Culver’s makes its Arizona debut Tuesday in Mesa
April 21st, 2008, 7:22 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Jess Harter
Move over, In-N-Out Burger. There’s another iconic fast-food restaurant making its East Valley debut today.
Wisconsin-based Culver’s, famous throughout the Midwest for its signature ButterBurgers and frozen custard desserts, opens its first Arizona restaurant today in Mesa.
“It wasn’t even my dream to have two restaurants,” says founder Craig Culver (pictured above), who opened the first Culver’s with his parents in Sauk City, Wis., in 1984. The chain now has 379 restaurants in 17 states.
“That first year was quite a challenge,” he says. “No on knew what a ButterBurger was. I’m sure we’ll get some of that in Phoenix.”
ButterBurgers, which come in nine varieties and three sizes (see menu pdf), get their distinct taste from a mix of ground sirloin and ground chuck, according to Culver. Butter is applied to the bun, which is then toasted.
“If you’ve never tried one, order a double ButterBurger plain,” Culver says. “You’re going to taste meat like you’ve never tasted.”
Mesa franchise owner Dan Bailey (pictured above) dined at a Culver’s during a 2006 visit to Michigan and immediately contacted the company about opening one in Arizona.
“I was so blown away by the hospitality and quality of food,” he says. “I thought, ‘This would do really well out here.’”
After a long search — “I probably looked at 100 sites,” Bailey says — he settled on the northeast corner of Country Club Drive and Baseline Road for his 3,933-square-foot restaurant, noting the large number of Midwest transplants who live in the area.
“I’ve already seen a real genuine enthusiasm for Culver’s,” he says. “It has almost a cult-like following.”
Friendly service is the key to creating that following, Culver says.
“It’s not the ButterBurger, it’s not the custard,” he says. “It’s the people who make it so special. We want everyone to leave with a smile on their face. That’s our mission statement.”
Arizona’s second Culver’s will open Thursday at Deer Valley Road and 19th Avenue in north Phoenix. Four are scheduled to open in the West Valley in 2009.
CULVER’S
Where: 1909 S. Country Club Drive, Mesa (northeast corner of Country Club and Baseline Road)
Open: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Prices: Salads $3.79-$5.99, burgers/sandwiches $1.79-$4.79, sides $1.49-$3.09, frozen custard $1.79-$3.49
Info: (480) 733-5330 or culvers.com
April 26th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I used their drive thru Thursday morning and it took them 10 minutes to prepare my one burger and one order of onion rings.
I had to “pull over to the left” so they could bring it out to my car.
The food was okay, but I won’t be back. I thought it was quite expensive for fast food too.
April 26th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I went to check this place out, heard it was really good food. I was a skeptic at first, just another fast food place?
Wow, was it good! It was really busy and had to wait in line for a few minutes. The food took awhile, apparently its all cooked to order, but definitely worth it! I had a chicken sandwich and the cheese curds. The chicken sandwich was really great quality and the cheese curds were something I have never had. I’m hooked and will be back soon. They also have their own root beer which was good too.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
These are the way hamburgers are supposed to taste, if you think this is expensive you need to stay home, I would also rather wait for my hamburger and have cooked to order than have one that has been setting for 2 hours like They are not quite as good as the hamburgers from a smaller Kansas City Chain (Winsteads) but they are very similar and good. You must order a Double, and tell them the “works” (catsup, mustard, onion pickle and cheese) not sure why they even offer a single. They are thin almost crispy on the edges and very flavorful. They blow In and Out away on the burgers.