Discontinued Culver's Menu Items That You May Never Eat Again

Culver's first opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1984, and while some things have changed at the restaurant over the years, others have remained pretty consistent. For example, the chain is still best known for its ButterBurgers and frozen custard, with co-founder Craig Culver falling in love with the latter while he was in college. Today, Culver's burgers are so well-regarded that celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern ranked them above all other fast food burgers.

However, not every menu item is as durable as the ButterBurger. Culver's has expanded far beyond Wisconsin over the course of four decades, so it makes sense that its menu has seen some changes. The chain has added certain items, removed others, and even brought back some offerings for a limited time. Using social media websites such as Reddit, Facebook, and X, formerly known as Twitter, plus press releases and stories from local and national publications, we compiled a list of menu items that are no longer available at Culver's. Here are 14 of the items you won't find on the chain's menu any time soon — some of which are still missed by customers years after their discontinuation.

Culver's isn't just known for its ButterBurgers. Originating from Wisconsin, the restaurant is also famous for its cheese curds, which it started serving in 1997. Culver's later even created a national day for the dish and, on April Fool's Day in 2021, decided to humorously combine its curds with the ButterBurger to create the CurderBurger.

Although Culver's CurderBurger started as a joke, the fake menu item gained so much traction that Culver's later decided to actually launch the burger. It came with the typical fixings of lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, and mayonnaise and was topped with a patty-sized cheese curd. Culver's CurderBurger was served for one day on October 15, also known as the aforementioned National Cheese Curd Day. It has since popped up in 2023 and 2024 during the month of October to celebrate the national holiday.

Reviews of the CurderBurger have generally been very positive, with customers praising its flavor. Unfortunately for fans, it doesn't seem like it will be made a permanent menu item anytime soon. However, there is an ordering tip that allows diners to enjoy Culver's CurderBurger whenever the cravings strike. All you have to do is order a Deluxe ButterBurger with their preferred number of patties and a side of cheese curds, then layer the curds on top of the burger and enjoy.

Culver's fresh frozen custard comes in a variety of flavors, with the chain even offering a Flavor of the Day. Several years ago, much to the dismay of many, customers claimed that the restaurant discontinued one of its frozen custard flavors: Orange Creamsicle.

According to an employee on Reddit, the reason that Culver's stopped carrying the specific custard was due to the chain no longer using Weber Flavors, which was the supplier of its orange flavoring. The Reddit user went on to explain that the chain made the change as it was looking for flavorings that were more natural and contained less food coloring. An assistant manager on Reddit chipped in to add that Culver's discontinued Bavarian cream at the start of 2018, which was also required to make Orange Creamsicle.

If you're one of the many missing Orange Creamsicle, there is one way to mimic the flavor, although it obviously won't taste exactly the same. One fan on Reddit recommended mixing the restaurant's vanilla custard with Fanta syrup to create something relatively close to the original.

While Culver's is primarily known for its delicious ButterBurgers, it does offer a wide selection of other food items, including seafood dishes such as the Butterfly Jumbo Shrimp, chicken tenders, various salads, and both beef and pork sandwiches, to name a few. At one point, in addition to its existing line of chicken dishes, the fast food chain even offered fried chicken.

Unfortunately, the chain decided to stop offering fried chicken as a menu item at the beginning of 2017. One diner took to Reddit to find out if the chain would ever bring back what they claimed was some of the fast food industry's best fried chicken. A manager in the thread confirmed that, sadly, the likelihood of the fried chicken making a return was low, as cooking it occupied a fryer for 20 minutes. One former employee even claimed that the fried chicken was the reason they quit. Customers have also theorized that the sales simply weren't high enough to justify keeping the poultry item on the menu and that the risk raw chicken poses in the kitchen may have been a factor.

Over the years, Culver's has released multiple versions of its ButterBurgers, frozen custard, and more. However, it hasn't launched quite as many unique versions of its cheese curds. That's what made it such a big deal in 2010 when Culver's introduced a fiery twist on its classic fried cheese side: the Chipotle Cheese Curds.

Those who tried the new menu item stated that the Chipotle Cheese Curds were indeed very spicy but were also delicious. As noted by the Phoenix New Times, "These crispy fire balls release the heat immediately upon impact." Fans have since cited the curds as a discontinued fast food menu item that they miss most. Culver's later introduced a second variation of its cheese curds, the Hot Honey Cheese Curds, in October 2024. These were somewhat similar as they also had the spice factor, which was somewhat offset by the sweetness of the honey. As a limited-time item for National Cheese Curd Day, these have since also been removed from the menu.

