Casual fast food restaurant chain Culver’s is expanding into Batavia, located at 470 N Randall Rd.
The new location will take over the former home of TGI Friday’s following unanimous approval of a conditional-use permit. According to city documents, Culver’s owners are confident the drive-through and parking space can accommodate the anticipated demand and allow the restaurant to run efficiently. The Batavia franchise is owned and operated by Katie Bulgrin, who also owns Culver’s in Downers Grove, along with co-owner Michael Smith. The owners expect to open by the end of 2022.
“It’s an owner-operator model, so we’re there in the restaurants almost every single day,” Smith said. “We’re just thrilled to be in Batavia and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this community.”
The unanimous decision proves this is a highly-anticipated restaurant, especially among senior citizens. The company, which specializes in local ButterBurgers, fresh frozen custard, and Wisconsin cheese curds, was founded in 1984 by the Culver family. Now, the private fast-food restaurant has over 850 locations across the country. This will be the eighth location in the Chicago area.
“I don’t know in my many years here that I’ve ever had so many people ask me when’s this going to be open, especially the senior citizen population, so I hope you’ve got a lot of salad and soup ready because I think you’ll be selling a lot of it in Batavia,” Mayor Jeffery Schielke said at the meeting.
