The Family-Centered Origin Story Of Culver's

The first Culver's opened in 1984, but that isn't really where the restaurant's story begins. It actually goes back to a couple of decades earlier, when co-founder Craig Culver was just a kid. The Culver family lived in Sauk City, a tiny riverfront town in southern Wisconsin, and made their living in the restaurant business. The family owned and operated dining establishments all around the county, but two particular eateries are significant to the Culver's culinary history — an A&W Root Beer property purchased in 1961 and the Farm Kitchen resort bought in 1968.

The resort was situated on Devil's Lake amidst expansive forests and the rolling hills of the Baraboo Range. At the time, Craig was attending the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh to get a degree in biology, but in the summer and on breaks, he would work in the resort. And it was also at the resort where he would meet a girl named Lea — his future wife. They would eventually become co-founders of Culver's alongside Craig's parents, George and Ruth.

The resort brought the young couple together, but the A&W Root Beer property would bring them Culver's. The Culver family sold the A&W Root Beer property in 1968, and in the intervening years, the resort took their focus, and Craig Culver dabbled in various culinary ventures. But in 1984, the A&W that the family had owned years before came on the real estate market — and they got a chance to give it new life as the first Culver's. This first chapter would start with delicious Culver's custard.

While frozen custard might seem like an out-of-the-blue inclination for those outside the Midwest, it was a perfectly natural decision for this Wisconsinite family because Wisconsin is well known for its frozen custard fanaticism. Custard shops started popping up in the 1930s and 1940s, and these days, Milwaukee has the highest number of frozen custard stores per capita in the world. Frozen custard is often a seasonal snack, though, especially in a state where the average winter temperature is around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so the chilly treat couldn't be the only item on its menu. So the Culvers added the ButterBurger, another classic from America's Dairyland, where the bun gets an extra brushing of butter.

The burger-custard pairing was a hit, and the family built two more restaurants and then opened a franchise. It closed after a year, but the next Culver's franchise, started in 1990 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, was a success.

One franchise grew to more than 800, and now the beloved burger chain has restaurants in 26 states. As Culver's expanded, it also gave back to the community by funding several programs, like the Thank You Farmers Project to support agricultural education and the Culver's Foundation's academic scholarships, which began in 1993.

And, despite the Culver-family-centered origin story, Culver's isn't entirely family-owned anymore — in 2017, the owners sold a minority share of the company to a private equity firm called Roark Capital (which you might recognize from chains like Arby's and Moe's Southwest Grill if you religiously keep up with fast food portfolios). The family still has a majority stake, though, and made the interest sale for the sake of keeping it that way, even as the family line continues. And that family line has certainly done something right; they've spread the love of Midwestern butter burgers and frozen custard all over the country.