Culver's uses its infamous frozen custard for more than just its Flavor of the Day. The chain also utilizes the custard to make its Concrete Mixers, shakes, malts, floats, sundaes, and hand-packed pints. These desserts can change depending on the flavors of custard and toppings available at the restaurant at the time. However, one sundae has disappeared completely from the Culver's menu.

The sundae in question paid homage to the classic New Orleans dessert, Bananas Foster. Culver's Bananas Foster Sundae consisted of vanilla frozen custard, bananas, and a caramel sauce. Sadly, Culver's later pulled the dessert. In January 2015, the company responded to a customer on X, formerly known as Twitter, letting them know that the Bananas Foster Sundae had been taken off its regular menu. Although it's not quite the same, a similar sundae can be created today at the restaurant, as Culver's does still offer vanilla frozen custard, bananas, and hot or salted caramel as a topping option.

Some people believe Culver's is even better than In-N-Out, but that isn't just because of the chain's burgers. Fans also have high praise for the restaurant's frozen custard and wide range of entrees. One beloved entree that the fast food chain started offering in 2016, which is unfortunately not available anymore, is the Crispy Southwest Chicken Sandwich. 

The sandwich had a piece of crispy chicken that was topped with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and jalapeño ranch dressing and came on a ciabatta roll. Reddit users have stated that the Crispy Southwest Chicken Sandwich remains one of their favorite Culver's menu items to this day, claiming that it was delicious and its buns had a delightful crunch. Some diners on Facebook also enjoyed the sandwich, describing it as flavorful with just the right amount of spice.

In spite of the positive responses, other customers complained that the chicken was fairly small and the sandwich was quite dry. While some felt that the concept had a lot of potential, they claimed that the final product was, sadly, lacking.

The Caprese Pub Burger is a relatively mysterious Culver's menu item. We were sadly unable to figure out what exactly was on the burger. However, we do know that it contained a pesto mayonnaise sauce. If it followed the typical ingredients for a Caprese sandwich, then it likely would have also included tomato and mozzarella cheese as well.

Culver's Caprese Pub Burger was seemingly a menu item that Culver's only tested at certain locations back in early 2019. A Reddit user who tried the burger stated, "This one was absolutely incredible and I can't believe it's never returned." Another fan on Facebook claimed that they asked the company about the burger and whether or not it would return, only to receive a relatively vague response. An employee subsequently explained that they don't think the Caprese Pub Burger will ever make a return as it didn't sell very well at their location, adding that it took forever to use up all of the ingredients.

Culver's has offered a Flavor of the Day for its frozen custard since 1984, the same year that it opened. In fact, the first Flavor of the Day was Caramel Pecan. Each of the fast food chain's restaurants follows a different Flavor of the Day calendar, which can be found online by typing in your zip code and locating the closest restaurant. One flavor you shouldn't expect to find, however, is Peanut Butter Cookie Dough.

The chain first unveiled Peanut Butter Cookie Dough as a Flavor of the Day on Facebook in August 2018. While the announcement sparked excitement about the peanut butter and cookie dough combination, some diners were disappointed, complaining that there was no actual peanut butter in the custard and instead just an extreme amount of peanuts. One customer even claimed that they had to dump some of the nuts due to the sheer quantity. Based on that feedback, this seems to be one of the few discontinued menu items that a majority of Culver's customers aren't hoping will make a return.

Sandwiches are among the many menu items that Culver's offers to its customers, with varieties including Beef Pot Roast, Grilled Reuben Melt, Pork Loin, and the Harvest Veggie Burger. In 2010, the chain launched its Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich, which came with thinly sliced, oven-roasted prime rib, red onions, and cheese on a hoagie roll.

During its run, the sandwich became the go-to choice for some customers, with one fan claiming that it was even better topped with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions, all of which enhanced the flavor. Customers on Facebook also enjoyed the sandwich, including another variation of the menu item, the Prime Rib and Mushroom Melt.

However, not everyone was as enthusiastic. One Reddit user complained that the sandwich had too much sodium, while a Culver's employee in the same discussion explained that the Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich was most likely discontinued due to its narrow profit margin and the fact that Culver's wanted to reduce the size of the menu.

