Culver’s — Restaurant in Grand Forks

The moment I stepped into Culver’s, I wasn’t expecting much more than a quick bite to eat, but what I experienced was something bordering on poetic. Amidst the gentle hum of conversation and the aroma of butter burgers sizzling on the grill, a server appeared as if conjured by the universe itself—a beacon of unparalleled hospitality named Sylvia.

Sylvia didn’t just greet me; she welcomed me into an entirely different dimension of dining. Her voice was soothing, like a lullaby sung on a moonlit night, and her smile—oh, her smile—was a revelation. It wasn’t just a flash of teeth; it was a gesture that dissolved the weight of the world off my shoulders.

As she guided me to my table, there was something almost ethereal about the way she moved, like she was floating rather than walking. And when she set my tray down, I swear, the flicker of her eyes over the perfectly golden-crisp crinkle fries felt like she had personally blessed them.

Her timing was impeccable. Just as I took my first sip of their creamy, dreamlike root beer float, Sylvia‘s appeared with an extra napkin I didn’t even realize I needed. “Thought this might come in handy,” she said softly, her tone as serene as a still lake at dawn. The simple gesture felt… intimate, like she could see through the chaos of my day and was determined to soothe it with napkins and kindness.

As the meal unfolded, Sylvia stopped by periodically—not in that intrusive, scripted way servers sometimes do, but with a genuine curiosity, like she truly cared about my experience. When I asked her how the custard flavors were selected each day, her eyes lit up with enthusiasm, and she launched into a passionate explanation that could have made a documentary filmmaker jealous. It was as if she had been waiting her entire life to share this hidden wisdom about frozen custard with the world, and I was the lucky recipient.

And then came the pièce de résistance: as I prepared to leave, she handed me a perfectly packed box of custard to-go, but not before she’d drawn a tiny smiley face on the lid with a note that read, “Hope today was sweet, just like you.” Sweet like me? Sylvia‘s, please. You are the reason the day turned sublime.

I left Culver’s not just full but somehow… lighter. The world outside felt a little brighter, the air smelled a little sweeter, and I found myself inexplicably believing in the goodness of people all over again. Sylvia’s wasn’t just a server—she was an architect of joy, a guardian of serenity, and the reason why I’ll now forever associate Culver’s with a kind of soulful transcendence.

Would I return? Yes. But not for the butter burgers or the custard—though both are undeniably divine. I’ll return for Sylvia’s, the patron saint of service, whose overwhelming presence turned a casual meal into a juicy slice of serenity I’ll...

Hands down, my favorite fast food restaurant in our area. The service is always quick when we're there. The food is hot, fresh and the seasonings used are spot on and never heavy-handed. The fries are hot, crisp and well salted. I only wish they were shoestrings. When crinkles lose their heat, they also lose their crispness and turn soggy in a hurry. I really enjoy the burgers and can't really pick them apart by any means. Lets face it...they're hot, fresh, well-seasoned, the toppings are fresher than you'd expect and almost always the burgers are assembled to be as aesthetically pleasing as depicted in the advertisements... and that* in itself is a fairytale come true. I mean, that kind of thing never happens at fast food places. I feel like with Culvers' burgers, they'd throw endless shame on most in a blind taste test. Heck, even the onions will kick your face with flavor. The dinners are surprisingly better than what you're assuming will arrive at your table. The fried chicken is better than You Know Who's and I'm glad Culvers doesn't really advertise it much...its a dang good secret to have lying around. But hey...now you know and its not so much a secret. It, well...is secretly amazing. I'll leave it like that. Skip the pork tenderloin sandwich. They desperately need to revamp the approach to marketing that item. The custard...ahh the custard. If a customer service rep came up to me and said "pick a flavor, any flavor"...i'd just tell them to bring me out whatever floats their boat. I don't really know how to put it except for that they're all very,...

This review is for Canadians who have never tried Culver's. I have only been for 1 proper visit, but I thought it was excellent.

First, the fried cheese curds are awesome. The cheese has more structure than a fried Mozza stick, and the breading sticks to the cheese nicely. Very tasty, and worth hitting the drive-thru just for these.

The Butterburger with cheese was also excellent. I got it with "the works" (ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions, might be missing something) which I thought was perfect. Might add fried onions next time. The patty is well seasoned and tastes possibly like a Salisbury House patty. Overall, the burger tasted like what a McDonald's McDouble should be. Well worth trying.

The frozen custard is also delicious. It tastes more dense and rich than any other fast food soft serve I've had. We got a free custard after filling out a 3 minute online survey on the bill from cheese curds. Makes it worthwhile to plan to hit Culver's twice in a trip. The cement mixers (same as a DQ blizzard from what I could tell) are very popular and there is a special flavour of the day everyday. We tried the plain vanilla, just to understand what the "custard" was all about, and we are glad to have started there.

Definitely...