Wisconsin
The Culver family started franchising the restaurant in 1988.[16] The family agreed, granting the franchisee a loose licensing agreement, charging no fees or royalties. Because the franchisee had invested very little of his own money, it was a simple matter for him to walk away a year later when he decided he no longer wanted to be in the restaurant business.
As a result of this experience, the Culver family established a set of standard franchising procedures that form the basis for those currently used by Culver Franchising System, Inc. Three years later, they tried again in Baraboo, and business quickly doubled. Soon after, the increased recognition that the second store earned this small-town chain prompted expansion into the Middleton, Madison and Milwaukee areas.
Midwest
Culver's was still a small, local chain in 1993, with only 14 restaurants across southern Wisconsin. Their first restaurants outside Wisconsin opened in Buffalo, Minnesota in September 1995, Roscoe, Illinois in December 1995, and Dubuque, Iowa in November 1997.
Beyond the Midwest
Culver's soon shifted its attention to developing markets beyond the Midwest, and opened the first franchise outside the region in Texas in February 1998. The current franchising strategy is one of strategic expansion. The chain expanded into Colorado Springs, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming in 2005, followed by an opening in Bowling Green, Kentucky in July 2006.
Locations traditionally had a 120-seat format through much of Culver's expansion. The Metro-98 prototype was developed in 2006 and first constructed in Fort Dodge, Iowa. While the new layout has less seating to offer guests, it also reduced the amount of land needed for construction by around 20%.[17]
The company expanded to the Phoenix metropolitan area in 2008.[18] The first franchise in Utah opened in Midvale in 2011, when a couple from Wisconsin relocated there. They signed a development agreement for four locations in the southern half of Salt Lake County.[19]
By the end of 2011, 445 Culver's restaurants were open in 19 states. They opened in South Carolina in 2012; Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee[20] in 2014; and North Carolina in 2015. A location was announced for Alabama in June 2018, and expansion continued into Arkansas in January 2022.
In February 2026, Culver's announced plans to enter the Virginia market, starting with their first location in the Richmond area. [21]
Blue Spoon Creamery Cafe
Culver's opened a new spinoff soup-sandwich-salad restaurant in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin in 2000, called Blue Spoon Creamery Cafe.[22] The name came from the color of the spoons used at the Culver's fast food restaurants. A second store in Middleton, Wisconsin, was open for two years, but closed in August 2010.[23] The Prairie du Sac location closed in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.[24][25]
Recent developments
According to a 2013 survey by Franchise Business Review, Culver's was rated the best in franchisee satisfaction by franchisees.[15]
The family sold a minority share to Roark Capital Group in October 2017, but retained majority ownership.[26][27]
The company celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers officially declared July 18 "Culvers Day" in Wisconsin.[28][29]
