See the place Culver’s ranks when our forty fifth Annual Franchise 500 listing is launched on January 16, 2024.
Began Franchising: 1988 | Total Models: 871 | Value to Open: $2.3M-$5.8M
By one measure, Culver’s had a low-key 12 months: The Wisconsin-based burger joint opened solely roughly 55 places in 2022, and it is the smallest model within the Prime 10 by way of whole items. However by a uniquely telling measure, Culver’s excelled: It had zero terminations or closures between 2019 and 2022. That is particularly spectacular given the difficult headwinds that fast-casual eating places confronted throughout these years — the pandemic, labor shortages, provide chain points, inflation. For comparability, the common variety of closures in 2021 for our listing’s QSR class was eight. “Our focus has all the time been on opening one profitable restaurant at a time fairly than striving to achieve an arbitrary variety of openings,” says Rick Silva, president and CEO, who took over in 2021. That technique has helped it land in our Prime 10 for 5 consecutive years.
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To optimize for achievement, Culver’s focuses closely on expertise. The corporate provides a novel mentorship program and supplies a strategic roadmap for any worker, together with entry-level cashiers or line cooks, to work their approach as much as changing into a franchise proprietor. Greater than 200 staff have accomplished this system, which incorporates partnering with an present franchisee to be taught the enterprise.
Culver’s additionally focuses on techniques, and adapting them to each franchisee’s wants. For instance, the model invested in higher drive-thru and on-line ordering techniques primarily based on elevated buyer demand for these companies that intensified throughout the pandemic.
Whereas Culver’s has international adjustments that it rolls out to each location, it additionally listens carefully to its owner-operators and depends on their perception to find out collectively what these adjustments ought to appear like. “Our operators know their native communities’ wants, so we encourage them to embrace no matter works greatest,” says Silva.
Culver’s additionally considered provide chains rather a lot in 2022, simply as most companies needed to. “We have labored to create an excellent larger degree of collaboration, transparency, and belief with our suppliers,” Silva says. That included rigorously including suppliers, together with including amenities from present suppliers, to make sure much less disruption.
As Culver’s seems to be forward to 2023, it is targeted on making clients and franchisees even happier — together with choices for purchasers to order on the go, corresponding to drive-thrus with two locations to order, plus tablets and an enhanced on-line ordering expertise.
