Celebrating 40 Years of Culver's History

Reflecting on a Dairy State Icon on a Milestone Birthday  

Should you ever take a meandering drive through tiny Sauk City, looking for the birthplace of Culver’s, here are some sights you may see: a small sign on the front lawn of a tidy house that reads simply “BE NICE;” a bright red and shiny farm tractor in the driveway of another house a few blocks away; and, a few blocks past that, the digital sign in front of Grand Avenue Elementary School, blinking a single message that reads “BE KIND.”  

It would be hard to come up with a more fitting setting for the birthplace of Culver’s, a restaurant well-known to locals that’s also busy exporting ButterBurgers, Fresh Frozen Custard and Wisconsin nice to the rest of the country.  

The Sauk City Culver’s sits on Phillips Boulevard, a handful of blocks west of the Wisconsin River. The restaurant no longer occupies the original building— that is long gone—but the site is memorialized by a plaque highlighting the site’s importance. It summarizes the story of a former A&W drive-in, purchased some 40 years ago by the Culver family who repainted it in blue and white, introduced their now-famous ButterBurgers, ditched the soft serve ice cream for Fresh Frozen Custard, and conquered the taste buds of the nation. 

Family Comes First  

Like many people in the area, Craig Culver’s father George was involved in the farming industry, working for several firms supplying the region’s dairy farmers. But like his son, George had an independent streak. “He wanted to control his life a little more,” recalled Craig. “My dad was an entrepreneur.” In 1961, that drive led George and his wife Ruth to buy the Sauk City A&W. “ 

He purchased it not knowing anything about the fast-food business,” said Craig. The seller was supposed to stay on for a while and train George and Ruth, but he never showed up. Neither parent went to college, but they were gifted leaders, according to Craig. “They were so good at surrounding themselves with wonderful people, folks who knew how to say please and thank you and meant it.”  

Craig, however, had his sights set on other adventures. He left for college, graduating from UW-Oshkosh with a degree in biology. By then, his parents had been operating a supper club near Devil’s Lake for several years, but health issues were beginning to slow his father down. When George offered Craig the opportunity to run the supper club, he declined. “I said I wasn’t going to be in the restaurant business.” His father sold the club, and Craig was without a job.  

But, after a stint at a fast-food chain where he gained first-hand experience of restaurant operations, Craig found his own entrepreneurial spirit rekindled. This drive eventually brought him full circle, back to the A&W on Phillips Boulevard in the summer of 1984. They painted it blue and white, did some nice landscaping outside, and opened for business on July 18.  

Today, Craig credits his parents and Lea Culver for not giving up on the idea, or on him. A local banker who believed in the family and in Craig also kept the business from going under.  

While the first few years in business were challenging, customers came to appreciate what truly sets Culver’s apart—the menu is pure Wisconsin, at its very best. Craig’s Fresh Frozen Custard relied on dairy from local farmers, as did the buttered buns on the ButterBurgers. Cheese curds were added later, another nod to the Dairy State. Tender roast beef was added, too, along with a fish fry reminiscent of a Supper Club on a Friday night. The fare was hearty, Wisconsin-centric, and always served up with a smile.  

“You know, I grew up here,” said Craig. “And forty years ago, this was very rural. Farmers were our neighbors, they were our customers, and they were our suppliers.” 

Word of Mouth Makes a Difference  

In the third year, they made their first profit. Word of mouth was getting out about this small restaurant in Sauk City and folks were coming from all over Wisconsin to try it. “We spend millions of dollars on marketing today, but we didn’t have any to spend back then,” said Craig. “And I tell this to our operators today, that the best advertising is still word of mouth.”  

The business grew and by 1990 had added its first franchise location in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Today, new franchise applicants are carefully vetted and undergo intensive on-the-job training at existing locations before being handed the keys. “They will spend 50 to 60 hours in one of our restaurants working with trainers. It's mostly just to see how they're going to adapt to working in one of our restaurants and to see how they work with other people. During that time, they are interviewed by three or four members of our executive team. We want to see if this is a fit for both of us because the last thing we want to do is put somebody into business that we think could fail.”  

It’s working. As of August, 980 Culver’s restaurants operate across a broad swath of the central United States, with locations in 26 states. From South Carolina to Texas, customers receive a hearty welcome as they walk through the door, order their fish fries, pot roast sandwiches, cheese curds, ButterBurgers and, of course, Fresh Frozen Custard. The experience is the same as they would find at 716 Phillips Boulevard in Sauk City, as if a bit of Wisconsin itself had been packed up and delivered fresh at each of those 980 restaurants. 

A Champion for Wisconsin History 

Maybe Craig was right all along. He really isn’t in the restaurant business. He’s selling Wisconsin. “This is where I went to school. I love it here.” He gestures out his office window, at the view of the Wisconsin River. Now retired, Craig is still involved in the business as chairman of the board at Culver’s, and he maintains an office at the company’s headquarters in Prairie du Sac. “Look at it out there. It’s gorgeous. We’re a part of the schools, churches, community, businesses and chamber, all that. I’m a Badger through and through.”

His love for his home state also has been expressed through his support of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Culver served on the Wisconsin Historical Society Board of Curators for nine years, where he helped lead a successful $75 million fundraising campaign and was a leading supporter of the future Wisconsin History Center. Most recently, Culver’s has become a premier sponsor of the Wisconsin History Makers Tour.

“History is important,” he said. “It’s why I share our own history with all our team members at Culver’s. History defines who you have been, who you are and who you will be.” History has made Wisconsin what it is today, and that’s something diners across the country get a small taste of when they visit a Culver’s.

“We've exported a lot of Wisconsin nice,” Craig concluded. “Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama. All over. We’ve exported Wisconsin culture outside of our state. And I couldn't be prouder.”