Craig C. Culver

Background

Craig C. Culver was born on June 15, 1950, in Neenah, Wisconsin, to George and Ruth Culver. His family became involved in the restaurant business when his parents purchased an A&W restaurant in Sauk City in 1961. They later operated the Farm Kitchen resort near Baraboo, where Culver worked during college breaks and summers.

Culver graduated from Sauk Prairie High School in 1968. His upbringing combined Wisconsin food-service entrepreneurship with the family’s connections to farming, local business, and community life. The family later reacquired the Sauk City property that had housed their earlier restaurant, creating the setting for the first Culver’s.

Education

Culver graduated from Sauk Prairie High School in 1968 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh in 1973. The university, established as a teachers college in 1871 and later incorporated into the University of Wisconsin System, developed into a comprehensive public institution serving northeastern Wisconsin.

Although his degree was in biology, Culver returned to the restaurant industry after graduation. His education provided a scientific background, while work in restaurant operations and family businesses shaped the entrepreneurial career that followed.

Career

After graduating from college, Culver worked for McDonald’s Corporation and gained experience in restaurant management. McDonald’s was expanding its standardized quick-service restaurant model during the 1970s, providing a significant commercial setting for Culver’s early operational experience.

In 1984, Craig and Lea Culver, together with George and Ruth Culver, opened the first Culver’s restaurant in Sauk City, Wisconsin. The family introduced a menu centered on ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard, drawing on Wisconsin’s dairy and supper-club traditions. The first franchise location opened in Baraboo in 1990, after which the business expanded through franchising.

Culver became a co-founder, president, chief executive officer, chairman, owner, and operator of Culver Franchising System. He served as chief executive officer until 2015 and later continued as chairman of the board and a public representative of the brand. Culver’s grew from a family restaurant into a large multi-state franchise system while retaining an emphasis on hospitality, locally connected ownership, and Wisconsin food traditions.

Culver also served as a director of the Bank of Prairie du Sac and American Family Insurance Group from 2007. The bank was a community financial institution serving the Sauk Prairie area, while American Family Insurance was a major Wisconsin-based insurance organization with operations in property, casualty, and related financial services. In later civic work, Culver served on the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Board of Curators and chaired the society’s Forward! campaign, which supported preservation, collections, facilities, and educational programs.

Achievements

• Culver co-founded the first Culver’s restaurant in 1984 with Lea Culver and George and Ruth Culver, establishing a Wisconsin-based restaurant concept built around ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard.

• Under Culver’s leadership, Culver Franchising System developed from a family restaurant into a large multi-state franchise organization while maintaining a distinctive Wisconsin identity.

• Culver and Lea Culver established scholarship and philanthropic initiatives that supported restaurant employees’ pursuit of higher education and contributed to Wisconsin educational and community institutions.

• Culver chaired the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Forward! campaign, which supported preservation, collections, facilities, and public-history programs.

Views

Culver’s documented business philosophy centers on hospitality, personal responsibility, persistence, and the importance of people in organizational success. He has emphasized that a restaurant’s performance depends not only on its products but also on the character, courtesy, and engagement of the people serving guests.

His public support for Wisconsin historical and educational institutions reflects an expressed belief that local identity, institutional memory, and investment in younger generations contribute to community life.

Membership

Culver participated in the National Restaurant Association and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, professional organizations representing the restaurant and food-service industries. His work with these associations accompanied his leadership of a growing restaurant franchise and connected his business activities with broader industry standards and advocacy.

He also served on the Board of Curators of the Wisconsin Historical Society, whose governing body guides the collection, preservation, and interpretation of Wisconsin’s history. Culver’s service included leadership of the Forward! campaign, a major fundraising effort for the society.

• Member.

  National Restaurant Association , United States

• Member.

  Wisconsin Restaurant Association , United States

• Co-founder and board director; the foundation supports educational opportunities for Culver’s team members.

  Culver's V.I.P. Foundation , United States

  1993

• Served on the Board of Curators and chaired the Forward! campaign.

  Wisconsin Historical Society , United States

  2001 - 2010

Personality

Culver has publicly emphasized kindness, respect, hospitality, persistence, and surrounding a business with capable people of good character. His statements about restaurant leadership stress personal service and treating guests and employees with consideration.

Quotes from others about the person

• Culver has been described by university and business organizations as an entrepreneurial leader who invested time, resources, and organizational support in students, education, Wisconsin institutions, and community programs.

Interests

• Wisconsin history, higher education, entrepreneurship, community philanthropy, and support for agricultural and local-business organizations.

Connections

Culver is the son of George Culver and Ruth Culver, whose restaurant and resort businesses shaped the family’s entry into food service. In 1984, he and Lea Culver joined his parents in opening the first Culver’s restaurant in Sauk City.

Culver married Lea Weiss, with whom he has three daughters: Chelsea, Amanda, and Brittany. The family has also been associated with philanthropic initiatives supporting education, restaurant employees, Wisconsin institutions, and local communities.

Father:

George Culver

Restaurant entrepreneur and father of Craig Culver.

Wife:

Lea Weiss

Restaurant business partner and co-founder of the first Culver’s restaurant.

Daughter:

Amanda Culver

Daughter:

Chelsea Culver

Daughter:

Brittany Culver

References

• Culver’s: Our Story The official history of Culver’s, including the opening of the first restaurant by Craig and Lea Culver and George and Ruth Culver in Sauk City in 1984.
• Culver Receives Entrepreneurship Honor During Spring College of Business Awards University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh account of Culver’s education, entrepreneurial career, Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion, and scholarship support.
  2014
• Craig Culver Hall of Fame Profile Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference profile documenting Culver’s education, restaurant leadership, awards, and support for conference programs.
  2018
• Celebrating 40 Years of Culver’s History Wisconsin Historical Society account of the Culver family’s restaurant history, Craig Culver’s continuing connection with Culver’s, and his support for Wisconsin historical programs.
• Craig Culver Shares His Business Know-How With Next Generation Interview-based account of Culver’s early work, family business background, management transition, and views on people, service, and entrepreneurship.