3 secrets to Culver’s incredible growth
Workstream Blog

3 secrets to Culver’s incredible growth

By Workstream

April 23, 2024 | 2 min read

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Culver’s, the brand behind ButterBurgers and frozen custard, has grown steadily (and rapidly) since 2019. Not even the pandemic slowed down its expansion, opening 50 or more restaurants a year in the past four years, and poised to reach 1,000 locations by 2025. Its consistent growth despite some very tough challenges like a labor shortage and supply chain issues is impressive to say the least. So, what’s their secret? 

Strategic hiring

At the heart of Culver's success lies its unwavering commitment to strategic hiring. As the chain expands into new markets and territories, finding the right talent to staff these new locations becomes paramount. The company does this in two interesting ways: 

First, it requires prospective franchisees to immerse themselves in the Culver's experience by working in one of its restaurants for six 10-hour days. This ensures every new franchisee embodies the company’s values and ethos and knows how to build a team that does the same. Culver's 101 directly influences the hiring process because franchisees see first-hand the skills and characteristics that make a successful Culver’s employee. They can then set strict qualifications and use diverse sourcing strategies to attract and hire the right applicants. 

And to find the right hires, Culver’s invests in smart technology. Since selecting Workstream as its corporate preferred hiring partner, three out of every four restaurants now use the platform to efficiently source, screen, schedule, and interview applicants. Franchisees are able to staff locations quickly thanks to Workstream’s automation and mobile-first functionality that keeps applicants engaged and moving through the hiring process quickly. 

Empowering employees 

The focus on people doesn’t end with hiring. Culver’s has a strong culture of investing in its employees and making them a key part of how they win. We all know that career advancement, mentorship, and a fun work environment are among the top reasons hourly workers stay at their jobs. Culver’s addresses all this and more with its unique retention programs: 

  • The Franchisee Mentorship Program partners restaurant managers with franchisees looking to expand so they can learn the ropes.
  • The Culver’s Foundation™ is a scholarship program that invests in team member education and has awarded scholarships to over 3,000 employees.
  • Restaurants compete annually in the Culver’s Crew Challenge, where they’re judged on quality, service, cleanliness, hospitality, community outreach, and training and development. The winner receives a $100,000 prize. 

From frontline crew members to seasoned franchisees, Culver's fosters a culture of collaboration, growth, and innovation, ensuring that every member of its team has the tools and support they need to thrive.

Quality, quality, quality 

It’s easy to let quality slip as you expand, especially when you’re growing quickly. We’ve all seen it happen before. But that’s not the case with Culver’s. The company is still family-owned and picky about where it expands to and who can become a franchise owner. 

The company has used fresh, never-frozen beef since its founding in 1984. From sourcing local, fresh ingredients (even down to its cheese curds) to making everything to order, the original food philosophy of Culver’s hasn't changed since its inception. 

This also presents itself in the brand’s restaurant atmosphere. Founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, Culver’s restaurants have a midwestern charm and brand of hospitality that can only come from the Cheese State. Regardless of where a Culver’s is located, you’ll receive the same warm welcome when you walk in the door and pleasant chit-chat with employees as you order. 

Building a strong foundation 

Maintaining these food and hospitality traditions is so important to Culver’s success, which is why hiring and retention are critical. Finding the right staff that embodies these values and commitment to quality and keeping them with the Culver’s family, has made it easier to grow the business so quickly. 

With a projected expansion of 51 stores in 2024 and a strong focus on enhancing the customer experience, Culver's is poised to continue its upward trajectory and solidify its position as a leader in the fast-food industry. Through strategic hiring practices, employee empowerment, and a relentless dedication to quality, Culver's is paving the way for an exciting future.
By Workstream
Workstream is the leading HR, Payroll, and Hiring platform for the hourly workforce. Its smart technology streamlines HR tasks so franchise and business owners can move fast, reduce labor costs, and simplify operations—all in one place. 46 of the top 50 quick-service restaurant brands—including Burger King, Jimmy John’s, Taco Bell—rely on Workstream to hire, retain, and pay their teams. Learn how you can better manage your hourly workforce with Workstream.

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Sensitive personal information or “SPI” is a subset of personal information, defined as:

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Right to Opt-Out

Californians have the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information. That means you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties (e.g. data brokers, advertisers). You also have the right to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information to prevent the targeting of ads across different businesses, websites, apps, or services.

CCPA-covered businesses must provide a link to allow you to exercise this right. It is usually found at the bottom of a webpage and will say “do not sell or share my personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Sometimes businesses offer privacy choices through a pop-up window or form

To opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information, click on the link or use the toggle provided by the business and follow the directions. Doing this on every website you visit can feel burdensome, but to ease the burden you can automatically select your privacy preferences for every website by using an opt-out preference signal, or OOPS for short.

An OOPS is a user-friendly and straightforward way for consumers to automatically exercise their right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information with the businesses they interact with online. An OOPS, such as the Global Privacy Control. It can either be a setting on your internet browser or a browser extension. With an OOPS, consumers do not have to submit individual requests to opt-out of sale or sharing with each business.

Right to Limit

Californians also have the right to direct businesses to limit the use and disclosure of their sensitive personal information.

Businesses covered under the CCPA must provide a link on their website that allows you to request the limiting of your SPI, if they plan on using it in certain ways. That link will also typically be at the bottom of a webpage and will say: “limit the use of my sensitive personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Once you send this request, the business must stop using your SPI for anything other than to:

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Bringing it Together

In summary, the CCPA gives you the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information and gives you additional rights to further limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information.

When you exercise these rights together, you exert greater control in protecting your personal data which is important for your identity, safety, and financial health.

If you are on a business’s website and you can’t find the links to exercise your rights, remember to check their privacy policy. The privacy policy should tell you how you can exercise your rights under the law.

If you find your rights being violated, you can submit a complaint to CalPrivacy.

Next in the LOCKED series, we will explore the right to correct and right to know. Follow us on social media to get live updates or check back in one week for the next post.

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