own money invested.
Because of this, the Culver family created clear rules for how to franchise a Culver's. Three years later, they tried again in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and that restaurant quickly became very popular. Soon, more Culver's restaurants opened in nearby cities like Middleton, Madison, and Milwaukee.
Expanding Across the Midwest
By 1993, Culver's was still a small chain with only 14 restaurants, all in southern Wisconsin. The first Culver's outside of Wisconsin opened in Buffalo, Minnesota, in 1995. More followed in Roscoe, Illinois, in 1995, and Dubuque, Iowa, in 1997. In 1998, the company even opened its first restaurant outside the Midwest, in Texas.
Reaching Beyond the Midwest
Culver's has a plan to grow carefully. They opened restaurants in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 2005. Then, in 2006, one opened in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Culver's started focusing on opening restaurants in new areas outside the Midwest.
In 2006, they designed a new, smaller restaurant model called the "Metro-98." This design used about 20% less land, even though it had fewer seats for customers.
In 2008, Culver's expanded to the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona. In 2011, Culver's opened in Utah. By the end of 2011, there were 445 Culver's restaurants in 19 states. Culver's continued to open in new states like South Carolina (2012), Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee (2014), and North Carolina (2015). In 2018, they announced a location would open in Alabama, and in 2022, Culver's expanded into Arkansas.
Recent News and Leadership
In 2013, a survey found that Culver's was ranked number one for how happy its franchise owners were.
Phil Keiser became the second CEO of Culver's in 2015, followed by Joe Koss in 2017. In 2017, the Culver family sold a small part of the company to another firm, but the Culver family still owns most of it.
In 2021, Enrique "Rick" Silva became the fourth CEO. In 2024, Culver's celebrated its 40th birthday! The Governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, even declared July 18 "Culvers Day" in Wisconsin.
As of April 28, 2025, Julie Fussner became the fifth CEO of Culver's. She is the first woman to hold this top leadership role at the company. She used to be in charge of marketing and has been with Culver's since 2017.
What's on the Menu?
Culver's is famous for its "butter burgers," which are hamburgers served on a lightly buttered bun. They also serve chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, fish, salads, and soups. For sides, you can get french fries, onion rings, and their popular cheese curds.
For dessert, Culver's is well-known for its delicious frozen custard. You can enjoy it in a dish or cone, or blended into a "concrete mixer," malt, or shake.
In 2021, for National Cheese Curd Day, Culver's sold a special "CurderBurger." This burger had a large fried cheese curd patty on top of the burger! It started as an April Fools' Day joke, but people wanted it so much that Culver's made it real for a limited time.
Mascots
Culver's has an official mascot named Scoopie. Scoopie is a friendly, cartoon-like frozen custard cone. You can see Scoopie in advertisements, at community events, and at fundraisers. In 2018, two new characters joined Scoopie: Curdis the Curd and Goldie the Curd. In 2022, Sundae the Turtle was added to the mascot family.
Images for kids
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Headquarters in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin
See also
- List of frozen custard companies
- List of hamburger restaurants
