Culvers Restaurant in Rice Lake, Wisconsin: A Review

After a terribly long and grueling day that began at 4am fighting the crowds and the traffic on what is known as "Black Friday" in the world of retail shopping, all I really wanted was to relax with a good meal in a comfortable setting and enjoy the company of my wife and children. After engaging in quite the hearty debate over where exactly to enjoy our dinner, the choice turned out to be located at 2250 South Main St. in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. We were in the mood to enjoy some famous butter burgers and Culvers was about to fend off our growling stomachs.

We parked and headed into the store at 3:21pm on November the 23rd. We walked up to the counter expecting a short wait in line. By 3:25pm we were placing our order and paying for said order. We poured some drinks from the soda machine and glanced around for a suitable booth. We got settled in and began some random chit chat until 3:30pm when our order was brought to our table by one of the kindly servers.

I was very impressed with this store the moment we walked into it. Several employees waved and verbalized enthusiastic hellos and how are yous. The cashier that we dealt with could not have been nicer or more sincere. It may sound odd, but she made me feel as if she truly, personally cared about my order and making sure it was all correct. The ordering process was very simple and smooth and although I freely admit that most times I sound like a blabbering fool when attempting to place an order, this cashier simply sent a smile in my direction and patiently placed my order. As a matter of fact, looking around me, all of the employees seemed to be carrying around wide smiles. It was refreshing as a customer to see everyone around me seem so happy. It actually did improve my mood (which was pretty good to begin with!) and it really added to my overall enjoyment.

The look of the store was very clean and very classic. A nice amount of window space was available to let in just enough sunshine to pleasantly brighten up the atmosphere. The tables and booths were clean and the drinks station was well maintained and stocked. Overall the feel of the store just worked. The dining room was large enough to suit quite a crowd and the table sizes were varied enough to fit nearly any group large or small.

My order consisted of a double bacon deluxe which held 2 "fresh, never frozen" beef patties, 2 slices of American cheese, 2 slices of bacon, leafy green lettuce, mayonnaise, pickles, onions, and tomatoes between 2 lightly toasted, gently buttered buns and a side of fries. Also, I ordered some chili and asked that it be placed into one of Culvers famous "bread bowls", which is simply a loaf of round bread hollowed out to take on the shape and form of a bowl.

Looking at my burger, I fully expected it to slop all over the place and create one heck of a gigantic, slimy mess of myself and most things around me. It certainly did not look disgusting by any means, but the buttered buns looked as if they could burst at any moment due to the sheer mass of what was placed between them. I wrapped my hands around the burger and prayed for a miracle. As I lifted it towards my mouth and took the initial bite I was quite pleasantly surprised at the fact that nothing was running. My hands were clean and my face was covered in nothing but a smile. The quantity of each burger topping fit well in perspective to how large the actual item was. There was not 4 pounds of mayonnaise slopped everywhere as is sometimes the case with restaurant burgers, and the vegetables were a very nice compliment to the taste of the meat. I am not sure if it is the "fresh, never frozen" aspect that makes this so, but the flavor of the meat was spectacular. That distinct beef taste was complimented by just a hint of saltiness and the texture of the meat was really something that made me want to keep taking bite after bite.

The french fries seemed very fresh and their temperature was very pleasing to my pallet. Culvers serves the crinkle cut fries, which are surely not my personal favorite, but these were quite good. I would have liked the breading to be a little crisper, but setting aside my personal issues, the french fries were above average compared to what they certainly could have been.

Each time I go to a Culvers store, I order a bread bowl of chili. It is surely my favorite item on the menu. The round bread loaf is "cored" and filled withchili and the remaining "cork" is set to the side for apparent dipping purposes. The thick cork of the bread, when dipped, is built perfectly to soak up and absorb the flavors and tastes of the chili. Normally, I love this item, but this time something was off. I placed a spoon into the bread bowl and retrieved a scoop of chili. I assumed it to be warm, so I blew lightly on the bite I was about to consume. I took the bite of chili and as it slid down my throat my first reaction was to scream at the top of my lungs. This chili was so extremely hot (in temperature, not in spice) that it felt as if it could honest to goodness burn a hole right through my throat. That first bite caused me enough pain to nearly give up on the entire deal. After going back to other portions of my meal and leaving the chili alone to sit and cool for about 5-10 minutes, I went back to attempt another bite. Still, it was to hot to enjoy. Finally, 15 minutes later, after my family was already finished with their meal and had moved onto some ice cream, I was able to eat my chili. It was good, but my mind was still focused on the mild trauma I had originally experienced with the chili and so I believe that fact kind of soured me on the overall enjoyment of it. Do not get me wrong, I do want my chili to be hot, but I do NOT want it to threaten to scar me for life with each bite.

My last stop before making a swift exit was the men's room. Looking around it, i noticed very little to complain about. There was a baby changing station inside the stall which as a father is very refreshing. This practice is becoming commonplace nowadays, but it still has not been universally adopted. Also, there was a needle disposal unit in that same stall, which, for diabetes sufferers who may need an insulin shot at a moments notice, is a very nice touch. There was some grime at the top of theurinal and the walls were streaked with some sort of mess in certain places, but, all in all, all seemed well.

I was quite pleased with my time at Culvers this day. Not much could have gone better and I will definitely return sooner rather than later. The staff was amazing. The food was delicious. The atmosphere is mood improving. A great experience is what you will surely find in the Culvers of Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

Now that I have let you just exactly how I felt about my time spent, I shall move on to the number crunching portion of this little adventure. As is customary with me, my ratings will be based on a 5 straw system. The break down is as follows:

5 straws: Excellent
4 straws: Good
3 straws: Average
2 straws: Needs Improvement
1 straw: Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here

OK, now on to the ratings

Atmosphere: 4 straws

Store Cleanliness: 4 straws

Customer Service: 5 straws

Quality of food: 3.5 straws

Bathroom: 3.5 straws

Now, what I like to do is figure an average of all the above score ad label it as that stores overall average. I simply add the total scores from above (20) and divide by the number of aspects scored (5)

This store receives an overall score of 4 straws out of a possible 5