A familiar face will be bringing a Culver’s restaurant to a golf-cart accessible location in The Villages.
Shad Finley, well known in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown for his years of community outreach while working for The Villages Insurance, will be the owner-operator of the new Culver’s.
The exciting news is that the restaurant will be located at Southern Trace Plaza which means it will be accessible by golf cart.
A location had originally been planned for Trailwinds Plaza on County Road 466A in Wildwood, but the possibility opened up at 3390 Wedgewood Lane and Finley snatched it. The building has been home to The Glitz home decor.
Midwesterners already are familiar with the popular family-friendly chain.
In 1984, Craig Culver and his family opened the first Culver’s restaurant in Sauk City, Wis., serving their signature ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard to friends and neighbors with genuine, from-the-heart hospitality. Their sole financial goal was to support their growing family.
Since then, along with owner-operators who share the same uncompromising standards they’ve held from day one, Culver’s has grown to more than 625 restaurants in 24 states.
Finley has been in Wisconsin, undergoing several weeks of Culver’s intensive training.
He said that the values of Culver’s really mirror those of The Villages.
“The hand shake of the host determines the taste of the roast,” said Finley, quoting a well-known standard passed down through the years in The Villages.
The new Culver’s should be opening early next year. It will likely employ 80 team members, Finley said.
He also hinted that a second Culver’s could be opening locally.