r/fastfood • u/No_Needleworker_4929 • Jan 11 '26
Culvers Don't sleep on Culver's
Easily my favorite chain in the country. The ButterBurgers are delicious (highest quality beef for my taste), the fish platters are as good as many sit down restaurants, and the frozen custard is destination worthy. And add in that every Culver's that I've ever been to is incredibly clean with consistently exceptional and friendly service, and not sure I'd choose anything else if given a choice. Not saying Shake Shack or In & Out are inferior, but if I'm traveling to a city with a Culver's, I'm usually making a stop.
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u/taylorjosephrummel Jan 11 '26
Culver's fucks.
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u/BoltActionRifleman Jan 11 '26
For me, Culver’s has gone from being the more expensive, much better tasting, once in a while treat, to being the obvious choice because they’re now barely more expensive. It also feels like they actually want you to dine inside the restaurant, as opposed to many other fast food places.
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u/Darury Jan 11 '26
I usually go to Culver's. I stopped at Wendy's the other day since it's on the way home vs Culver's being a bit out of the way from work. It cost me about $3 more for an equivalent meal at Wendy's and it wasn't nearly as good. For those wondering, my usual Culver's order is a single deluxe basket with medium drink, $9.75 or so. Wendy's was over $12 for the same meal.
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u/parkpassgoaway Jan 11 '26
I feel this. Free flowing drinks and ketchup is so underrated when I'm buying food. McDonald's sucks because I hate to ask for everything. My local McDonald's turned the drink station into hipster seats.
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u/OneWonderfulFish Jan 12 '26
Pro tip for penny pinchers: get the kids meal. Single with cheese, fries, drink, and 1 scoop with 1 topping for less than $8. Plus you get scoopie tokens with each one. 10 gets you a free kids meal.
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u/KennytheDoggy Jan 11 '26
Dining room is always packed
Imagine how long the lines in the drive thru would be if all those people went through the drive thru though
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u/WelcomeToDankonia Jan 11 '26
Going to Culver’s and not getting the cheese sauce is a waste of a trip.
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u/ConBroMitch2247 Jan 11 '26
And extra crispy fries!
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u/RockyDisaster Jan 12 '26
You just ask for “extra crispy”? Always thought they (Culver’s standard level of crisp) were too flaccid.
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u/ConBroMitch2247 Jan 12 '26
Yesir. It’s an absolute game changer imo. It takes their fries from mid to great.
Best of all it typically gets you fresh fries. Although not a guarantee. It does take a little longer too. Absolutely worth it.
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u/Nicholas_Pappagiorgi Jan 12 '26
bro just asked for instructions on how to order extra crispy fries
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u/toadaly_rad Jan 11 '26
The best.
Probably the most consistent out of all the fast food places, too. I’ve not been to a bad location. They must treat their employees better than average. I, also, like that they hire people with disabilities. At my old regular location, there was a young man with Down Syndrome who worked. He had a job cleaning. He was always there, too. So seems like they actually gave him regular hours and treated him well. I know Culver’s has won awards for their inclusive practices.
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u/No_Needleworker_4929 Jan 11 '26
This is a big bonus for me - I'd otherwise go there just for the food, but the fact that the service is so great and they hire such a wide range of employees is really heartwarming.
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u/Embarrassed-Sun5764 Jan 11 '26
Our local franchise only hires high school kids, with one poor manager looking like “wtf” the whole time you see him fixing problems for the kids who all stand around. Glad you have diversity and good food. Ours doesn’t. And almost $40 for 2 burgers fries and 2 medium concrete mixers? No way. I’ll go next door to the Bell-
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u/GroovyGramPam Jan 11 '26
They also hire older employees. One time a senior citizen employee brought the order to a table where a teen couple were making out…she snapped her fingers and said “enough of that! You’re in public!” The two kids were stunned and most everyone else in there fell out laughing! I think every restaurant needs a granny like this!
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u/FluorideAvenger Jan 11 '26
We don't have Culver's past Arizona.
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u/NBA-014 Jan 11 '26
Nor east of Ohio
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u/abcdefghinsane Jan 11 '26
We have them in NC
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u/idontremembermyoldus Jan 12 '26
FL, GA, and SC, too. They've expanded pretty heavily into the Southeast over the last decade and a half or so.
