Culver's to open on Primrose

Frozen custard and burgers with buttered buns is what Ed Strauch plans to peddle this summer.

Strauch will open Culver's Frozen Custard and Butter Burgers at 1815 E. Primrose in June, he said. The restaurant is a franchise of a Wisconsin-based chain, and the Springfield store will be the first in Missouri. Strauch and his wife, Debra, will own the store. A Wisconsin native himself, Strauch left his floor-covering business in Milton, Wis., to start up a restaurant in Springfield.

"My wife and I got out an atlas, and I remembered Springfield from trips my family and I used to make to Ft. Smith, Ark., to visit relatives," Strauch said. The couple liked the sound of the city's name, the size.

"It's not too big we didn't want anything too big but it's large enough to have a strong customer base for us," Strauch said.

Culver's stores are primarily in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, Strauch said. The franchise is based in Wisconsin and was founded in 1984 by Craig Culver, who still heads the company. Three Culver's stores are company-owned; the remaining 90 restaurants are franchises, Strauch said.

The restaurant business is a departure from floor covering, Strauch said, but he was ready for something different. His family frequently ate at the Culver's near their home while they still lived in Wisconsin, and Strauch decided to open one of his own.

The restaurant will seat 98 in 4,221 square feet. The project has had several starts and stops, but Strauch said they are now ready to move forward.

"We're committed to getting open by June 1," Strauch said.

The site on Primrose is ideal, Strauch said, because of its proximity to the Medical Mile and retail centers.

"When I saw all the activity going on in that area, I bought it right away," Strauch said.

Culver's is a quick-service restaurant, offering burgers, salads and sandwiches in addition to its frozen custard products.

Strauch said he was glad to see other frozen-custard stores in town, reassuring him that the market is familiar with Culver's product.

"I'm just happy that people are familiar with frozen custard around here. We didn't even know whether there was frozen custard in Springfield before we got started with this restaurant," Strauch said.

The restaurant will employ about 65 people.

"We have a pretty labor-intensive operation. Everything we make is cooked to order; we don't have any mass production," Strauch said.

Culver's overall had a 12 percent increase in sales last year, Strauch said.

The Strauches expect this store to be successful, and they hope to open another Culver's in Springfield once the first is established, Strauch said.

Strauch added that he hopes to break ground for the restaurant during February. The architect for the project is Slone Architects and the general contractor is Bell Building Systems.

Strauch said he also expects to begin hiring this month.