As a longtime fan of Culver's Restaurants, I've learned what you are supposed to expect on a consistent basis from the chain that began in 1984 in Wisconsin. Culver's exists almost right smack dab on that fine line between "fast food" and "fast casual," an ever so slight but important distinction. The chain has always had a strong devotion to fresh food, quality service, and active ownership. One of the reasons that you tend to get a higher quality of service at Culver's is that owners actually contractually obligated to spend a certain amount of time within the restaurant. As a chain, Culver's does not franchise out to owners who will not be active in their restaurants - this means you don't tend to get long-distance owners or owners who own a bunch of restaurants.
As I drove in to this Culver's, I immediately remembered that they have a rather slight three accessible parking spaces in their lot. While I believe that 56th & Post only has five, it just always seems weird as this is a restaurant that does cater to families and an older crowd. Their prices are just a bit higher than your usual fast-food fare, and that sort of implies a different target audience. I would think the older your target audience, the more you would need to worry about accessibility issues. That said, a couple of spots were open so it wasn't a problem today.
When you go in the door, you have the ordering counter to your right and the dining area to your left along with the beverage area. It was pretty crowded when I arrived, but the crowd moved pretty quickly and a server at the counter greeted me quickly. I went with the chicken tenders & fries along with my usual iced tea. It runs just over $8.00 and you get four decently sized tenders and quality fries. The food today was about as good as usual. It wasn't outstanding, but it was definitely a couple notches above the usual fast food chicken tender.
This particular Culver's gets knocked down for a couple of important reasons, though one of the reasons will come with a disclaimer.
First, while most of the Culver's Restaurants are fairly similar in terms of exterior and interior design there are some differences and some of the locations simply feel a bit "newer" even though most of the Central Indiana locations are fairly close in age. This particular location feels "tighter" in terms of spacing. The beverage area doesn't have as much space between the two counters as does 56th & Post, and while this isn't always an issue it's definitely an issue when you're in a wheelchair and trying to maneuver around without spilling anything or hitting anyone. It's not a huge difference from other locations, but it's just enough for it to be a bit more challenging. The dining room, as well, has a cluttered feeling to it that makes maneuvering in a wheelchair a more challenging endeavor when the place is busy. There's really only a couple of spots in the entire restaurant where you'd have any hope of sitting without the possibility of repeatedly being bumped and where you'd have no problem getting out of the restaurant. As I looked around the restaurant today, which is currently decorated with pictures colored by children, I couldn't help but think it looked cluttered and a bit messy. While the pictures are a nice touch, it really makes the restaurant look even busier. I was also bothered by the fact that the first table I tried to access was dirty, a bit of a rarity at Culver's as someone is consistently working the dining room. So, I had to maneuver my way around to the other side of the restaurant to get to the other table I knew would work. These are basic issues, but they definitely impacted my enjoyment today.
Secondly, I had an unusual encounter with the person working the dining room that put a damper on the dining experience. As I was wheeling around to the second table, already a bit frustrated, I got to the fairly narrow aisle just as she was coming through. I pulled back and waited for her to come through as I've learned these aisles are not made for two and with my spasticity accidentally bumping someone can lead to dropped items.
I sat back and waited for her. She stopped and was clearly waiting for me, but she hadn't moved out of the aisle. I motioned for her to come through. She waited more, then said "come on," but again didn't move. This went on four exchanges before I said in a not so friendly tone "I don't have room. Would you please move?" She moved. I wasn't happy with myself for getting short with her, but I found myself incredibly frustrated by it. Now then, the disclaimer. She handled it well and didn't "avoid" me the rest of my meal as many would. In fact, she seemed a bit more determined to serve and did so with a smile.
This visit wasn't my best one at a Culver's Restaurant, but with its fresh food and friendly folks it remains a solid option among the fast/fast casual restaurants. read more