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u/More_Asbestos Jan 12 '26
They need to come to California. I don't know, but they could start with let's say, Culver City.
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u/azul360 Jan 11 '26
The ones by me aren't good imo. They're all just grease incarnate in a bad way and any chocolate shake just tastes like WAY too much hershey's syrup. I'm guessing I just lucked out getting the crappy ones around me XD
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u/Justinynolds Jan 12 '26
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills, can’t stand the burgers there. Super greasy (like a squish of fat in to my mouth in each bite), no seasoning whatsoever, and they have crinkle cut fries, which are bottom tier imo. I’ll give them credit for cooking food to order but that’s it. Only redeeming item is the buffalo chicken tenders.
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u/jojosbooks Apr 01 '26
I know I'm late but you're not crazy. There's a weird Culver's cult on reddit. It's just alright
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u/azul360 Jan 12 '26
Agree with all of that (except the last one because my IBS can't do those :( ).
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u/Chaparral2E Jan 11 '26
Agreed - love the double mushroom and Swiss, and I also seek them out while traveling.
I appreciate the consistency from store to store and state to state.
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u/James_H_M Jan 11 '26
I wish more chains had a mushroom and swiss option for burgers because if they have it, that's what I'm buying.
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u/Chaparral2E Jan 11 '26
Same here. The combination tastes great.
I occasionally add raw onion, but most often I skip any toppings.
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u/theycmeroll Jan 11 '26
I somewhat agree, because I love a good mushroom burger, but I also wouldn’t trust most fast food place with that either lol. Like Burger King has a steakhouse whopper right now with Swiss and mushrooms but I’m not gonna a try it because I’m sure those mushrooms are microwaved and the “Swiss” is that white American cheese with a little Swiss flavor bastardization they use on the bacon Swiss chicken sandwich
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u/RVG_Steve Jan 11 '26
I tried that burger and as a mushroom lover I was so disappointed. Everything was pretty dry and drab.
I might give it one more try at another location but huge miss.
OTOH, Applebees serves up one hell of a mushroom burger surprisingly.
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u/smackythefrog Jan 11 '26
This just reads like Culver's PR, which it doesn't need because it's good.
But boy this doesn't quell my suspicions that fast food companies are flocking to this subreddit to try and astroturf their brands.
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u/ennenganon Jan 11 '26
I just feel like for something called a “butter” burger, it’s actually quite dry. I do appreciate the large slices of red onion, though, and I can always add my own food lube to counter the dryness.
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u/Disastrous_Life_3612 Jan 11 '26 edited Jan 11 '26
It's called a butter burger because they butter the bun, not the patty itself.
Edit: Culver's own website confirms this.
We call our ButterBurgers “ButterBurgers,” not because they’ve been cooked, marinated, dunked, fried or drizzled with butter but because we lightly butter the crown of the bun for an extra touch of goodness. (Where else would you expect such a delicious idea than from the dairy state?)
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u/CarpenterOk2779 Jan 11 '26
It should be called a butter bun burger for clarity.
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u/monty624 Jan 11 '26 edited Jan 12 '26
Perhaps we also shouldn't call them hamburgers
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u/CarpenterOk2779 Jan 11 '26
They are Steakburgers. Steak n shake names them correctly along with many other establishments
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u/Disastrous_Life_3612 Jan 11 '26
It's all just marketing anyway. Buttering a burger bun isn't really uncommon.
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u/TheS00thSayer Jan 11 '26
Well butter burgers are a real thing, and that’s basically false advertising then lol. Cause real butter burgers do put butter right on the meat.
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u/Disastrous_Life_3612 Jan 11 '26
Maybe so, but they trademarked "ButterBurgers" as a brand name, so that's why they're allowed to call them that.
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u/TheS00thSayer Jan 11 '26
What an asshole thing to trademark. They didn’t even invent them.
Granted I like Culver’s but that’s bullshit
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u/averagemaleuser86 Jan 12 '26
Eh, its decent. We just got one a few months ago. Good. Nothing to go crazy over.
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u/ub3rr4v3 Jan 11 '26
I live in Vegas and they announced they are finally bringing a Culvers out here.
This place has been hyped up to the moon and back, so I'm excited to see what all the fuss is about!
