During 2015, the Wisconsin-based Culver’s casual restaurant chain added 31 new restaurants, which included nine in Florida to bring the total in the that state to 21. The Midwestern chain also started construction on restaurants in new states of North Carolina and Georgia.  These are scheduled to open in early 2016. Another unit is planned for South Carolina and four more in Florida. With the openings, Culver’s finished 2015 with 561 restaurants in 22 states and a similar number of projects are planned for 2016. “Existing franchisees were definitely in an expansion mindset in 2015 and we welcomed many new franchisees of many different backgrounds who saw Culver’s as a great franchise opportunity,” says Phil Keiser, President, CEO of Culver Franchising System Inc. “With over 40 more restaurants in the pipeline in 2016 we should exceed 600 restaurants by year’s end.” Over 30 years in operation, Culver’s features cooked-to-order food made with farm-fresh ingredients. Signature items include the ButterBurger, made from fresh, never frozen, beef, and Fresh Frozen Custard, including the Flavor of the Day program. Director of Real Estate Dave O’Brien and Director of Development Tom Goldsmith share the site selection responsibilities in the Southeast region targeting corner sites with strong visibility and the ability to build up to 4207 square feet.  Zoning for a drive-thru is necessary and a frontage of 150 to 175 feet is required. The majority of the franchise partners own their location and most are freestanding. Five of the 31 new restaurants opened in 2015 were attributed to the Culver’s Mentor program whereby members of a franchisee’s management team partner with their current franchisee to open their own Culver’s. Also over 50 current restaurants were updated during 2015. “It’s important to keep the interior and exterior of our restaurants fresh and up to date because our guests have told us that in addition to quality food and hospitality the look of our facilities is important to them,” added Keiser.

CATEGORY:   Casual
Chain Name:  Culver’s
Company Name: Culver Franchising System Inc.
Street Address:  1240 Water St., Prairie du Lac, Wisconsin    
Tel: 608/643-7980     Fax: 608/643-7982
Email:                 Website:  www.culvers.com   
Menu Specialty: Features cooked-to-order food made with farm-fresh ingredients. Signature items include the ButterBurger, made from fresh, never frozen, beef, and Fresh Frozen Custard, including the Flavor of the Day program.
Introduced:  In 1984, Craig and Lea Culver, with Craig’s parents George and Ruth, opened the first Culver’s in Sauk City, Wisconsin.  First franchise opened in 1990.
No. of Locations: Ended 2015 with 561 locations, plans to reach 600 be the end on 6000
Areas of Operation:  National
Types of Location: Freestanding, Pads, etc
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv):
Size Req’d: 40,000 to 45,000 sq.ft of land with the ability to build 4207 sq.ft. building.
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc): Zoned for drive-thru, Visibility, Corner lot, Access, Height of 23’3”, parking for 50 vehicles (typically), frontage of 150 to 175 ff, Minimum traffic of 15,000 to 30,000 daily.
Contact Name:  Phil Keiser - President, CEO
Tom Goldsmith – Director, Development (608/644-2143)
Dave O’Brien – Director, Real Estate (608/644-2639)
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Culver Franchising System Inc., Prairie du Lac, Wisconsin
Related Chains: 
Last Report:  Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #148 Last Update:
NOTES, NAMES & NUMBERS: