Culver’s — Restaurant in De Pere

I ordered a two piece North Atlantic Cod Dinner, and specifically stated “no tartar, and no coleslaw.” The gentleman taking my order confirmed, “no sauces?“ to which I replied, “that is correct – no sauce or coleslaw please.” I also ordered a medium beverage. I was told the total would be $21.01. I was taken aback at the amount, and thought I may have heard incorrectly. Paying with a $10 and a $20 bill, I received the appropriate change for that amount. Still a bit confused, I decided to set all of my stuff down at a table and double check my receipt.

Upon inspection, I saw that the receipt indicated the amounts that I thought I had heard. It showed that the two piece dinner was ordered with “no sauce.” However, there was an additional charge for the drink (which I expected) but also a charge for a medium order of fries. I decided to wait until the order came to the table to see if perhaps I had gotten the dinner and additional fries (which still would have been an issue, since it should’ve been included in the “two sides“ at the dinner includes).

When the dinner arrived, it was two pieces of cod and an order of fries – what I would’ve expected from such a meal. There were no additional sides. This would indicate that the freight up charge was a mistake in addition to the order, and explained why the price was higher than I anticipated. The dinner also included a serving of coleslaw, which intruded over onto the fries and the fish. I brought this to the servers attention, and explained that I would need the dinner remade, as I was allergic to coleslaw. That Schellmann was apologetic and very polite regarding the matter.

(To be transparent, I suffer from ARFID, and eating disorder that is not commonly known to the public, little less understood. Rather than continually have to give long and drawn-out explanations of my condition, it is far easier – and understandable by most people - to just simply say that it is “an allergy.“)

At this point, I decided to go upfront to speak to someone to try to straighten out both matters. As a stud, about 10 feet away from the serving staff behind the counter, I saw, and heard my meal server point toward me, and tell his colleagues something to the order of, “that’s the gentleman with the allergy (the term “Allergy“ was specifically stated).

Before I could draw anyone else’s specific attention, I watched a third service person take my meal plate and removed the two pieces of fish and most of the fries – placing it on a separate new plate. The coleslaw and a portion of the fries were left on the original plate. That plate was then handed to the employee who originally took my order. He turned and began to walk toward me. As I did, I could clearly see some coleslaw, still clinging to one of the cod fillets.

At this point, my anxiety was accelerating rapidly (a combination of my RFID, and the absolute shock at what I had just seen done). I raised my hand up to my chest, open palms toward the gentleman, in a “stop“ fashion. I shook my head and explain to him that I could not simply have the contaminated food transferred to another plate; that it would require a new meal. At this point I had absolutely no confidence that I would be able to be assured, a non-cross contaminated order. I asked to simply have my money refunded.

The gentleman who had done the food transfer from one place to the other, came to the register, and began the process of my refund. When asked, I said I would prefer cash versus a gift card. The gentleman gave me a $10 bill and for one dollar bills; $14…and some change. I pointed out that the meal was listed at $13.99. I said that I had already taken my beverage, so I did not want that refunded end, but that there was still a $2.99 opt charge for fries. The gentleman explained to me that that’s just how the system rings up the dinner. I didn’t specifically pointed out the dinner charge, and the 299 additional charge. He apologized for the mistake and refunded the rest...

Not Worth the Visit

I recently visited this Culver's location and, unfortunately, my experience was far from what I would expect from a reputable establishment. There were several significant issues that collectively contributed to an unsatisfactory dining experience.

Firstly, the wait time for food was unacceptably long. Despite the restaurant being relatively busy, the delay in receiving our order was excessive. It took far longer than anticipated, and for a fast-casual restaurant, this was highly disappointing.

Once the food finally arrived, the quality and portion sizes left much to be desired. The meal appeared hastily prepared, and the portions were noticeably smaller than what I've experienced at other Culver's locations. The lack of attention to detail in the preparation was apparent, making the overall dining experience feel subpar and unworthy of the price point.

Another significant inconvenience was the lack of ketchup dispensers. Instead of the usual self-serve station, customers were forced to request ketchup packets. This wouldn't have been a major issue had it not been for the additional 5-minute wait in line just to receive them. Such a simple amenity being unavailable speaks to poor management of the dining area and customer needs.

Moreover, the restaurant was overcrowded, contributing to an uncomfortable and chaotic atmosphere. The space felt cramped, and the high volume of people made it difficult to enjoy the meal in peace. A better approach to managing customer flow and seating is urgently needed at this location.

In conclusion, the combination of long wait times, poor food quality, lack of basic condiments, and overcrowding makes this Culver’s location one I cannot recommend. I would advise potential customers to consider alternative dining options, as this experience fell well below the standard one...

This was the worst Culver's I've ever experienced. They were very busy, but there's no excuse for a 25 minute wait for an order, then to have it come incorrectly, poorly made and without the appropriate supplies. I had to go to the counter three times - once to find out what was going on with my order, only to be told they were busy, short staffed and there was some type of problem with receipts. The second time for utensils and, the third time, to get a manager to look at what was served to me. I had ordered a double mushroom and swiss with no bun. The order came with two small hamburger patties and swiss cheese, and had been placed with the cheese side down which melted into the paper liner. There were no mushrooms, and it was not placed on lettuce so the cheese wouldn't melt into the packaging. The manager did remake the food correctly and in a timely manner, but no offer of any type of compensation was offered. Most of the employees moved very slowly, many looked like they had no clue what they were doing, and some reacted like a deer in headlights if I asked a question. And, as is usually the case, the drive through orders were filled before dine-in orders. Overall, a very poor experience - would never stop there again...