Frozen custard and butter burger fanatics are rejoicing after the Plant City EDC announced Culver’s was eyeing Plant City as its new home.
Brandi Alanis has been traveling to Tampa and Zephyrhills to enjoy the unique menu found at Culver’s. She first tasted the butter burger approximately eight years ago while visiting a friend in Wisconsin.
“Their frozen custard is to die for, their cheese curds are delightful and they have mouth-watering butter burgers,” Alanis said. “I know there are some Culver’s now popping up in Florida, but this one will literally be only five minutes from me, rather than having to travel out of town or county to make it to the closest Culver’s.”
On Oct. 18 the EDC said it had been working closely with Culver Franchising System, Inc. to
explore Plant City as the new location for the burger chain. The company purchased the vacant site at 2102 N. Park Road, near I-4 and across from the Holiday Inn Express.
“The Plant City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is supporting the Culver’s project because we feel additional new dining and shopping options are critical to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life for our residents,” Jake Austin, president of the Plant City EDC, said in a news release. “The proposed location for the Plant City Culver’s is of particular interest due to surrounding major employers.”
The Holiday Inn Express, Linder Industrial Machinery, Stingray Chevrolet and the new Wish Farms Headquarters are all nearby and offer the potential of hundreds of employees to be regular lunch-time customers.
The site plan for the restaurant is being reviewed by city officials and the estimated grand opening could be as early as the end of the summer of 2019. The proposed development will be for a 5,500 square foot restaurant and drive-thru. The conceptual site plan has 86 parking spots at the site.
The location is part of the Strawberry Park Community Unit District. There was an existing structure at the lot that experienced a fire and it was recently demolished.
The EDC said they anticipate partnering the restaurant with local high schools and the Career Academy, which connects students to local career opportunities.
Austin said Culver’s has been eyeing Plant City for years due to the projected growth in the region as well as the appeal of easy Interstate-4 access. Following the announcement, local residents began voicing their support of the proposed location.
The cleanliness of the restaurants, as well as the unique menu, have always been a draw for Linda Crossan. When she found out one was considering coming to town she immediately began reaching out to share the news with her family and friends.
She said she goes to Zephyrhills and Brandon to enjoy the mushroom and swiss butter burger and the legendary cheese curds.
“I haven’t had anything there that I can get somewhere else,” Crossan said. “It’s a non-fast food, fast food place.”
Some may pause at the slightly elevated cost of the items on the Culver’s menu. On review sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp there are several posts that refer to meals as “high-priced fast food.”
Individual burgers range from approximately $3 to $7 and it is normally a $3 or $4 addition to make it a value basket with a side and drink.
The legendary frozen custards are approximately $2 to $4 and shakes, mixers, sundaes and malts range from approximately $2.60 to $5.30 depending on the number of scoops. Crossan said without hesitation the quality of the food is worth the cost.
“I think once they’ve tasted it, everybody else is going to have some real competition,” Crossan said. “It may take running some specials and that kind of stuff when they first open to get people to try it for the first time because of the price, but once they try it they’ll be done with it. They’ll love it.”