X-Chow: Culver's Grilled Chicken Sandwich
My apologies to Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, the hosts of G4TechTV's "X-Play", in advance.
Today, I was driving back from an interview from a job I would like to have not so much because I want the job, but because I need to keep from becoming a pathetic government leech. I passed many familiar fast food restaurants I knew, and in some cases, tolerated: Wendy's, KFC, Rally's (or Checker's, for those of you not in Indiana or Ohio), and even White Castle. I decided, however, to stop at a place that's rather new to this area, Culver's.
Culver's started in Wisconsin, serving its famous ButterBurgers and frozen custard to many a hungry northern Midwestern patron. Eventually, the restuarant spread, and currently has locations in every Midwestern state, as well as some seemingly random places like McKinney, Texas and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Now, if you haven't heard of Culver's, you might be wondering: What the hell is a ButterBurger? Well, a ButterBurger is a burger served on buns that are buttered and toasted. You've probably done that at home. I'm not knocking it, though, toasted buns do rule. But if you weren't thinking about it, what would you think a ButterBurger was?
Anyway, everyone I've talked to who's been to Culver's loved it. Of course, as I've said, they're famous for frozen custard and burgers, but as I'm lactose intolerant and can have only slightly more beef in my diet than a Hare Krishna, neither of those was going to happen. So, I had to choose between what have been my fast food choices for the past seven years: chicken and fish.
The Culver's I went to in Michigan City, Indiana was surprisingly clean and bright. There was a worker there whose whole job, at least while I was there, was to keep the dining area clean. Nice touch. It gave the impression that Culver's was a bit of an upscale fast food restaurant, but upscale in fast food is like comparing Red Roof Inn to Motel 6.
As I entered the ordering line, I was wavering between the walleye sandwich that the outdoor marquee was touting and the chicken filet sandwich I knew they had from visiting their website, and saw, to my horror, the chicken with fries and a drink was $5.79. Bad, but the walleye combo was $6.99. $6.99! As I wasn't up for paying seven dollars for fish at a fast-food restaurant, no matter how fancy it was, I opted for the chicken sandwich. The cashier explained to me the sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I guessed as much from the picture, but it was nice to be assured.
You do not get your food right away at Culver's, but that's good. That means that the food is made when you order it. I was given an order tag to place on my table, and in about seven minutes -- a reasonable amount of time -- my food was on my table. I looked at my order and was immediately disappointed. The fries I received were in a bag most other fast-food joints would call "small". I have had bigger pieces of chicken on almost every chicken sandwich I've eaten not from a dollar menu. Not only that, there was little lettuce or mayo and just one tomato on my sandwich. Cheap bastards.
I saw pumps of Heinz Ketchup as I filled my drink at the fountain, and, after tasting my fries, I wish I had gotten some, as some of the fries were dry and others were soggy, and none were very good. And as with most fast food restaurants where chicken is not their main food, the sandwich, to be diplomatic, was not very good. It was dry and the lack of vegetables and condiments didn't help. God, I miss Chick-Fil-A.
Taking everything into account, eating at Culver's was a mediocre experience, and that's about all you can expect at almost any fast-food restaurant. But if I can get the same amount of food cheaper or more food for the same amount of money, why wouldn't I go somewhere else?
A three out of five.
Today, I was driving back from an interview from a job I would like to have not so much because I want the job, but because I need to keep from becoming a pathetic government leech. I passed many familiar fast food restaurants I knew, and in some cases, tolerated: Wendy's, KFC, Rally's (or Checker's, for those of you not in Indiana or Ohio), and even White Castle. I decided, however, to stop at a place that's rather new to this area, Culver's.
Culver's started in Wisconsin, serving its famous ButterBurgers and frozen custard to many a hungry northern Midwestern patron. Eventually, the restuarant spread, and currently has locations in every Midwestern state, as well as some seemingly random places like McKinney, Texas and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Now, if you haven't heard of Culver's, you might be wondering: What the hell is a ButterBurger? Well, a ButterBurger is a burger served on buns that are buttered and toasted. You've probably done that at home. I'm not knocking it, though, toasted buns do rule. But if you weren't thinking about it, what would you think a ButterBurger was?
Anyway, everyone I've talked to who's been to Culver's loved it. Of course, as I've said, they're famous for frozen custard and burgers, but as I'm lactose intolerant and can have only slightly more beef in my diet than a Hare Krishna, neither of those was going to happen. So, I had to choose between what have been my fast food choices for the past seven years: chicken and fish.
The Culver's I went to in Michigan City, Indiana was surprisingly clean and bright. There was a worker there whose whole job, at least while I was there, was to keep the dining area clean. Nice touch. It gave the impression that Culver's was a bit of an upscale fast food restaurant, but upscale in fast food is like comparing Red Roof Inn to Motel 6.
As I entered the ordering line, I was wavering between the walleye sandwich that the outdoor marquee was touting and the chicken filet sandwich I knew they had from visiting their website, and saw, to my horror, the chicken with fries and a drink was $5.79. Bad, but the walleye combo was $6.99. $6.99! As I wasn't up for paying seven dollars for fish at a fast-food restaurant, no matter how fancy it was, I opted for the chicken sandwich. The cashier explained to me the sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I guessed as much from the picture, but it was nice to be assured.
You do not get your food right away at Culver's, but that's good. That means that the food is made when you order it. I was given an order tag to place on my table, and in about seven minutes -- a reasonable amount of time -- my food was on my table. I looked at my order and was immediately disappointed. The fries I received were in a bag most other fast-food joints would call "small". I have had bigger pieces of chicken on almost every chicken sandwich I've eaten not from a dollar menu. Not only that, there was little lettuce or mayo and just one tomato on my sandwich. Cheap bastards.
I saw pumps of Heinz Ketchup as I filled my drink at the fountain, and, after tasting my fries, I wish I had gotten some, as some of the fries were dry and others were soggy, and none were very good. And as with most fast food restaurants where chicken is not their main food, the sandwich, to be diplomatic, was not very good. It was dry and the lack of vegetables and condiments didn't help. God, I miss Chick-Fil-A.
Taking everything into account, eating at Culver's was a mediocre experience, and that's about all you can expect at almost any fast-food restaurant. But if I can get the same amount of food cheaper or more food for the same amount of money, why wouldn't I go somewhere else?
A three out of five.