Episode 150 - Craig Culver, Founder of Culver's Restaurants

Winners Wallets and Worldviews

On this episode of The Local Legends podcast, a subseries of Winners, Wallets & Worldviews Podcast, we feature Craig Culver, founder of the famous custard and butter burger restaurant chain "Culver's."

Sauk City restaurateurs and husband and wife team George and Ruth Culver started their fast-food careers as the owners of an A&W on Phillips Boulevard (U.S. Highway 12) in 1961. In 1968, they purchased a resort-styled restaurant at Devil's Lake called The Farm Kitchen. Their son, Craig Culver, worked for a local McDonald's right out of college in 1973. After selling their restaurants and quitting their jobs, George, Ruth, Craig and his former wife Lea opened the first Culver's Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers on July 18, 1984.

Craig led the company from its inception until 2015. In October 2017, Culver's sold a minority share to Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm based in Atlanta. The Culver family retains majority ownership. This episode details Craig's early life, business journey, and heartfelt reflection on challenges and sacrifices he had to make to keep the business alive.

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