Culver’s Bringing Butterburgers To Vacant Pullman Corner

CHICAGO — Culver’s is coming to Pullman. The Wisconsin-based chainknown for its butterburgers and frozen custard announced plans to build a new outpost on the corner of 111th and Doty Road.

Franchise owner Baron Waller, who opened a Culver’s franchise in Bronzeville in 2018, plans to begin construction in the fall and open the “fast-casual” restaurant in the spring.

“With a golf course on one side of the expressway, the city’s only National Monument Site on the other and literally thousands of households and jobs in the area — we believe there could not be a more sound investment,” Waller said in a statement.

The Culver’s franchise is in a string of development projects in Pullman including Amazon’s $60-million distribution center that’s set to open in the fall. SE Johnson, the parent company of the Method soap factor, is set to use a new warehouse built by developer, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, for a distribution center. And the Pullman National Monument visit center is set to open in 2021.

“We’re just trying to keep putting points on the board,” developer David Doig said. “With the National Monument opening, Amazon, and of course the golf course and community center, we really needed more dining options. Culver’s is going to be great.”

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) called the addition of Culver’s, which will be a stand-alone restaurant with indoor seating and a drive-thru, another milestone in Pullman’s revitalization. The project is expected to create about 50 jobs, the alderman said.

“Where vacant land once signaled despair, today there are new stores, small businesses, and environmentally friendly industries — with more on the way —bringing people the goods, the services, and the jobs they need,” he said. “Culver’s is part of the renaissance.”