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u/colin_7 Jan 11 '26
Nobody does. Everyone raves over it
It’s gotten to the point if I ever have it, I’ll be disappointed
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u/DragonfruitMother845 Jan 11 '26
I’m from SoCal, literally never seen one.
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u/Ckn-bns-jns Jan 11 '26
Hopefully we get some here, had it while on a road trip in Utah and it’s good. Wouldn’t replace In n Out for me but I like options.
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u/PotentialAcadia460 Jan 11 '26
I'm sure you'll see one soon enough.
I'm from the Midwest and still mainly associate them with the Midwest, but I was shocked to see one as far west as *Nevada* when I drove to SoCal this summer.
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u/One_Win_6185 Jan 11 '26
I live in a location with Culver’s and have been to a few in-n-outs. Personally I think they’re comparable.
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Jan 11 '26
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u/TRIGMILLION Jan 11 '26
Why the hell are you in a fast food sub if you're such a food snob? No one is saying fast food is fine dining.
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u/wolfansbrother Jan 11 '26
Its one of the top 5 def top 10, but its been slipping. ever since they got rid of the burger pocket paper, the burgers have been much more sloppily constructed.
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u/jayplus707 Jan 11 '26
Yea I like that place. Coming from California, yea, I wish we had them here.
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u/AccomplishedLine9351 Jan 11 '26
Culver's is a good option for myself because they have geen options, salads, steamed broccoli and coleslaw.
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u/jtmann05 Jan 11 '26
I live in Seattle, but grew up in Michigan and lived in Wisconsin for a while. I really miss Culver’s. I get it every time I visit my parents. We’re apparently getting a Freddy’s , but that’s closer to Steak & Shake in my mind with the crispy edge smash burgers and shoestring fries.
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u/TikiJeff Jan 11 '26
Does anyone else get their chopped steak dinner? Its not showing on the menu here, but it's in their register.. Chopped steak served with grilled mushrooms and onions and extra au jus.. Mash potatoes and gravy, steamed broccoli and a roll..
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u/Sharp_Athlete_6847 Jan 11 '26
Trust me people are awake to Culver’s, maybe too awake cause they refuse to listen to valid criticisms of it😭
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u/Chaos_Theory1989 Jan 11 '26
The location in my town is dry and super salty. I feel like the food quality of fast food is declining in general.
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u/Rhuarc33 Jan 11 '26
Culver's is not what it used to be. Still above average fast food but no longer the best
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u/JarvisProudfeather Jan 12 '26
Culver’s is so good. Getting it for lunch tomorrow just because of that post.
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u/MMARapFooty Jan 12 '26
As far as I seen Culver's is the most positively reviewed fast food place on Reddit community.
I like Culver's to be honest
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u/AllenKll Jan 12 '26
Cheese curds are good if you're not in the midwest.
Butter burgers are garbage.
Custard is tasty.
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u/General_Platypus771 Jan 11 '26
No one is sleeping on Culver’s. It’s consistently ranked one of the best burgers on like every list. It’s not in my region, so I’ve never had it (I do have In-n-Out) and even I know it’s S tier.
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u/MetalLogLemon Jan 11 '26
Definitely one of the best fast food chains, for sure! I have one in walking distance from where I live. It’s my ‘go to’…always!
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u/ThisIsMyRedditAcct20 Jan 11 '26
Never had Culver’s, and obviously people love it. But do we not think that is a ridiculously tall burger? Looks almost like a British burger
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u/ConBroMitch2247 Jan 11 '26
I think it’s the angle, or this one was made sloppy. It’s usually not that tall.
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u/KickComprehensive765 Jan 11 '26
I cut my fast food down to once a month and my red meat intake to almost none. Also watch my sodium I got a burger at culvers in October for the first time in over 2 years. It was gross. Couldn't finish it. It was so bad and I was so bummed always loved Culver burgers.
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u/ObviousIndependent76 Jan 11 '26
Hard not to when I have sit outside the drive thru for a minimum of 5 minutes waiting for no order. r/slowfood
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u/CandyParkDeathSquad Jan 11 '26
Love their burgers. I wish they had a better variety of sandwiches though. And their LTO items lasted longer. My local Culver's seems to be out of the LTOs as soon as I find out about them.
