I've talked to some west coast people and I think most of them would admit that I&O's fries are the only weak spot in their menu. But again, getting them well-done and/or animal style would make them better.
I'm wondering if it's possible to ask places like Culver's or SteaknShake (places that smash their burgers) for well-done patties, to get a nice brown crust on the meat like RHR?

I had (a bite of) the driest, least palatable fast food burger I've tasted in years last week at the new Culver's in Glenview (1727 Waukegan). Fries were standard issue, limp, crinkle cuts, but that was expected.

The custards and custard-based "concrete" were passable, so we're going to limit our visits to the sweet stuff moving forward. Too bad, as we were looking forward to a having a new fast food option in the neighborhood.

--Rich

Just my $0.02...

There was a recent nationwide burger judging and Culver’s came out on top over In-n-Out. Too lazy to look it up. Amongst my friends that travel, they swear by In-n-Out. Could be the legend of the Secret Menu.

There was also a competition for Best Burger in Berwyn a few years ago. While Culver’s was in the top 5 it lost out to Cigars and Stripes Backyard Burger.

I have visited a few times and still prefer Schoops.

As for people comparing it to Red Hot Ranch I’m sure some of the other chains were smashing burgers before them, think Steak-n-Shake, fore mentioned Schoops, Culver’s.

I know RHR is a favorite so that comparison is logical.

I’ll give Culver’s another whirl with all the buzz lately. Maybe also give their chicken nuggets a try as well.

I do enjoy their custard.

Panther in the Den wrote:Just my $0.02...

There was a recent nationwide burger judging and Culver’s came out on top over In-n-Out. Too lazy to look it up. Amongst my friends that travel, they swear by In-n-Out. Could be the legend of the Secret Menu.

There was also a competition for Best Burger in Berwyn a few years ago. While Culver’s was in the top 5 it lost out to Cigars and Stripes Backyard Burger.

I have visited a few times and still prefer Schoops.

As for people comparing it to Red Hot Ranch I’m sure some of the other chains were smashing burgers before them, think Steak-n-Shake, fore mentioned Schoops, Culver’s.

I know RHR is a favorite so that comparison is logical.

I’ll give Culver’s another whirl with all the buzz lately. Maybe also give their chicken nuggets a try as well.

I do enjoy their custard.

don't get the nuggets, get the tenders. They're very good at Culvers. Actually, not sure they sell nuggets, might just be tenders.

Panther in the Den wrote:Just my $0.02...

There was a recent nationwide burger judging and Culver’s came out on top over In-n-Out.

Your probably thinking of the Restaurant Business report. Here are the top three.
https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/special-reports/americas-favorite-chains-menu-segment#page=3

The clear winner for food is Fuddruckers, but they had poor scores for service and hospitality.

I always thought that I wasn't really missing out on I&O because of places like Culver's in the area.
I was sad when the Fuddrucker's in Northbrook closed. They had some pretty good weekday specials too, burger fries and drink for $7-10.
I'm hardly ever out by Berwyn but if I am I might have to try out that Cigar & Stripes Backyard BBQ place. Is everything cooked over wood there? I'll never get tired of burgers and dogs cooked over hardwood charcoal.

Sorry to hear you had bad food at the new Glenview Culver's, RAB. FWIW the last time I had Culver's, at the Skokie one, everything was on point. Burger was good quality and tasty, fries were crisp but still light colored. Didn't have any of the custards, but ice cream type stuff I guess is harder to mess up.
I've been watching that Culver's go up and I guess they're still working out the kinks, they just opened. I'll probably always prefer the Taco Bell if I'm in that area but if they get set straight I might stop by for a meal.

Uther wrote:I'll probably always prefer the Taco Bell if I'm in that area but if they get set straight I might stop by for a meal.

This makes me think that even if Culver’s gets straight you won’t be.

Haha, Taco Bell is my fast food guilty pleasure. It's low tier fast food but when it's prepared fresh and hot I enjoy it. Plus, IMO, it's not that much crappier for you than something like a hot dog and fries would be.

Speaking of the new Glenview Culver's, the individual or company who designed the traffic patterns in that space should really be responsible for re-designing and implementing a re-do. As you exit the drive-thru, the arrows and pavement guide you to tun left and the only way to exit the parking lot is via a curved driveway in which it is impossible to make the turn from that angle. Actually they managed to mess up the Taco Bell at the same time which has always been easy and a no-brainer. I have never seen something so poorly designed.

Uther wrote:Haha, Taco Bell is my fast food guilty pleasure. It's low tier fast food but when it's prepared fresh and hot I enjoy it. Plus, IMO, it's not that much crappier for you than something like a hot dog and fries would be.

