The Biggest Changes To Ever Hit Culver's

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The Culver's you know today offers a vastly different experience from the Culver's diners enjoyed during the company's early days. Like any company keeping up with the times, this once-Midwest-only favorite has made big changes over the years to accommodate a public with shifting tastes and evolving sensibilities. Just as biggies like McDonald's and Burger King alter operations and offerings to capture their shares of the market, Culver's has made modifications to assert itself among the many choices on the dining scene — some that benefit the customer and some that keep the company nimble for future growth. Every step has helped this expanding chain become a fast food force to be reckoned with.

Some of the most noteworthy changes from Culver's have impacted the company's menu; occasional reformulations of key components have ensured the concepts stay as fresh as the food itself. Other changes have grown and refined operations to help Culver's become a top player in the modern dining sphere. 

Even the changes Culver's has undertaken in 2026 so far are helping the company hone its edge in the industry. If adapting operations without sacrificing wholesome fare is this restaurant's north star, these major alterations have kept the mission sure and steady. From locations springing up in states all around the nation to incorporating AI into its tech suite, the biggest changes at Culver's show off the adaptability of an enterprise with its eye on the prize.

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Culver's famously began as a single restaurant in Sauk City, Wisconsin, back in 1984. At that time, it was a local favorite that brought ButterBurgers and creamy frozen custard to the public. With the first franchise launching in Baraboo, Wisconsin in 1990, expansion began regionally. Gradually, more locations popped up in the Midwestern states before the company's reach became something of a sprawl, allowing other regions to discover what Midwest diners had enjoyed as an alternative to the big names on the fast food marquee.

As of 2026, Culver's operates more than 1,000 locations across 26 states, expanding the enjoyment to over half of the U.S. This introduction of the nation to a Midwestern way of doing fast food has been met with unsurprising success, positioning Culver's among the biggest players in the fast food game. The company placed number 25 in QSR's ranking of 50 fast food restaurants in 2025, and was named Fodor's top fast food chain in America in 2024. Getting beyond the borders of Wisconsin was just what Culver's needed to prove its value in the world of easy dining.

Territory expansion is set to continue for 2026. Fifty nine new Culver's restaurants are due to open throughout the year, with special focus on Florida, where a whopping 14 locations are in the works. That's in addition to the existing 126 locales in the state. As one of the 30 highest-grossing fast food companies in the country and growing, Culver's shows no signs of slowing down.

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The growth of Culver's has been accompanied by frequent shifts in top-level leadership, allowing fresh vision to assist in the ever-expanding organization. In 2015, Craig Culver, co-owner of the original location, stepped down from his position as CEO, paving the way for a new age of innovative leadership outside of the original Culver family circle. The company's COO, Phil Keiser, took over after a 19-year career as a Culver's employee. Keiser was succeeded in 2017 by Joseph Koss; Rick Silva took over in 2021. And in 2025, Julie Fussner, who'd become the first-ever Culver's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in 2023, was handed the reins as CEO.

The family also sold a minority share in 2017 to Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-based investment firm with a deep portfolio of other restaurant brands, including Arby's and Jimmy John's. The change was years in the making and came after great consideration from the Culver's team, inspired by the family's advancing ages. Craig Culver was clear that the move wouldn't alter the way the company operated; the flush of capital would usher in more growth without shifting away from the Midwestern values the company was built on.

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It may not have made Pepsi fans too happy when Culver's transferred its alliance to the Coca-Cola company in 2023, but Coke fans suddenly had a huge reason to give the chain a try. It was a newsworthy modification that caught the attention of Today, who pointed out Culver's announcement about the switch on the restaurant's Facebook page. 

The response from commenters was split, with some customers cheering the prospect of having Coke products available and others — the die-hard Pepsi fans — expressing their disappointment that Culver's was making the switch. Though no clear reason has been given for the shift, social media users proposed it was due to a better deal being offered by Coke after the company's contract with Pepsi came to a close. It sounds plausible, though it's never been officially confirmed.