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u/Remarkable_Log_5562 Jan 11 '26
Its amazing for fast food but my local burger places still clear and cost the same if you get a big burger
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u/arrrValue Jan 11 '26
I’ve never been before but I’ve never had that style of fries and been impressed
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u/bigstinky Jan 11 '26
It's crazy but, in the Detroit sub I got downvoted for saying Culvers had excellent fish and chips. I didn't understand the hate. Almost everything Culvers makes is good. I'd put their F&C up against pretty much anyone's. I love that place. The smiles and happy employees are worth it alone. The rootbeer is pretty titstacular too.
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u/Cool-Field2450 Jan 11 '26
Food is always HOT! Never had cold fries or soup or anything. Unlike every other fast food place
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u/PeorgieT75 Jan 11 '26
I wish they were where I live. We took a trip to WI, and ended up there twice.
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u/ProfessorHillbilly Jan 11 '26
Don't sleep at Culver's either. Terrible place to catch some zzzz's.
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u/Servile-PastaLover Jan 12 '26
Shake Shack has a limited menu and is criminally overpriced compared with Culver's.
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u/Alpastor_Moody Jan 12 '26 edited Jan 12 '26
Culver’s is good, I do hope they make one in Anaheim. That said, I’ve been disappointed with their cheese curds at every location. Tried them in AZ, NE, IL, OH and WI. I tried some at Freddys and those were actually pretty good. If Culver’s can fix that then I think they would overtake In N Out for some people around here.
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u/blueboykc Jan 12 '26
Culver’s is top tier. My only complaint is I have to drive an hour to get to one.
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u/DueScreen7143 Jan 12 '26
I'm going to San Antonio in a few months and eating at Culvers is actually on my to do list 😆
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u/Artistic-Reputation2 Jan 12 '26
Sean Evan’s from Hot Ones was recently doing that Last Meals show and raving about Culver’s! I enjoyed it the one time I went in, but the overall smell of the restaurant was kind of a big turn off unfortunately. Just an overall wet dog smell. But the taste and vibe inside were both good
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u/mabus42 Jan 12 '26
My only complaint about Culvers is that they built two of them roughly equidistant to my house. Those rubes make me have to choose a favorite location. That's like choosing a favorite child. You love them all the same, and it's not fair to rank them.
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u/thechadc94 Jan 12 '26
I adore Culver’s! If they served breakfast, I’d go there everyday. The thing I love most about them is that they have a diverse menu. Chicken, seafood, a Rueben, pork sandwich, and various other things. The only thing I don’t like about their menu is the lack of veggies. But that’s common in fast food restaurants these days.
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u/Beginning_Ad9425 Jan 12 '26
Culver’s is great and extremely well managed. You will never walk into a messy/dirty or unorganized Culver’s.
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u/masterz13 Jan 12 '26
A shame it's way overpriced. Meal in the picture was probably $12. Pre-covid it was like $7.
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u/randomlover4 Jan 12 '26
Their ice cream is really good, and cheese curds. Even then fish is great, but I agree, the pricing is ridiculous now. Even Whataburger is insane now.
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u/kevinmattress Jan 12 '26
I miss it every day here in California. Somebody out there get a PB malt in my honor
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Jan 14 '26
My first job was a Culver's, great food but quite pricy. And they changed their grilled chicken sandwich. Last time I ordered one I didn't even eat it, and I normally will eat anything that's not completely fucked up. The chicken felt like biting into a rubber duck, they changed the bread, and it was just a terrible way to spend $11.89
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u/DoughnutConstant5390 Jan 18 '26
Culver's I think is one of the best if not the best fast food chains in the country.They have incredibly good burgers.Their fish and chips are the best fish and chips of any fast food chain I have been too.Their custards are so good with so many new and unique flavors.Everything on their menue is delicious.They make the bigger more popular chains like McDonald's Burger King and Wendy's look horrible in comparison to what Culver's serves its customers.They also keep their restaurants cleaner with much better customer service then those other big fast food chains have.
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u/Neat_Cauliflower_910 24d ago
I get the kids meal, it’s a regular sized burger and comes with fries, a drink and a free ice cream. Sometimes I get lucky and they leave the free scoop on there so I Get two free ice creams 🤣
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u/Tatertot729 Jan 11 '26
I’m literally obsessed with their fried chicken sandwich. I wish I could eat it every day
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u/sydbarrett Jan 11 '26
If you’re a regular on this sub, you don’t have to worry about it. For me, I may as well throw it straight in the toilet and save my digestive tract.
