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A regional Midwest chain was just named one of America's best burger restaurants
(Culver's/Facebook)
A Midwestern burger chain was just named one of Americans' most loved restaurants.
Culver's ranks as the country's second-favorite burger chain, losing only to the West Coast icon In-N-Out, according to Restaurant Business' annual list of America's Favorite Chains.
The list uses data from Technomic to find the chains with the best reputations when it comes to areas including service, ambience, convenience, quality, and value.
With roughly 600 restaurants in 24 states, Culver's is closer in size to regional classics like In-N-Out than burger giants like McDonald's. For comparison, McDonald's has roughly 14,000 locations in the US.
The first Culver's opened in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin — the hometown of the Culver family.
Butcher-quality beef. Real Wisconsin cheese. That's our kind of combination.
A photo posted by Culver's (@culvers) on Jan 11, 2017 at 8:42am PST on Jan 11, 2017 at 8:42am PST
The chain was founded by Craig and Lea Culver along with Craig's parents, George and Ruth.
Since 1984, Culver's has been known for its Butterburgers and frozen custard.
(Culver's)
The Butterburger distinguishes itself from the fast-food competition with its buns, which are buttered and then toasted. The butter comes from a small, family-owned creamery located in Wisconsin.
Every Culver's restaurant slow-churns frozen custard in the store. Frozen custard uses egg yolks, making it denser and creamier than the typical scoop of ice cream.
A photo posted by Culver's (@culvers) on Dec 10, 2016 at 9:12am PST on Dec 10, 2016 at 9:12am PST
"The definition of frozen custard is no laughing matter," Culver's website says. "By law (that's right, there is legislation about custard!) it must contain a certain amount of egg and butterfat to give it the characteristic smooth, creamy flavor."
That taste comes with some extra calories — two scoops of vanilla frozen custard clocks in at 700 calories, compared with the McDonald's vanilla cone's 200 calories.
(Culver's)
Culver's also serves up numerous variations on its frozen custard you can't find at any other fast-food chain.
The chain serves old-fashioned malts, which are thicker, creamier, and even sweeter than the traditional milkshake.
(Culver's)
Culver's also has a signature root beer, which can be paired with frozen custard to make a root-beer float.
And instead of Dairy Queen's Blizzards, customers can request toppings such as M&Ms, cookie dough, and peanut butter in concrete mixers.
A photo posted by TravelEatsWithAndrea (@traveleatswithandrea) on Aug 14, 2016 at 5:36pm PDT on Aug 14, 2016 at 5:36pm PDT
Another Culver's classic are the cheese curds. The small balls of fried cheesy goodness use white Wisconsin cheddar. In general, many of Culver's menu items source ingredients from local farmers in Wisconsin.
While Culver's is still a regional chain, the company is expanding. The chain crossed the 600-restaurant mark in late 2016 as it opened its first locations in North Carolina and Georgia.
A photo posted by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Jan 18, 2017 at 8:40am PST on Jan 18, 2017 at 8:40am PST
Culver's is just one of a wave of "better burger" chains like Habit Burger and Shake Shack that have become increasingly popular in recent years.
(Culver's)
"A number of these players have raised the bar on what people think is a good burger, and we like competition because it makes us stronger," CEO Phil Keiser told QSR Magazine in 2015. "Our approach is, 'Welcome to the neighborhood. Game on.'"
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