Ground breaks at new Culver’s location in Alma

GRACE MAIN
STAFF WRITER

KATIE THOMAS
STAFF WRITER

10/14/2024

Culver’s is under construction in Pine River Township on the corner of Cheesman and Alger, next to the Michigan One Community Credit Union and in front of the Dollar Tree. The construction of the new location was launched earlier this year, and the restaurant is expected to open for business in the first week of March. 

Culver’s is a fast-food chain that is known for their large variety of American cuisine options. They specialize in ButterBurgers, cheese curds and frozen custard. This chain has been expanding throughout the country and has opened 51 new locations in 2024 alone. 

Josh Mecomber is the owner of this location. He built his own Culver’s in Clare after years of working as a manager for the Culver’s in Midland. 

It is expected that this new Culver’s will be a prime location since it is located right off the M-27 and M-46 expressways. This location should allow for more business in the overall Alma community from travelers who are passing through Gratiot County.

As far as Alma students are concerned, the addition of a Culver’s to the community is highly anticipated because it will be much closer to campus than the already established Culver’s in Mount Pleasant. This new restaurant will be only a five minute drive from campus and the local college students are already showing a lot of interest.

“I will definitely go to Culver’s a lot. At least once or twice a week,” said Julia Haggart (‘28).  

“I’m excited for Culver’s to join our town,” said Jordyn Porter (‘26).

“I just like their food – their ButterBurgers and the custard they have – and I really enjoy their chicken strips and cheese curds,” said Scerley Odige (‘28).

“I’ve only had it once, but I want to try it again because no one wants to drive all the way to Mount Pleasant,” said Malaya Owens (‘28).

There are many chain restaurants already in Alma, mostly located on the stretch of Alger Road. Some popular ones are McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Jimmy John’s – all big names in the game of fast food. Even though Culver’s will be in competition with these other establishments, Culver’s fresh and cooked-to-order options are what make them so appealing to customers. 

“It’ll finally be something different other than McDonald’s, Jimmy John’s and Subway; you know, the usual,” said Natalia Rodriguez (‘26).

While Culver’s may give more options for people to eat, it could potentially have negative effects on local businesses. However, Pine River Township Supervisor Kevin Beeson said that he hasn’t heard any negative feedback from the community and he thinks it will draw more people to the Alma community even if they are just driving through.

Beeson is excited about this addition to the Gratiot County food service industry. “It should be a good fit for the community,” said Beeson, and Alma College students seem to agree that the addition of Culver’s to Gratiot County represents the growth of this community. 

Culvers was founded by Craig and Lea Culver, along with Craig’s parents. The first store opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1984. The original menu consisted of ButterBurgers and Frozen Custard, two items that have continued to be popular for the past 40 years.