The Popular Fast-Food Restaurant That's Still Family Owned

When you think of who runs fast food chains, you probably imagine a faceless corporate giant, but there are still a few out there that are headed by the families that first founded them. One Midwestern favorite of ours was started by a family, and through the years it still hasn't sold out to a conglomerate or a private equity firm (we're looking at you, Jersey Mike's). That would be good old Culver's, which is based in Wisconsin.

If you've never been, Culver's serves a surprisingly wide variety of items on its menu, from some of our favorite high-quality fast food fish sandwiches to items like Reuben sandwiches and chicken tenders. But it's mainly known for its Midwestern specialties, like its fried cheese curds, frozen custard, and ButterBurgers – smash burgers served on a buttered bun, which sets Culver's burgers apart from other fast food joints. 

The chain was originally founded by the Culver family in 1984, which includes Craig and Lea Culver, as well as Craig's parents, George and Ruth. The first location was in Sauk City, Wisconsin. The chain is still majority owned by the Culver family today, though investment firm Roark Capital does have a minority stake.

It's one thing to run a franchise-based business model that lets operators work on their own terms, but Culver's still makes sure that family and community are part of its core values. One fact that's interesting about Culver's is that as part of the franchise agreement, the owner-operator of a Culver's location has to work right in the restaurant itself, which isn't always the case in franchise operations. Philanthropic efforts to support local communities are also a big deal for the brand, so if there's a Culver's near you, it's likely you've seen it participate in local fundraisers now and then.

So it's not just about the food at Culver's but the support system in and around it that's also important. That mentality certainly seems to encourage success; celebrities like Andrew Zimmern are huge fans of Culver's, and at the risk of sounding like a total shill, I am too (but I'm a Midwesterner, so I'm biased). 

There are other fast food chains that are still family-owned as well, like the massively popular In-N-Out Burger, so maybe there's something to that whole family-owned aspect. And Craig Culver himself is known to drop by locations from time to time. In fact, he was recently at the Culver's in my Chicago neighborhood in December 2024, celebrating its successes. It seems like the Culver's family-run model is still working and won't be going anywhere anytime soon.