'It's So Terrible' — Culver's New Mac And Cheese Misses The Mark For Diners

According to netizens on Reddit, anyone stopping by Culver's in the near future should stick to buying one of the restaurant's fresh, not frozen, burgers and skip the latest addition to the menu — the Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese & Mac. Now, not all folks think the chain's take on this classic comfort dish is bad. Even a contributor to The Takeout recently gave Culver's new mac and cheese a glowing review. However, judging by the scorn the limited-time menu item is receiving elsewhere, the review appears to be something of an outlier.

In a thread on the subreddit r/Culvers, plenty of customers have voiced their assessment of the new menu offering, and there isn't a lot of positive feedback. Comments like, "Wow, frozen mac and cheese is better than this," "Just greasy slop on soggy noodles," and "It's so terrible," are scattered throughout the thread. One diner who tried it even seemed more offended by the lack of quality than by finding an unwelcome extra in their order: "I just tried it and found two pieces of sharp plastic inside. They did not improve the flavor."

In fairness, not everyone's reaction is so harsh. Yes, the general consensus is that Culver's mac and cheese is subpar, but a few customers opined that it just needs some seasoning. Some diners thought the restaurant was simply being a bit stingy with the amount of cheese in the dish. However you slice it, the limited positivity surrounding the Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese & Mac might result in it being one of Culver's worst menu items in some time.

Years ago, another thread in the r/Culvers subreddit was started by someone asking why a Wisconsin-based company like Culver's didn't offer mac and cheese to diners. Employees at the chain revealed that mac and cheese was on corporate's radar, but it was just testing the waters. Culver's experimented with selling mac and cheese in select locations, but the dish was never all that popular with customers. Still, that didn't stop some from clamoring for mac and cheese to make its national debut on the menu. Well, ask and ye shall receive — but be careful what you wish for.

It's worth noting that while the "new" mac and cheese isn't acquiring rave reviews, some more constructive people have proposed ways to upgrade the dish. Adding meat, like chicken tenders or bacon, seems to be a common recommendation. Topping it with BBQ or buffalo sauce was also suggested, although at that point, you're really just masking a lackluster flavor.

The Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese & Mac was rolled out on November 3 in Culver's locations across the country, but as of yet, it's not a permanent menu item. Culver's plans to sell it through December 28, or until it runs out. However, given the feedback it's been subjected to from customers on certain subreddits, like "I thought it was gross," it might not make it to that date.