One Beloved Midwestern Fast Food Chain Has Been Family Owned Since The 1980s And Is Still Going Strong Today

McDonald's was founded by Richard and Maurice "Mac" McDonald. Arby's came from Leroy and Forrest Raffel. Dave Thomas started Wendy's and named it after his daughter. And, today, along with many other restaurant chains, all of these places are no longer owned by the families who started them, answering instead to shareholders and management groups who had nothing to do with their founding. But not all family-founded fast food chains end up going this route. Culver's stands out by staying true to its roots now 40 years into business and is still owned by the very same people responsible for its existence.

Founded by George, Ruth, Craig, and Lea Culver in Wisconsin, the beloved restaurant known for ButterBurgers and summery custard treats has a bit of a unique backstory compared to other fast food franchises (and it is a franchise, not just a chain). The family first got into the business in 1961, when Craig's parents George and Ruth purchased an A&W Root Beer location in Sauk City, Wisconsin during his youth. They sold this business seven years later and, along with a then-adult Craig, proceeded to operate a resort and supper club. In 1984, however, the family bought back the A&W Root Beer they started at. Along with Craig's wife, Lea (whom he had met while working at the family's resort),they transformed it into the very first Culver's Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers.

Culver's is still a Culver family-owned business, but its ownership is more complex these days than how things began. Ruth and George Culver passed away in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Craig and Lea Culver are no longer married, though both remain heavily involved with the business. And while the Culver family maintains majority ownership, a change did come in 2017 when a small stake was sold to private equity firm Roark Capital. In 2025, Craig Culver named non-family member Julie Fussner as CEO but, again, remains very involved with the company.

But as noted earlier, Culver's is also a franchise. So, despite the corporate side of things being owned by the Culver family, the majority of its individual stores are owned by franchisees. According to a 2025 Forbes analysis, Culver's had over 1,000 locations, with about 997 of them (around 99%) owned by franchisees and only a handful that are directly company-owned. Whether or not the same rules apply everywhere — like this ordering trick to get a Culver's meal for just $6 — is unclear.

That said, a number of the franchise stores are in the Culver's origin spirit by also being family-owned, albeit different families. In 2025, Wisconsin's Sheboygan Press reported that a couple who owned three of its local Culver's stores were passing the torch to their children after 25 years. 

How much the Culver family will be involved in the franchise's future is uncertain as of 2026. Craig Culver's daughters were both non-voting board members as of at least 2024, and Craig Culver has also stated previously that he would like the business to remain in the family. However, this was before the announcement of a new non-Culver CEO. So far, however, there have been little changes to the business over the past year, including to the menu (which is still full of burgers and fun side items worth ranking).

In the meantime, Culver's retains other connections to its more humble origins. Today's fans flock to Culver's for a variety of other menu items like fish and chips, for instance, but the ButterBurger and frozen custard have remained the franchise's signature items since its founding. And in 2024, Craig Culver also made headlines by stating he had no plans to replace workers with ordering screens, unlike other large fast food chains doing just that. "I learned a long time ago, the most important people in our business are our team members," Culver told The Cap Times when asked about the matter. "If they know that, I believe they will take care of the guests like my mom was taking care of them."