Coke lovers who were thrilled at the turn of events found out Culver's wasn't churning out a boring, basic Coke at its dispensers. Mashed's intrepid food samplers visited the most familiar quick-service chains to find the best fast food restaurant Coke on the block, and this clever corporation came in third place, offering crisp, fizzy cola that feels more like a fresh soda fountain offering than a hit-or-miss fast food soda. This may not please the Pepsi folks who loved the pre-Coke Culver's, but anyone who prefers the cola in the red can is over the moon at the alteration.

It may seem like a simple element in the greater Culver's experience, but bacon on a ButterBurger is an upgrade many patrons are all too eager to take advantage of. So when the chain announced a major shift in its bacon business, tongues started wagging. Thick-cut bacon with a smoky-sweet essence was introduced in March 2024, upgrading the familiar flatter strips with a heartier steakhouse-style take instead.

Why bother changing a topping many customers take for granted and order anyway? Taken from a business perspective, the reintroduction gave Culver's an easy win with a public that already loves bacon; providing a more deluxe version was a genius way to point out that bacon is not only available at the chain, it's now better than ever. Rather than employing the new formula on a single limited-time selection like some chains do, Culver's changed its bacon foundationally. This allowed for the inclusion of bacon across just about every Culver's burger, which could translate into extra cash in the till with every bacon-enhanced order instead of a select few sandwiches.

The menu may focus on the best Culver's ButterBurgers — with cheese and without — but chicken sandwiches aren't too far behind. The company knew that using the same recipe forever wouldn't satisfy chicken fans, however. That's why the June 2025 announcement of a reimagined chicken sandwich collection was such a sea change for the chain. The new line-up featured chicken in three forms — crispy, spicy crispy, and grilled — and letting customers choose their own sauces, extras, and other personal flavor customizations allowed patrons to determine what their chicken sandwich tasted like. Finally, the secondary chicken patty was given its day in the sun.

As part of the chicken reformation, Culver's overhauled the filet to achieve premium crispness or optimal grilled juiciness, as well as including pickle slices that were crunchier and introducing a toasted brioche bun to the sandwich plans. This attention to detail helped Culver's provide high-quality fast food chicken without dropping the ball on its other items.

That doesn't mean everyone loves it, however. Reception from customers has been mixed for the new chicken creations. Some say it's reminiscent of Burger King; others consider it a reduction in quality, and the brioche bun has been met with both cheers and jeers. Whether or not it turns out to be a positive change in the long run, it's definitely an alteration that's drawn attention to the company's non-beef offerings. Maybe the summer 2026 introduction of a Jalapeño Jack chicken sandwich will be a twist that helps the revamped chicken formula catch fire for the chain.

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For frequent Culver's customers, the idea of earning perks for enjoying their favorite items was icing on the cake — or mayo on the ButterBurger Deluxe, to be more apt. The chain introduced its Delicious Rewards program in late 2025, allowing faithful patrons to maximize their fast-food dollars and inspiring return visits in hopes of generating more revenue, naturally. It's not a new idea by any means, but it was a concept that gave Culver's an ace in the hole; new customers lured in by the prospect of freebies and bonuses joined existing patrons eager to make their burger money go even further.

Delicious Rewards captures the exciting features of other restaurant reward programs, allowing patrons to rack up 10 points for every dollar they shell out, redeemable for future purchases. Discounts, birthday treats, and fun surprises keep participants engaged throughout the year. Naturally, customers need to download the Culver's app to engage the program, which ensures the chain has a ready mobile menu and ordering system in the pockets of its most loyal diners. A phone number provided at the counter will allow crew members to access customer accounts for anyone who may not have their phone handy when ordering onsite.

This sort of immediate buying power mixed with third-party delivery and gamified fast-food purchase rewards is the trifecta of sales generation for the modern dining enterprise. It may have taken Culver's a while to introduce its loyalty club, but the chain has finally gotten with the program.

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With food delivery becoming a standard in the casual dining industry, Culver's has joined in on the hullaballoo by introducing third-party ordering services to give remote diners what they're hungry for. The 2024 adoption of DoorDash and Uber Eats came after a 2023 test using 60 or so locations to see how the process would function, especially with meltable items like the company's famous frozen custard. It led to a upsurge in order activity once the chain was available on ordering apps, allowing Culver's to play catch-up.

