Culver's vs. Freddy's

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Culver's vs. Freddy's

Exclusive content! Culver's vs. Freddy's! You do not want to miss out on this delicious content. Subscribe!

Amy Hummel

Jul 31, 2022

Today we are getting a little classier than our last exclusive episode. Today we have Culver’s vs. Freddy’s. And I guarantee the custard machine will not be broken.

Which menu items will we be trying?

Culver’s
- Culver’s Deluxe
- Chicken Tenders
- Fries
- Onion Rings
- Cheese Curds
- Chocolate Custard
Freddy’s
- Freddy’s Original
- Chicken Tenders
- Fries
- Onion Rings
- Cheese Curds
- Chocolate Custard

Who are our fearless Questers today?

Nate, a fun house boy.
Kris, carnival quality.
Matt, aka Zagmatt.
Amy, respected in her wrongness.

And our paid subscribers! Thank you for your support. We appreciate you!

The History of Culver’s

As you may have guessed by the many references to the state on their menu… but Culver’s began in Sauk City, Wisconsin. It is a family restaurant through and through, being opened by Craig and Lea Culver and Craig’s parents George and Ruth in 1984. Though Culver’s was not their first go at the restaurant game. George and Ruth owned an A&W drive-in, located in Sauk Prairie, in 1961, and after getting their feet wet, so to speak, sold the A&W and purchased a business called Farm Kitchen Resort located in Baraboo, which they operated for another 6 years. Then, you may think they started Culver’s next. You’d be wrong! They bought back the original A&W, stayed for 6 years, and sold it again. What next? Back to Baraboo to a little supper club called the Ritz. Shortly after… careful now, you are going to get whiplash… it was back to Baraboo and back to that original A&W. But as they say, third time’s the charm. They disenfranchised and that A&W was to become Culver’s Frozen Custard and Butter Burgers.

The first year was a struggle. People did not know what butter burgers were. They didn’t know what custard was. Not to mention that the restaurant was located right across from a Hardee’s, the fastest-growing burger chain at the time. But by 1987, the restaurant caught on and a second restaurant would open in Reedsburg and a third in Wisconsin Dells. In 1990 a Culver’s franchise opened in Baraboo and the business boomed.

And a direct quote from Craig Culver… “Something my dad told me a long time ago: It’s not important how many restaurants we have. What’s important is how many good restaurants we have, and the only way you get good restaurants or good business or good organization, it’s leadership surrounding themselves with people who care.” And that is what they do. The company has purposely taken a slower approach to their expansion. For many years, Craig Culver personally trained all the new franchisees, scouted locations that had at least 10,000 cars to pass by daily, and to this day personally inspects each location. This approach has made the franchise one of the most successful to own. In 2009, the national franchise failure rate was approximately 17 percent across the restaurant board. Culver’s franchise failure rate was only 1.7 percent.

Another thing that keeps them successful? Their delicious menu items, with ingredients sourced locally. The cheese for the curds and burgers comes from La Grander Hillside Dairy in Stanley, Wisconsin. Their root beer? They make it themselves. They always use fresh beef. The dairy for the custard is sourced from over 100 family farms in Wisconsin. They don’t cut corners and it shows.

Today there are 867 locations in 26 states.

The History of Freddy’s

Freddy. The luckiest man in the world. Or so they say. Freddy is just a regular guy. He grew up in Colwich, Kansas. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, served in the Pacific Rim during World War II, and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Once returning to Kansas, he started a family, raised 6 kids with his wife Norma Jean, and worked in the hospitality industry for 56 years.

The first Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers opened in August of 2002 in Wichita, Kansas. But not by Freddy, It was opened by his two sons, Bill Simon and Randy Simon, along with Scott Redler. Freddy dreamed of opening a burger restaurant that specialized in flat, smashed steak burgers like his parents made during the Great Depression. So the sons, who already had made their careers in hospitality, along with their business partner Scott, decided to open the burger joint their father dreamed of, and to name it after him. The demand for the food was immediate and they moved ahead quickly with franchising the company.

So why the huge demand? Well, with 100% Lean ground beef, and cooked to order, you know what you are getting is fresh. Each burger is seasoned nicely with their very own fry seasoning. And who can forget that heavenly heavenly fry sauce? When it comes down to it, the fry sauce is a mix of ketchup, mayo, pickle juice and Freddy’s special seasoning. But when you dip those ultra thin crunchy fries into the sauce, you are in fry heaven. The sauce is so popular, it is even sold in grocery stores now.

What else made it so popular? The atmosphere and aesthetic of the restaurants. The stores are filled with black-and-white photos of Freddy’s youth and his service during the war. It brings a sort of nostalgia and even gratefulness for the man’s service when you dine in.

Freddy passed away in 2020 at the age of 95, but not without seeing the success of the business, his sons, and living a fulfilling life.

Today there are 448 locations in 38 States.

The Results

**SPOILER ALERT!**

Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!

Fries vs Fries

Culver’s Fries: Crinkle cut fries. Some people love them. Some people hate them. But when they are cooked well, they can be quite tasty no matter who you are. And that is what Culver’s did. They took a thicker fry, cooked it to perfection, put the right amount of salt on that fry, and served it up.