Sometimes you have to appreciate the simpler things in life...


Parky's Hot Dogs
329 S Harlem Ave, Forest Park

Taco Hell wouldn’t be one of them.

I'll have to disagree with you on your opinion of Taco Bell. I like a dog and fries as much as the next guy, but IMO it's just as much of a salt/fat/grease bomb as any meal I've had from Taco 'Hell'.
It's all cheap, greasy junk food, if you turn up your noses at TB that's your right and opinion, mine is just different that's all.

Uther wrote:I'll have to disagree with you on your opinion of Taco Bell. I like a dog and fries as much as the next guy, but IMO it's just as much of a salt/fat/grease bomb as any meal I've had from Taco 'Hell'.
It's all cheap, greasy junk food, if you turn up your noses at TB that's your right and opinion, mine is just different that's all.

Just my perspective...

Why would you prefer to go to a big corporate entity with admittedly mediocre food, passing by a mom and pop place where they are putting their heart and soul into staying in business preparing far superior food?


Mr Taco
5960 Ogden Ave, Cicero

Panther in the Den wrote:

Uther wrote:I'll have to disagree with you on your opinion of Taco Bell. I like a dog and fries as much as the next guy, but IMO it's just as much of a salt/fat/grease bomb as any meal I've had from Taco 'Hell'.
It's all cheap, greasy junk food, if you turn up your noses at TB that's your right and opinion, mine is just different that's all.

Just my perspective...

Why would you prefer to go to a big corporate entity with admittedly mediocre food, passing by a mom and pop place where they are putting their heart and soul into staying in business preparing far superior food?

9A334864-0EFA-4D78-A6D6-FBAA87233F06.jpeg

Mr Taco
5960 Ogden Ave, Cicero

Because I like to eat it and Taco Bell makes me happy!

WhyBeeSea wrote:Because I like to eat it and Taco Bell makes me happy!

How happy would you be if all the mom and pop places closed and this was your only option?

Becomes a dining wasteland like Nebraska or other states?

In order to go from Culver’s to Taco Bell you would have to pass...

Big Guy's Sausage Stand
7021 Roosevelt Rd Roosevelt Road, Berwyn


... and...

Ino’s
7100 Roosevelt Rd, Oak Park


Big Guys has recently decided to stay closed two days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday) due to lack of business.

That doesn’t make me happy. I’m glad you are.

Please, folks, let's cease the food-fast shaming and get back on course. The thread is, after all, about Culver's.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Thanks Ronnie, I was about to say this was a major hijack by Panther (and with a bunch of photos!).

I had Culver's of Libertyville last night. Burger was hot, but dry (as it tends to be most of the time). I'm not sure about their burgers. I've had a double where it was fresh, hot and juicy - a great burger. I bet many of you have never had a Culver's burger like that. If you do, you'll love it. But most of the time at any location the burger is hot but not juicy as if it was sitting in a warmer. I am going to ask a manager about this and how I can get a fresh double burger made to order every time. As for the fries I usually ask for extra crispy so they are always hot and crisp.

I still prefer In-N-Out to Culver's partially because I can't go to In-N-Out around here. I like the taste of their burgers and I like that crunch on the edge of the toasted bun. The fries are decent - I don't mind them and I usually go well done on the fries. I believe they are Kennebec potatoes which may explain why a lot of people are not fond of them.

I like Steak N Shake and Freddy's more than Culver's burger as well but I have no problem with all four of them. I would always go these four over places like McDonald's or Wendy's.

Haven't had Culver's in a few years but now this will prompt me to try it again.

I recall the burgers being just ok, but for whatever reason, was a big fan of the fish sandwich.

WhyBeeSea wrote:I recall the burgers being just ok, but for whatever reason, was a big fan of the fish sandwich.

I like Culver's fish dinners. Cod and especially the seasonal walleye. Though for fish sandwiches I'm a fan of Hagen's cod sandwich. They used to use pollock, now use cod. Fish and chips are pollock.

Hagen's
5635 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60634

It's good, Ronnie. There's millions of people who wouldn't touch TB or any of the standard fast food joints, and I fully understand why.
And FWIW I do love taquerias, I had a mini obsession with Burrito House in Niles for a period, loved the Tacos El Norte locations in Lake county and still do, and had a very nice meal at El Tipico in Skokie on Dempster a month or two ago. But none of those places have drive-thru's, and for a cheap, spontaneous meal choice where I can get my food in 5 mins or less without leaving my car you're pretty much limited to fast food places.

