Wisconsin's Beloved Fast Food Franchise Celebrates 40 Years

by Allison Torres, age 16

Culver’s, the Wisconsin fast food staple, is celebrating its 40th birthday in 2024. Over these past four decades, the restaurant has grown while staying true to its roots.

Craig Culver, who created Culver's, wanted to be independent from his dad, who worked in the farming industry. In 1961, he and his wife decided to buy the Sauk City A&W restaurant. Craig wanted to start a business but had no clue how. He then began to work at a fast food restaurant and soon after began brainstorming the business approach for the A&W building they had purchased. He and his wife painted the building blue and white and fixed the outside. They opened for business on July 18, 1984.

The first few years were difficult because they didn’t know how to run a business. Their first menu consisted of Craig’s fresh frozen custard, butter burgers, cheese curds, tender roast beef, and of course their famous fish fry on Fridays.

In 1990, their business grew and people all around Wisconsin came just to try it. They added their second location in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Craig and his wife spent 50 to 60 hours in each new restaurant working with trainers. They wanted to oversee how the workers adapted to working in restaurants and how they worked with other people. Their goal was to ensure the job was the right fit, as the last thing they wanted was to put someone in a position where they would not succeed.

Today, they have about 980 Culver's restaurants in 26 states. Come celebrate the big 40th anniversary by stopping in and getting something from the menu!

[Source: Wisconsin Historical Society]