Nate: “It’s a fun house fry for a fun house boy.”
Amy: “The crunchiness of the outside is great.”
Kris: “I don’t like a crinkle cut, but this was better than Freddy’s”
Matt: “Culver’s. Culver's had the better execution today.”

Freddy’s Fries: Culver’s fries and Freddy’s fries cannot be further from each other on the fry scale. Shoe string fries, you either love them or hate them. What Freddy’s does well is the seasoning and fry sauce. But that is not always going to save a product with such a short shelf life.

Nate: “I want them crispier if they are thin.”
Amy: “These are not on today.”
Kris: “The seasoning is great.”
Matt: “When they are crispy, they are good.”

WINNER: Culver’s

Onion Ring vs. Onion Ring

Culver’s Onion Ring: Onion rings are almost always delicious. And you really cannot go wrong with a nice crunchy onion ring. But these are close calls. Will Culver’s crunchy ring stand up to the thicker cut Freddy’s?

Nate: “I really liked these.”
Amy: “I enjoy the crunch.”
Kris: “It was too fluff for me.”
Matt: “These were both very close to call.”

Freddy’s Onion Rings: That is a nice thick cut of onion, don’t you think? Again, these were such a close call. Freddy’s oil and seasoning might give it the slight edge for most of these questers.

Nate: “The thicker slice of the onion did it for me.”
Amy: “It’s a good thick onion.”
Kris: “Whatever you’re doing with these, keep doing it.”
Matt: “Something about the batter was different enough and I liked it.”

WINNER: Freddy’s

Cheese Curd vs. Cheese Curd

Culver’s Cheese Curd: Most people love a good cheese curd. You know, a deep fat fried hunk of cheese. And fresh cheese from Wisconsin… Who wouldn’t love that? AMY. AMY DOES NOT LIKE. But let’s find out what the rest thought.

Nate: “Culver’s was it for me.”
Amy: “I don’t like it but it is the better curd.”
Kris: “These had a really nice chew to them.”
Matt: “Culver’s but I am not sure this was a fair fight.”

Freddy’s Cheese Curd: Culver’s seems to be more known for the cheese curd than Freddy’s. Can they stand up to the stiff competition?

Nate: “I agree with everyone else.”
Amy: “It’s like biting into a rubber bouncy ball.”
Kris: “It was like chewing through leather.”
Matt: “I wasn’t getting melty cheese.”

WINNER: Culver’s

Chicken Fingers

Culver’s Chicken Tenders: It is hard to go wrong with a chicken finger. Sure, it can be mostly breading and little chicken. It can be seasoned poorly. It can be a dried out door stop. But Culver’s was none of these things.

Nate: “That’s a thick cut of chicken.”
Amy: “Culver’s shined with the chicken.”
Kris: “My Culver’s chicken was a little thin.”
Matt: “Culver’s has a great product.”

Freddy’s Chicken Tenders: Again, you cannot go wrong with a chicken finger when prepared right and Freddy’s stepped up to the plate in a big way with their product.

Nate: “I really like the extra flavor on it that the seasoning brings.”
Amy: “The batter does not let the chicken shine.”
Kris: “The juiciness and the seasoning.”
Matt: “Where Freddy’s has the edge is the seasoning.”

WINNER: Freddy’s

Burger vs. Burger

Culver’s Burger: Culver’s is supposed to be known for their butter burgers. A nice yummy grilled burger, with a toasted bun, lettuce, pickle, mayo, onion. Sounds pretty delicious. Let’s find out if it lived up to the hype.

Nate: “Culver’s was better.”
Amy: “Everything on here compliments each other.”
Kris: “I like having a lot of veggies on my burger.”
Matt: “You can taste each individual component.”

Freddy’s Burger: Freddy’s had some stiff competition here on the burger front. Known for smashing their burgers and having crispy edges, it sounded like it would be a home run. But it lacked veggies and overdid it with the seasoning.

Nate: “It’s a fine burger if I am drunk and desperate.”
Amy: “The meat is overly seasoned.”
Kris: “It’s like they only care about smashing the burger.”
Matt: “Everything tastes like the seasoning.”

WINNER: Culver’s

Custard vs. Custard

Culver’s Custard: Culver’s chocolate custard. Just the idea of custard makes most people happy. Rich and creamy. But can Culver’s edge out over Freddy’s?

Nate: “It is nice and creamy.”
Amy: “I’ve only had the vanilla before. This is good though.”
Kris: “It is very malt like.”
Matt: “It’s good, just not as good as Freddy’s.”

Freddy’s Custard: Freddy’s may have missed the mark on the burger, but they hit a home run on the custard. So smooth and velvety. Rich and creamy. A deep chocolate flavor. I will take seconds, please.

Nate: “It was amazing custard.”
Amy: “So smooth and chocolatey.”
Kris: “It’s very good.”
Matt: “It’s rich.”

WINNER: Freddy’s

Oh no! A tie! 3 vs. 3. We can’t let that stand! Since Culver’s got a few more votes, we are giving them the win!

There you have it. After trying all of these burgers and fries, we give Culver’s the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out their website to find a location near you.

https://www.culvers.com/

Thank you for joining us on this exclusive episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried all these menu items? Which one is your favorite?

Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.