Being behind the curve may seem counter to decisive business practices, but it gave Culver's a chance to see how third-party delivery panned out for the industry at large. This let the company fine-tune its delivery experience for both employees and customers — customers who eagerly awaited this sort of modern move from an operation that does its best to retain traditional values in a fast-changing contemporary climate. The company's devotion to maintaining quality high during the delivery process kept Culver's from becoming early adopters of third-party delivery services.

The benefits of having an AI element helping conduct Culver's ordering platform helped the company create efficiencies that assist its valuable human workforce. A partnership with Berry AI began rolling out metrics-tracking technology to 1,000 restaurants to gauge workability of the drive-thru window and service performance. The aim is to sharpen customer experience by tweaking the pain points on the food prep and payment fronts, allowing teams to become more agile without sacrificing accuracy or speediness.

What might this mean for the Culver's customer? Less time spent in line at the drive-thru and more accurate order fulfillment are among the intended improvements. Eric Lam, CEO of Berry AI, also mentioned the potential for reduced food waste, presumably from increased order accuracy — a different kind of improvement that could arguably trickle down to patrons in the form of reduced prices someday. The implementation may be a slick way for Culver's to tighten up its behind-the-counter functions while also enhancing the worker's experience, thanks to better organization and a cleaner step-by-step order completion process.

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Culver's knows its clientele has changing tastes, thanks to never-ending trend shifts that push dining habits in new directions on the regular. There are always additions to the best frozen custard flavors at Culver's to entice those with a sweet tooth. There's also been a signature sauce introduced into the topping collection, a combo that ramps up ranch with spices, parmesan, and a bit of blue cheese.

Rather than simply keeping up with the stiff competition on the fast food circuit, this company has leapt ahead by moving a bit backward, reverting to big and hearty Midwestern traditions to give its layout new luster. There's no reactivating some of the more down-home items that have disappeared from the Culver's menu (the chain once served fried chicken!), but the company has come up with a quartet of sumptuous pub-style burger creations to shake up the usual ButterBurger blueprint.

An intriguing shift for the Culver's operation is the introduction of supper club stylings into its usual offerings sometime in fall 2026. It's a case of moving forward by looking back, and it doesn't sound out of place for an organization that seldom fails to honor its roots.

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Patrons know they aren't going to be paying bottom dollar for a Culver's experience. But the devoted following the restaurant has garnered as it expanded appears willing to spend extra to get quality food in a friendly atmosphere. Gambling on the public not minding spending more as long as they get the quality and quantity they desire is a slippery slope that can easily get a restaurant labeled as "too expensive," especially if said restaurant can't deliver the goods. And there are indeed areas where consumers consider Culver's too expensive for a fast food spot, while others find it a more affordable option than other chains.

Of course, there are savvy shoppers who still find Culver's to be a pricey prospect; the fast food ethos of inexpensive eating has challenged budgets from top to bottom in recent years, so finding a less-expensive option always feels like the right play to make. But if you can evolve your higher-priced fare to become a must-have with even a section of the sector you're aiming at, you've changed more than just your company; you've changed the game. You've gotten customers to feel comfortable with the additional expense because they know they're getting something worth paying for. Culver's appears to have won hearts and minds in just this way, changing the desirability of its business by not deviating from its core principles or abandoning the Midwest-friendly way of doing things.

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One of the unseen changes Culver's made was taking steps toward a more environmentally-responsible way of procuring its ingredients, namely the beef used to make its famous ButterBurger patties. In addition to sourcing beef from family-run, climate-responsible U.S. farms, the chain began participating in Decade of Ag, a program set forth by the organization U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action to adapt agricultural practices for a changing climate. Part of this endeavor includes over $8 million dollars in contributions to the Thank You Farmers Project, which collects donations from patrons to help support the growers engaged in sustainable agriculture.

Despite being relatively unknown by customers unless they dig up the facts on the Culver's website, this shift is a canny business practice that shows the company's commitment to global responsibility. By partaking in sustainable farming, Culver's is helping ensure longevity for itself and the industry, as well as aiding in the ongoing restoration of a planet taxed by the food needs of a growing population. The company is also helping fund organizations like Future Farmers of America, encouraging patrons to contribute funds in exchange for frozen custard — otherwise known as a win-win situation.