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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Culver’s Franchise

Culver’s is a quick-service restaurant franchise founded in 1984 by Craig Culver and his family in Sauk City, Wisconsin. The brand built its identity around ButterBurgers, fresh frozen custard and Wisconsin cheese curds, served in a Midwestern hospitality style that still defines its restaurants.

The business runs on an owner-operator model: franchisees are expected to be hands-on, leading their teams in the restaurant each day rather than holding the unit as a passive investment. Locations are brick-and-mortar with drive-thru service, and each franchisee operates a protected territory with a three-mile radius of exclusivity. Culver’s is selective about who it awards restaurants to and frequently promotes from within, moving experienced managers into multi-unit ownership.

Operated through Culver Franchising System, the brand has grown to more than 1,000 restaurants across 26 states, concentrated in the Midwest with steady expansion into newer markets. It remains family-led and is consistently rated near the top of its category for franchisee satisfaction.

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Why buy a Culver’s Franchise?

Buying a Culver’s franchise means stepping into one of the most liked names in the quick-service burger category, with a signature menu of ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard that competitors find hard to replicate. That product distinctiveness, paired with strong consumer loyalty, supports the brand’s high average unit volumes in a category that has stayed resilient across economic cycles.

The ownership model carries real advantages: each restaurant holds a protected three-mile territory, franchisees gain supply-chain access and co-op marketing support, and an internal manager-to-owner pipeline gives operators a route to grow into multiple units. Culver’s also rates at or near the top in independent franchisee-satisfaction surveys, a useful signal of the franchisor relationship a buyer would inherit.

Culver’s Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1984

    • Franchising Since

      1990

    • New Startup Cost

      $2,642,500 – $8,573,000

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $55,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $10,000

      plus attorneys' fees; $5,000 if buyer is existing franchisee

    • Royalty Fee

      4%

      of Gross Revenue

    • Marketing Fee

      2.5%

      of Gross Revenue

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      997

    • New Units Opened *

      53

    • Units Transferred *

      23

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      $3,790,055

    * Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

Culver’s – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Initial training runs six to eight weeks and combines 120 hours of classroom instruction with 550 hours of on-the-job training. Once operating, franchisees receive ongoing operations coaching from dedicated business partners, supply-chain access, co-op and ongoing marketing support, and a manager-to-owner development pathway used to build future operators. Buyers of an existing Culver's unit should confirm what transfer training the franchisor provides incoming owners and what business-partner support and supply-chain access carry over with the sale.

  2. Ideal Owner

    Culver's suits hands-on, full-time operators rather than absentee investors, and restaurant or multi-unit foodservice experience is strongly preferred. The model rewards strong people leaders who are comfortable working side-by-side with their teams, recruiting and developing staff, and holding consistent operating standards through every shift. Community-minded, process-driven operators drawn to a long-term manager-to-owner path tend to fit the culture best.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Culver's is ranked among Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 and was named one of Franchise Business Review's Top 200 Franchises in 2026. It consistently rates at or near the top for franchisee satisfaction in FBR surveys of more than 4,300 franchisees across the US and Canada, and it carries strong consumer loyalty in the burger-and-custard category. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition should be weighed alongside the specific territory's local reviews, repeat-customer base and community standing.

  4. Industry / Market

    Culver's competes in the US quick-service restaurant sector, valued at roughly $254 billion in 2024 and projected to grow at about 3.4% annually (Grand View Research). The burger segment remains resilient, supported by drive-thru convenience, demand for premium comfort food and frozen-custard differentiation that helps brands stand apart on more than price. For resale buyers, category stability matters, but local traffic patterns, competition and site quality drive an individual restaurant's results.

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