I'd hate to see any good restaurant go out of business, but part of the problem seems to be that there seems to be many more restaurant choices now than even 10 or 20 years ago, and I don't think the number of restaurant eaters has increased proportionally. I think years ago the owner of Hopleaf lamented the fact that many brewers were seeking to open their own tasting rooms; these places often offered food and so were in direct competition with the neighborhood bar & grill, at a time when beer sales and # of beer drinkers were mostly flat. Hopleaf is about as good as it gets for a gastropub type experience and even he admitted he had to cut staff and hours with all the new competition.

I'm not sure why Ram's burger would be dry if everything is cooked to order. I know McDonald's tends to keep their patties in warming drawers until needed but I don't believe Culver's would ever do that. Maybe the cook keeps smashing on the patty after the initial sear, squeezing all the juice out?

I've never heard of Freddy's, but after a little research I'd be most interested to try them. They seem to be offering a culvers/steaknshake type experience in mostly rural areas...

WhyBeeSea wrote:Because I like to eat it and Taco Bell makes me happy!

Demolition Man, 1993
Taco Bell was the only restaurant to survive the franchise wars. Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.
Demolition Man Taco Bell clip ----> Link

I enjoy Culver's seasonal northwoods walleye sandwich in the summer in Minocqua, WI. My favorite custard creation is a cup of chocolate covered with mint and hot fudge. Any Culver's will make one. They also make a great pineapple malt.

CSD

Culver’s is the only chain fast food that the hubs and I eat—it was a staple for travel ball and kid vacation trips and we still go every now and then when we’re on the road, even without them.

My go to order is the mushroom Swiss burger (never had a dry one) or the pot roast sandwich (waaaay better than it has to be) and, believe it or not, the green beans. They are seriously delicious in that old fashioned, still a little crunchy, Birds-Eye, lotsa salty butter kinda way. I actually crave them. Go figure...

G Wiv wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:I recall the burgers being just ok, but for whatever reason, was a big fan of the fish sandwich.

I like Culver's fish dinners. Cod and especially the seasonal walleye. Though for fish sandwiches I'm a fan of Hagen's cod sandwich. They used to use pollock, now use cod. Fish and chips are pollock.

Hagen's
5635 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60634

Added to my list

G Wiv wrote:I like Culver's fish dinners. Cod and especially the seasonal walleye.

Yes! During Lent, I especially like their walleye sandwich. My favorite fast food fish sandwich (though that's not a category with really stiff competition, I think.)

Uther wrote:I'm not sure why Ram's burger would be dry if everything is cooked to order. I know McDonald's tends to keep their patties in warming drawers until needed but I don't believe Culver's would ever do that. Maybe the cook keeps smashing on the patty after the initial sear, squeezing all the juice out?

I called Culver's HQ about this. They said they do make every burger cooked to order (not the fries which they admit) but aside from mine being overcooked, it was cooked for me. So I guess I just have to cross my fingers that I'll get a juicy double burger each time I go.

I'm not sure I've had a burger patty smashed thin that was what I would call juicy, not compared to thick patties at least, where the juice from the patty combined with the condiments can run down your hand and arm. The toppings and condiments on a smashed burger does tend to add moisture to every bite, contributing to the overall juiciness of the mouthfeel, IMO. Maybe it has to do with the age of the meat, or how long ago it was ground and packed?

Also, I thought Kennebec potatoes were supposed to be good for cooking? If I&O makes fries from them why would that be a bad thing?

I hope the Glenview Culver's gets its act together, but to reinforce my point from before: Burger King (ugh, mostly) is a block away, Meatheads is on Willow a mile north, McDonald's is a mile or so south on Waukegan, Hackney's is at Lake and Waukegan. Culver's would be the 5th burger place within that 2 mile stretch of Waukegan Rd, not to mention all the other dining choices (TB next door, Lalo's, Giordano's, Pizano's, Subway, Boston Market, Domino's, Jasper's, etc). I don't think the amount of burger consumption in the area is going to increase by 20% but now we have another major player in the game taking customers from existing businesses.

In a timely announcement, Yahoo! has released satisfaction statistics on burger chains. In & Out is on top, with 5 Guys and Culver's close behind.
Tier 2 appears to be Whataburger, Smash Burger, Steak & Shake, DQ and Sonic, with all the major chains at the bottom.

G Wiv wrote:I like Culver's fish dinners. Cod and especially the seasonal walleye.

What's the walleye season at Culver's? I'd like to try this.

BrendanR wrote:

G Wiv wrote:I like Culver's fish dinners. Cod and especially the seasonal walleye.

What's the walleye season at Culver's? I'd like to try this.

“Our walleye is only available during the Lent season and at participating restaurants.” - per Culver’s website.

Dave148 wrote:“Our walleye is only available during the Lent season and at participating restaurants.” - per Culver’s website.

Upthread, chicagostyledog mentioned they were available during the summer and made me think the season was months long.