Culver’s — Restaurant in Indian Trail

I dont eat fast food often but when I do if there is a culvers around that is my go to. I saw this one had finally opened and stopped by after running to publix. I went through the drive though. Service was fast and friendly. I ordered a cheeseburger and it was PERFECT. Nice toasted bun, juicy burger, good amount of toppings (not too much that it over takes the burger, not too little where you're like...wait did they even put mayo on here?) so my first trip to this store was great. After having such a wonderful burger, that is all I thought of for the next few days. Yesterday I was out that way again. It was after 4 and I hadn't eaten all day so I thought I deserved to treat myself. This time I went inside. Very clean. Lots of happy excited workers. This time i changed it up and ordered a double cheeseburger. I ended up being really disappointed. The patties were pressed down so thin, it was like they tried to get them to cook faster so just smashed it down to get to to hurry up and cook. So not only were they super thin (I had to check and see if there were actually 2 patties on it because it seemed really small.) They were black on the outside and SUPER salty. My first bite I wished I had a water with me because it was just so so salty. I took a couple more bites (I was so hungry) but every bite was just overwhelmingly salty. So I guess right now it's hit or miss there. It is new and I know it takes time for everyone to learn and mistakes will be made. It's also mainly young kids working, probably their first job, so they are probably overwhelmed with the amount of people coming through there right now. I'd go back but not for a while. I know I wont be craving it any time soon after that last burger. Also, this had nothing to do with my 3 stars, this is just a public service announcement: the reason I went in the second time was because the car 2 cars in front of me in the drive through was taking FOREVER to order! Like she was ordering when I pulled up. I waited 3 minutes and she was still asking 1000 questions. How could you even have so many questions? The drive thru is for people in a hurry that know what they want, or at least have a good idea. It isnt there for you to sit for a half an hour looking over the menu and asking 5 questions about each item. She was like what ice cream do you have? Ok what about toppings? Ok what about what can I get in the blizzards? Ok now how about what goes in a milkshake and what flavors for that? Like are you serious!?!? Go inside!!! Yes I'm talking to you, woman in the black SUV. Anyway I went inside, ordered (there was 1 person in front of me) waited for my food, got my food and while I was walking to my car that woman was just finally pulling up to wait for her order. Not ok. Shows a lack of concern for everyone else's time. So yeah, if you are going to take 20 minutes to order go inside so you arent holding up...

Under new ownership with a major focus on CUSTOMER SERVICE. The food here was always pretty solid but I was definitely relieved to see the new ownership sign because previously it had seemed like it was slipping a little bit. Tonight we ate here for the first time in a while and I had gotten the food home and realized my gluten free burger wasn’t quite right- it was missing all the toppings! So, I called, cringing at myself for being the Karen tonight, but let me tell you what, Ms AVERI took AMAZING care of me and even offered to remake the entire meal if I needed her to- I didn’t, I really just was craving a big sloppy burger with all the toppings including their awesome mushrooms- but she said come on back and it’s waiting on you- and she even called back to let me know it was ready! She threw in a fresh order of onion rings for me too since she anticipated correctly that my first order would be cold by the time I returned. What an absolutely stellar customer service experience this was tonight. Also, that re-made burger Ms Averi made for me? It was the best burger I’ve had yet since I first tried a Culver’s burger. I noticed a number of other details while I was there that indicated to me that there is a major emphasis on getting things right. Also, tonight my husband tried two of the more unusual menu items that some of you may be curious about: the pot roast sandwich and the mashed potatoes with gravy. First of all, the pot roast sandwich, while I didn’t try the whole thing, I did sample the meat and it was surprisingly good, like a lot better than I expected for something that came from a drive through! Also you apparently have a choice between chicken or beef gravy on their menu. The mashed potatoes and gravy were good and less salty than expected. Our question was, “are they going to be good-bad like KFC mashed potatoes and gravy, or just bad?” Put it this way,, next time I am ordering mashed potatoes and gravy with pot roast and broccoli, even though I love the fact that Culver’s is one of the only places I can get a good quality drive through burger with a gluten free bun. Anyway, thank you so much to Averi and the crew here for really providing me with excellent customer service and a truly satisfying burger. Note to the owner: Averi is a gem. Give her a raise and promote her if you haven’t already. We’re coming back more often now...

Culver's is a good franchise, but we need to have a serious discussion about their current issues at this location! Food was good however! Here are some adjustment ideas and problems that should be addressed/modified ASAP.

1.) Order had to be repeated(2x at least) and was asked to wait 2x for some unknown reason before ordering. I certainly can understand if youre busy, but please, state: "We'll be right with you in x minutes" for a good estimation of a full waiting time rather then an inaccurate time expectation.

2.) Tell your customers to pull in the parking lot instead of just driving ahead slightly ahead of the fast food window. We had a line that was so unorganized due to positioning that one customer went inside while parked to get clarity of the situation! Also as a result, this system blocks incoming new customers from ordering because you have a line of previously ordered customers! Not to mention the difficulty getting out of the line present. This is not good for business. Take a look at how others (i.e Chick-fil-A, Wendys, etc.) are handling their customers and try to come up with a similar system.

3.) Please ensure that you have all the items you need in the bag before handing it off to the customer. I had a soda without a straw, no napkins, and no condiments. The option for a cheese dip with the fries would be attractive to customers if mentioned as an order option as advertised on the fries holder received. You're losing revenue as a result of omission!

Culver's is in trouble here in Monroe/IT. They have competitors like Taco Bell and Wendy's that are nearby. If something isn't done fast, more people will opt to go to other places to grab a meal quickly if these issues are not resolved. They can survive, but they'll need to act NOW.

Give them a try and train them in the way that is sufficient for the people with respect to their own...