By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Bowling Green will soon be “Welcome to Delicious” when owner Ben Galaviz and his business partner Dan Schwinefus open the much-anticipated Culver’s restaurant on the south end of the city on May 1. The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening day at 8:45 a.m.
Since April 2022 when Culver’s plans to open a Bowling Green location at 125 W. Gypsy Lane Road were first announced, mouths have been watering for the juicy, tasty Butter Burgers and perfectly cut crinkle fries; the warm, buttery crunch of Wisconsin cheese curds; or the sweet decadence of the almost endless options of frozen custard served in a dish, cone or as a “Concrete Mixer.”
Galaviz wants the public to know they do serve hamburgers, but there is so much more.
Contrary to some of the social media comments, Galaviz said the menu goes beyond a burger joint to include fan favorites such as hand-breaded and dipped fish, Reubens, pot roast, chicken sandwiches and tenders, corn dogs, soups and salads.
The variety of food choices is a selling point, but Culver’s distinction is the quality of the food and the service.
“Everything is made and prepared fresh. There are no fries that sit under a heat lamp for 10 minutes,” Galaviz said.
“Fresh food is part of Culver’s corporate promise,” Schwinefus said. “You know after a burger sits for 15 minutes it’s not fresh anymore, and the quality goes down. Culver’s is best served fresh, like anything, but it’s why your mouth waters when you think of Culver’s because you are thinking of that cheese melting on your cheeseburger with the ketchup and pickles.”
The other part of Culver’s quality promise is customer service, “which comes from the top down, Dan and myself as leaders stressing that on Day One of training,” Galavis said. And hiring is an important part of the process, he added.
“The quality of people that we look for is really just your genuine, goodhearted person that gives you that great first impression, with the right attitude,” Schwinefus said. “We can teach anybody anything inside these four walls, but what we can’t teach is attitude. It’s about creating that right culture and that positivity at Culver’s.”
They believe in establishing a serious but fun environment. They have hired an inaugural team of 60 people. Despite a general concern in finding people to work in food service and other industries, Galavis said they didn’t have any trouble finding a quality crew, and even still have additional resumes to review.
The management team for Bowling Green has been in training at the Perrysburg location full-time for a minimum of seven weeks, opening, closing and everything in between. A half dozen full-time employees have also been training in Perrysburg for three to four weeks. The remainder of the crew will get about 20 hours of training between April 21 and opening day.
Culver’s magic: From vacant out lot to restaurant
Residents have watched as the out lot north of Walmart has gone from a vacant lot to a building that hinted at a business footprint to the recognizable exterior of a Culver’s restaurant and drive-through.
Galaviz and Schwinefus have put in the blood, sweat and tears in preparation to open their third Ohio Culver’s restaurant in three years. The Wisconsin natives found their way to Culver’s by way of food-related industries.
Galaviz, whose name is on the building, “for a reason,” as the owner, spent the past 15 years with Wisconsin-based Kalahari Resorts and Conventions. When he was approached to consider owning a Culver’s franchise, it took his Kalahari boss telling him he would be stupid not to get involved with such a successful franchise.
Schwinefus jumped on the Culver’s bandwagon after successful jobs in food service, food production, and finally at Kwik Trip, a convenience store brand with more than 800 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Ironically, his family owned a successful Hardee’s Restaurant in Richland Center, Wisconsin, for many years. Culver’s became their competition, and after a Culver’s was built in his hometown, the family’s business went downhill, and “we just kind of hit rock bottom,” he said.
In 2018, Schwinefus’s father passed away unexpectedly, and the younger Schwinefus decided life was too short to just sit back. With his wife, Rachel’s encouragement, he decided to look into getting involved in a Culver’s franchise as a business partner.
When asked “Why Bowling Green?” Galaviz smiled and said, “BG–It’s my initials.” The reality was when the two decided they wanted to leave their previous jobs to become Culver’s owners, Wisconsin “was full.” They looked for locations that were within a day’s driving distance from their home state of Wisconsin.
“Dan suggested that Toledo was similar to Madison, so we said, ‘Let’s go check it out,’” Galaviz said. They secured the location in Holland, which opened in 2021, followed by Perrysburg in 2022, which is run by Dan’s sister and brother-in-law.
“We’d been looking at Bowling Green. I contacted the city and told them we were interested in building a Culver’a, and ever since that conversation two years ago, it’s been nothing but positivity from the city,” Galavis said.
They scouted out the Walmart location and realized how busy the store is.
“We’re hoping that all this positivity and excitement trickles into opening day,” he said. “Business has been great in Holland and Perrysburg, but the energy we feel here is different. We think that’s a good thing.”
“We won’t know until we open the doors on May 1, starting with the 8:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony,” Galavis said.
Culver’s is all about a positive and clean, family-friendly atmosphere, It’s the kind of place where grandparents can feel safe to bring their grandkids for a scoop of custard,” Schwinefus said.
