Culver’s — Restaurant in Jacksonville

First time and last time. I arrived and signs, encouraging, mobile ordering, so I ordered on mobile, expecting a breezy experience.

After a long day of moving we came hungry and ready to eat and ordered nearly $30 worth of food (minus a 25% off coupon in the app). Ordering in the app and being pleasantly surprised by the coupon was nice. Upon walking in, was nicely greeted and was looking forward to a great meal. After finding a seat we walked up to the counter and let the agent know we had placed a mobile order but we’d like to dine-in. She asked my name and then after consulting with a shift leader let me know that they could only give me my food as a to go. So I’m thinking, that’s fine, when it comes forward a few moments later, it’s too much for my 4-year old son and I and to carry to our table so I ask for a tray which I was graciously given. And I had my son help me carry our things back to the table while the overstaffed counter staff watched.

But when you’re sitting there watching others get their food brought to them it created an extra sting on the situation of cold, burnt, ‘un-drinkable’ food. This double burger, completely cold. The chicken tenders nasty (choose Zaxbys or Chik-fil-a). The crinkle fries where half were burnt and old. And a smoothie that you can’t drink because there’s chunks of fruit in it…. And also apparently can’t be blended any further. So I bring the smoothie up first because I didn’t want a refund just to to blend it more and I get a whole explanation but it was clear from that moment that my concern was more of a nuisance to the counter staff than a genuine concern for them. So I dropped it and headed online the mobile app to start looking for a refund method as that was sort of my done point.

Find I should direct it to the store so I call, ask for the manager, which the man who answered says is him. I tell him and I get more of the explanation but no apology or concern of course. He tells me I would need to bring it back in to which I say I’m still on premise and will bring it up.

We get up there, counter agent takes my concern, gets shift leader who also assesses my concern. Both very careful to not apologize or show any concern over the issue. The shift leader didn’t even acknowledge my existence except to say something along the lines of ‘one moment,’ when they went to get the manager.

The manager comes out and expresses concern that I didn’t say anything about the other food when I brought my smoothie up. Confirming she does know how to express concern… I tell her my experience was bad pretty much from the start which she sort of brushes off but certainly doesn’t ask me what happened or anything like that. Although, at the very end she did refund me the uneaten burger and smoothie, and gave me an “I apologize about that.”

So, there you go. That is why I won’t be back to this...

I’m giving a one-star rating this time due to a disappointing experience with the food quality and customer service, which is not what I’ve come to expect from this restaurant.

To begin with, the burger I received was noticeably bland and lacked the signature seasoning that usually defines the dish. It tasted under-seasoned, almost like it was missing its character entirely. As someone who is very attentive to flavors and consistent quality, I could immediately tell that something was off. It felt as if the essence of the burger had changed, and unfortunately not for the better.

When I brought this to the attention of the manager — a Caucasian male with shoulder-length hair — I was met with a response that felt dismissive and defensive. His repeated “OK, OK, OK” without further engagement gave the impression that he wasn’t open to customer feedback, which was disappointing. Constructive communication is key in hospitality, and I would’ve appreciated a more receptive and solution-oriented approach.

Additionally, when I requested a refund, it appeared he didn’t know how to process it through the card system. This suggested to me that he may be new to the role, which is understandable, but it also highlighted a potential lack of training or oversight.

More importantly, there seemed to be little attention being paid to kitchen operations, which may have contributed to the drop in food quality. I truly value this restaurant and hope that this feedback is taken in the spirit of improvement. It’s a great establishment with strong potential, and I would hate to see it decline due to lapses in quality control or management preparedness.

I hope this review encourages the team to reinforce training, maintain kitchen standards, and improve customer service...

I have heard about Culver's from the gentleman I care for and his sister in-law lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and they have Culver's locations in Michigan and Wisconsin and she frequents the location in Escanaba, Michigan and she has told us about some of the menu items they offer and it just makes my mouth water and if one ever came down here to Jacksonville, I would love to go there and get some frozen custard and some fried cheese curds and a butter burger. About a year ago I read that one was actually coming to Jacksonville Florida near me and about 3 weeks ago it finally opened and I went for lunch after church and it is a really beautiful location and driving up to it, I saw the Culver's sign and got excited. I ordered the cod sandwich and fries and got the frozen custard flavor of the day which was chocolate caramel pecan and my meal was awesome! It is located on Monument Rd behind CarSpa. We were welcomed as we came inside and our food was brought to us and the manager came to ask us how our food was and I told her it was so good and ithad been at least 20 years since I've had frozen custard and told her I would be back again. They have burgers and seafood and salads and have hand packed frozen custard pints to take home. If you go in the drive thru, when your food is ready, a Culver's associate will bring it out to your car. It is really beautiful. There is a location in Jacksonville at the Town Center and in Middleburg Florida and one is planned for St. John's...