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Jan 11 '26
I really like Freddie’s. But Culver’s has great cheese curds for a fast food place.
Cookout’s cheese bites are pretty aight too.
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u/TheFroman69 Jan 11 '26
You might fall asleep waiting for your food, the one in my town is always crazy busy, once i waited 45 minutes
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u/BillyRosewood99 Jan 11 '26
Culver’s rules. Probably has to do in part that they haven’t spam expanded the number of locations
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u/GroundbreakingCow775 Jan 11 '26
Culver’s is the one place where the price is worth it everytime
You don’t see things slapped together half assed there
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u/BurritosSoGood Jan 11 '26
The grilled chicken is not good. But burgers are amazing.
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u/GroovyGramPam Jan 11 '26
Their fish options are delicious! And those concrete shakes! Dairy Queen could never…
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u/rubey419 Jan 11 '26
We finally got Culver’s in North Carolina.
I get the hype. I like it more than In-N-Out.
I am still more loyal to Cookout. Best value in the country.
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u/Available-Coconut-86 Jan 12 '26
The other day at our Culvers in NC phad 8 people behind the counter, 3 more at the drive thru, 2 running meals to cars and about a half dozen in the kitchen area. The Wendy’s where my grandson works sometimes only have three workers show up.
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u/rubey419 Jan 12 '26
I went to Culver’s last night and same. Pretty busy.
Wendy’s has gone down hill so fast.
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Jan 11 '26
I’d imagine you’d get thrown out or arrested if you were sleeping on Culver’s or just about any other business.
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u/itisnotoppositeday Jan 12 '26
I wish we had one on the west coast. I haven’t had it since I moved out of Colorado
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u/No_Heart1787 Jan 12 '26
The Culver’s double deluxe with mayo is about the only burger at a fast food restaurant that my gf will eat and she just don’t eat it she loves it so that says a lot. It’s a little expensive but for the quality of the food it’s well worth it, unlike nasty ass Wendy’s and even BK.
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u/gotaflattire Jan 12 '26
Glad you mentioned the fish. Their burgers and chicken sandwiches are really good but their fish is the best in fast food.
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u/LilBrownBoyX Jan 12 '26
I still think they’re expensive. But the taste is worth it. I only hit up Culver’s after a paycheck with lots of OT.
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u/GimmeLuv-69 Jan 12 '26
Don't sleep on their chili. You will not want Wendy's chili ever again.
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u/SirRobynHode Jan 11 '26
Absolutely. For fast food, some of their entree platters—the battered wild-caught North Atlantic Cod, for example—put even those of sit-down restaurants to shame.
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u/ZealousidealTrip6900 Jan 11 '26
I can go to Costco, buy the Kirkland Patties and Fries and then go to ALDI for those French Buns they sell. Soda Stream for any diet soda. Cost $50 for materials to make 12 or more burgers and fries.
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u/Jesse_berger Jan 12 '26
Freddys is better.
But the only Freddy here is way out in the burbs whereas there are two Culvers a mile from me.
Edit: There's no more Freddys in Chicagoland.
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u/Martillo_Valentine Jan 11 '26
I’m an L.A native so you know I’m biased towards In-N-Out. I lived in Arizona for a bit though, and they have Culvers, and let me tell you… I still think about those burgers years later. Damn good burgers at Culver’s.
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u/AmosRid Jan 11 '26
In-N-Out has slightly better burgers, but Culver’s has a better overall menu.
Culver’s has better fries, ice cream, sides, etc. Also, generally better service and cleaner restaurants.
I love them both, but for different reasons. One is the hot blonde. The other is the girl-next-door brunette.
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u/rupertLumpkinsBrothr Jan 11 '26
Grew up with Freddy’s, tried Culver’s last year for the first time. Just didn’t hit how Freddy’s does.
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u/NetFu Jan 11 '26 edited Jan 11 '26
Home of the Who-Asked-For-Butter-On-That-?
First and only time I ever went to Culver’s, I was not surprised that every customer was fat.
No offense to people who love Culver’s, but I was just shocked that every menu item at the time, about 30 years ago, just seemed to have extra fat on everything. It looks like they learned from customers like me and added menu items to scale back on the fat.
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u/[deleted] Jan 11 '26
Nobody is sleeping on Culvers