Culver’s — Restaurant in Hastings

Ah, Culver’s — the holy land of butterburgers, crinkle-cut fries, and custard that makes your arteries cry and your soul sing. I love Culver’s. Truly. Most locations are little havens of Midwest hospitality and glorious grease. But this particular one? A plot twist I did not see coming.

Ordered my go-to (because I'm a creature of delightful habit), food arrived hot and tasty. Sat down, living my best unhealthy lunch life. I got up for just a moment to grab napkins and ketchup - you know, essentials - and when I came back… surprise! An employee had taken my seat and was happily munching away at his own lunch. My tray? Gone. My food? Vanished. My dignity? Also slightly misplaced.

The best part? No one blinked. The kid now guarding my table looked unbothered. Staff at the counter were like, “Oops! So sorry about that!” And that was it. No replacement meal, no solution, just a general vibe of ¯(ツ)/¯.

So yeah, the burgers are still solid, but here's my tip: eat fast, run faster, and maybe wear your meal like a Wisconsin cheesehead so they don’t throw it out when you...

I haven't done a review until now because I was hoping over time, things would improve. I know other locations don't have the same issues due to folks sharing their experiences, so it hurts that ours in Hastings is so troubling. We've had something wrong with order the last 4 times in a row, ordering for 2 or 3 people. When the food is made as ordered, it's great! But that's the catch. We've had issues with our orders being made right, and I would guess at least 75% of the time, if not more, they aren't. Salads, sides, and mixers or malts are always correct. However, the burgers are the biggest issue. I don't want vouchers for free food, and I don't need an apology. Please, grill team at the Hastings Culver's, work on getting your burgers right. If we had more options in town, if your food wasn't good, I and others would go elsewhere. But the food is good when it's made as ordered. I'd love to write a fantastic review, but when it doesn't seem like folks care about their job or their work quality, it shows. Please work on...

The quality of the Hastings Culver's has really gone down hill...

My last 4 recent visits there have all been consistently disappointing. During each visit, all the food has been served luke-warm, at best. The burgers were overdone and tough. (Not even warm enough for the cheese to melt.) The bun was dry. Cheese curds and fries were near cold and tasted odd, as if prepared in dirty fry oil. Even the water from the fountain had an unpleasant taste (undrinkable). Food took a long to time to be served after ordering and the order was wrong.

From each of my visits, it appears the place is staffed by only teenagers with apparently no adult management on site.

My impression is that this Culver's is very poorly run and judging by the quality of the food, cleanliness may not be up to standard.

It's a shame, since this Culver's used to be consistently good several years ago. What happened? New ownership I wonder. If so, here's my advice to the owner...hire an adult manager.

Nevertheless, I will...