The Rise of Culver’s – Home of the ButterBurger

We love a successful business, especially if it’s food-related. If you haven’t heard of Culver’s, get ready to salivate. The rise of Culver’s can be most ascribed to a helium balloon. It just goes up and up and up and… so on. What began as a local, small-town burger chain has very quickly exploded into a Midwestern phenomenon.

The idea of another giant burger franchise may seem unlikely in the age of Chipotle and sweetgreen. But the business savvy of the Culver family and loyalty to its brand identity is what is directly contributing to Culver’s success. 

At this rate, we’ll all be tasting those delectable ButterBurgers in no time. 

From Humble Beginnings

Culver’s was founded in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin by Craig and Lea Culver and his parents George and Ruth. Craig has previous experience working in a McDonald’s right out of college. His parents had previous experience running a local A&W. 

With all of their restaurant knowledge and a particular vision, the first Culver’s was opened. They immediately began to sell their signature ButterBurgers and house-made frozen custard. 

The story goes that Craig Culver had come up with the name “ButterBurger” before an actual recipe. It reportedly was first made with an ice cream scoop, creating the perfect patty portion that they still use to this day. 

This became the foundation for how Culver’s cooked its food. Made-to-order with fresh, local ingredients. 

First Attempt At Franchising Failed

In 1988, the Culver family was approached to open a second location in nearby Richland Center. The family agreed and set out a loose licensing agreement that had no fees or royalties. 

One year later, the second location failed when the franchisee got bored and walked away. The family, however, still wanted to expand their success. So, they took some time to work out the kinks and learn from their mistakes. 

Three years later, the Culver family opened another second location in Baraboo and saw the business double. 

By 1993, Culver’s had 14 restaurants across southern Wisconsin. 

An Explosion of Success

Culver’s very quickly became a local favorite. The menu expanded to include cheese curds (they’re from Wisconsin, after all) and a fish fry that helped seal Culver’s identity outside of other burger chains. 

This Midwestern burger chain has very cleverly found a way to stand out in a very crowded field. 

Culver’s looks like it shouldn’t stand out amongst other, more popular burger chains. But it does. The fresh ingredients made-to-order are all well and good but are also the current market staple. People want fresher food and they can taste the difference. 

What really makes Culver’s stand out is it’s carefully thought-out brand identity. For one thing, there’s a lot of blue. Like, a lot of blue. That calm, soothing shade of blue inspires a refreshing comfort within its walls. It’s also an outlier. Can you name another blue-centric burger chain? 

Another feature that has been helpful to their success is their friendliness. There’s something to be said about small-town charm. Chik-fil-A has found success with its friendly disposition. Homophobic owners aside, the employees at Chik-fil-A are very friendly. And that ain’t worth nothing. 

Will You Be Tasting A ButterBurger Soon?

The light blue refers to available markets. The dark blue refers to future markets. Soon, Culver’s will blanket the United States. You can read about specific franchising information here. 

In nearly 40 years, Culver’s has gone from a local small-town chain to 830 restaurants in 25 states with eyes on the coasts. Their current franchising strategy is one of contiguous expansion at a pace of 40 new stores per year. 

Culver’s has been the recipient of critical acclaim, four Thrillist Fasties Awards in 2020, moved up to #5 on Entrepreneur’s 2021 Franchise 500 ranking, and the 3rd Best High-Investment franchise according to Forbes. 

And they’re not finished yet. The rise of Culver’s just seems to keep rising and rising and rising and…

Now I’m hungry for a ButterBurger.