9
FRANCHISE
Culver’s — — STARTED FRANCHISING
you might think that Culver’s primary products are frozen custard and burgers. But internally, the company lays out a more ambitious mission: It’s in the business of making happy customers. And business is good. In a recent consumerexperience poll conducted by Market Force Information, Culver’s desserts ranked higher than better-known rivals like Cold Stone Creamery, Baskin-Robbins, and Dairy Queen. In fact, among burger chains, Culver’s FROM THE OUTSIDE,
1988
TOTAL UNITS
715
COST TO OPEN
landed among the top four in eight categories. Reviews like that don’t arrive by chance. They’re the result of honest reflection and a relentless drive toward improvement. “I see so many areas of our business that we can get even better at,” says Joe Koss, the company’s president and CEO. “We have an engaged group of franchisees who never settle for the status quo, and we [in the corporate office] have the same mentality at our support center.”
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$1.97M–$4.7M
The company culture begins at Culver’s ButterBurger University in Wisconsin, where training goes far beyond POS systems and brand messaging. During an intensive 16-week program, all new franchisees will scrub floors and pick up garbage in the parking lot. The point is that nobody is above dirty work— not even the bosses. In the business of making happy customers, there’s no such thing as a job too small. That message travels
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