Culver's sandwich and concrete mixer

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Culver's is a Midwest mainstay, serving mouthwatering ButterBurgers, cheese curds, and frozen custard, including free scoops with kids' meals. While the chain restaurant's buttery smash burgers are what it's best known for, Culver's offers a variety of sandwiches, some of which are limited time or seasonal menu items, and some have been discontinued entirely, to the dismay of diners. One such sandwich is the now obsolete Culver's Prime Rib Sandwich.

First appearing on the menu around 2010, the prime rib sandwich came in two varieties, including Shaved Prime Rib and Prime Rib and Mushroom Melt. The shaved sandwich consisted of thinly sliced prime rib, red onion, and Swiss cheese on a hoagie bun, while the mushroom melt was more burger-like, with a prime rib patty, sauteed mushrooms, and Swiss cheese on a Kaiser bun. In 2011, Culver's debuted the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich, consisting of shaved prime rib, American cheese, creamy horseradish or peppery mayo spread, and au jus for dipping. 

In a 2010 Culver's Facebook post asking fans which prime rib sandwich they preferred, opinions were fairly evenly split, with many people enjoying both. One person said, "Prime Rib and Mushroom Melt with horseradish makes my tummy happy!" Another exclaimed, "I had the shaved with a little horseradish sauce ... YUMMY! Keep them on the menu." While it's hard to say exactly when Culver's discontinued its prime rib sandwiches — some customers have enjoyed the shaved variety into 2015 — it doesn't appear any of the variations lasted more than five years on the menu.

Why Culver's prime rib sandwiches were discontinued

Several years after Culver's prime rib sandwiches were discontinued, people took to social media to express their dismay at its retirement. One fan said on Facebook, "Is Culver's ever going to bring back the shaved prime rib sandwich? Best thing they had on their menu. I would honestly pay $20 for one right now." Another customer replied, "I agree it was really tasty, but unfortunately, it wasn't a very big seller nationwide." 

Generally speaking, there are a few possible reasons why your favorite fast food menu item was discontinued, most of which are concerned with eliminating expensive ingredients and optimizing efficiency. Also, just because an item was popular among some diners, doesn't necessarily mean it was a high seller. In a Culver's Reddit thread, regarding prime rib sandwiches, someone stated, "Big part was the cost, the product itself didn't have the highest profit margin. That, combined with trying to slim down the menu, saw the prime rib sando to do like the dodo and die off." 

Indeed, like other items that disappeared from the Culver's menu, the answer to why prime rib sandwiches were discontinued is likely due to the high cost of prime rib and an effort to streamline the menu. That being said, prime rib fans can learn how to make a killer French dip sandwich with your leftover prime rib at home.