In July 2015, a few months after the actual National Coconut Cream Pie Day, Culver's announced plans to release a Coconut Cream Pie frozen custard as its Flavor of the Day. The chain then decided to bring the flavor back in early 2016 for National Pie Day.

Judging by a picture of the dessert that the restaurant uploaded to Facebook, it contained small crumbled pieces of what appears to be pie crust mixed in with the frozen custard. Responses to the flavor were positive, with some users even asking the chain to open a location near them so they could enjoy it, too. A customer on Reddit even declared the Coconut Cream Pie their favorite frozen flavor to date. Another user stated that the custard is the best dessert that they have ever ordered from Culver's. However, even these accolades weren't enough to secure the Coconut Cream Pie frozen custard a spot on the permanent Flavor of the Day lineup.

According to Statista, Americans consumed over 181 million pretzels in 2020, which isn't necessarily shocking considering the popularity of the baked bread snack. That same popularity is probably what Culver's was trying to tap into when it introduced the Pretzel Haus Pub Burger in April 2018.

The burger came with a buttered and toasted pretzel bun, a beef patty, pickled onions, a creamy horseradish and mustard mayo, bacon, and Wisconsin cheddar cheese sauce. Just like some of its other pub burgers, the restaurant brought the Pretzel Haus Pub Burger back temporarily in June 2024.

Reactions to the burger were mixed. A YouTuber who reviewed the Pretzel Haus Pub Burger claimed that it had great flavor, highlighting the combination of cheddar, horseradish and mustard mayo, and pickled onion. However, a diner on Reddit was not as impressed, stating that the burger was underwhelming, dripping with grease, and tasted only of bacon.

Analysis by the Government of Canada found that the United States had the largest global market for sauces, dips, and condiments in 2022, with sales of $31.5 billion that year alone. A whopping 14,606 new sauces, dips, and condiments were also launched nationwide between January 2017 and December 2022. Given that number, the U.S. is clearly extremely passionate about its sauces, which is why it's not really shocking that Culver's fans are equally passionate about the chain's discontinued sauces.

Fans have listed the blue cheese sauce and the sweet and sour sauce as two of the sauces they miss most. In 2017, the chain also added two new sauces to its lineup — the Farmhouse Parmesan and the Southwest Chipotle Ranch — which are both no longer listed on its menu. The good news is that there are plenty of other tasty sauces to enjoy in their absence. Culver's released its Signature Sauce in 2023, made with mayo, buttermilk, and Parmesan cheese. The sauce is fluffy but not too thick, with a strong Parmesan flavor that's backed up by hints of jalapeño, Romano cheese, garlic, green onion, chipotle pepper, onion, mustard powder, and green and red bell peppers.

Another long-lost sandwich from the Culver's menu is the Turkey Sourdough BLT, which was last seen around 2008. The sandwich has since popped up in multiple Reddit threads about discontinued Culver's menu items that customers still miss.

Reddit users in the discussions stated that they wished the chain would bring the sandwich back and gave it the high praise of calling it the best sandwich ever. Some diners even enjoyed the Turkey Sourdough BLT enough to order multiple sandwiches in one Culver's visit. Not everyone was quite as impressed, with another customer in 2008 claiming that the Turkey Sourdough BLT was basically just a club sandwich. Employees on Reddit have made it clear just how long it's been since the sandwich was on the Culver's menu, using their knowledge of the Turkey Sourdough BLT as a way to show how long they have been with the company.

While it's best known as a burger joint, Culver's has a wide variety of food on its menu, from fish items to salads and sandwiches. Believe it or not, at one point, Culver's even sold hot dogs at select locations. According to an employee on Reddit, that was over 10 years ago. The only evidence that we could actually find of a Culver's restaurant selling hot dogs — besides commenters on Reddit — was an image shared in June 2008.

Despite the years that have passed since its stint on the menu, there are still some long-term Culver's fans out there who want the hot dog to make a comeback. Apparently, some people continued to try to order the hot dogs well after their discontinuation. An employee shared an experience on Reddit several years ago in which a customer tried to order the food item and was extremely upset to discover that the chain doesn't sell them anymore. Culver's does, however, sell corn dogs, which is sadly the closest thing you can get to a hot dog from Culver's nowadays.