Culver's -- why have I never heard of this chain before?

[gbpakrfan]

Somehow this thread has evolved from burgers to pizza.

Anyway, having "grown up" on Culver's back in Wisconsin, they have, hands down, the best fast-food fries. They're actually thicker crinkle cut potatoes...instead of the skinny little sticks that most other places have nowadays.

Culver's is primarily a frozen custard place. They have decent custard...but not quite as good as a number of custard places back in Wisconsin, such as Leon's, Gilles or even Kopp's.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

They've got pork tenderloin sandwiches, beef pot roast sandwiches, North Atlantic Cod and who knows what else -- I missed the Wisconsin cheese curds. Well, next time.

You should have ate the cheese curds! You can buy a hamburger/cheeseburger anywhere, but fried cheese curds are hard to find.

[locolobo13]

Everybody has different tastes. I like Culver's burgers. I've never liked In & Out. Just my preference.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

In my opinion, that is the Achilles heal of Culver's. There is no consistency from location to location EVEN in places like Wisconsin and Illinois where they have a stronghold. They are too reliant on "mom and pop" owners who choose how they are going to operate.

When you have that culture and you start opening places 1800 miles from your home base in a population that is generally unfamiliar with the product, it is a recipe for disaster. My one experience with the Tucson location has encouraged me to wait until I get back to the Midwest to stop at a Culver's.

McD's is the king of this. But one thing I learned as a chef of a restaurant that got purchased by a conglomerate of chains many many years ago, is that consistency makes food blander and saltier. It also requires thebdishes be simplified. You have to dumb down the processes to ensure minimum wage employees in various areas can produce the same product. That means more frozen ingredients, more microwave use, and more work being done by the prep cook than any line cook. One good example is that a popular sit down restaurant chain I know of uses the same pre cooked burger patties on their kid's hamburgers as does Jack in the Box on their hamburgers. The consistency at both requires them to use basically a frozen pre cooked puck you can grill, steam, microwave, w/e and it still tastes about the same.

This doesn't go to Culver's necessarily, I find their food greasy and I don't like their fries, but it's what happens when you try to make things consistent like McD's can. Culver's has shrunk their menu a lot since they fist came out here I don't see why they couldn't be more consistent.

[wit-nit]

We tried Culivers twice, cardboard tasting hamburgers, yuk, no more..

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

You should have ate the cheese curds! You can buy a hamburger/cheeseburger anywhere, but fried cheese curds are hard to find.

Cheese curds are def on the list for the next visit. DH reports their chili is good.

Right now we're having lunch at Oregano's Cave Creek. Keep those foodie recommendations coming!

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Is there a specific one? The Rosati's I've been to in Tucson had flavorless pizza.

The locarion in Tucson closed over a year ago. The only one remaining in the Tucson area is in Oro Valley.

[TempeAZnative]

Tried the one in Tempe near rural and Southern when it opened and it wasn't that good. The Habit, 5 guys or in and out are much better. It's just another overrated Midwest chain I'll stick to Detroit Coney Island or Johnny's with are local and far superior if you want something from the Midwest.