How A Joke Burger Became One Of Culver's Biggest Hits

While some might collectively groan when April Fool's Day hits, others hopefully sprinted to Culver's in 2021. The fast food restaurant announced a made up burger that was never actually planned to be served. The restaurant taunted hungry burger lovers with the promise of a large Wisconsin Cheese Curd served beneath a lightly buttered, toasted bun. Determined customers demanded the order, however, and a Change.org petition racked up enough votes for Culver's to go back to the drawing board and start slinging CurderBurgers. To appease hundreds of eager customers, Culver's sold the cheesy burger for a day, but the burger's popularity encouraged the company to release it to the public again. 

A CurderBurger order takes a classic hamburger, which Culver's prepares using three cuts of beef, and stacks a patty of fried cheese on top. The fried cheese patty is made up of yellow and white cheddar cheese curds rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs and fried to golden perfection. The fried cheese adds a buttery crunch to burgers. Culver's executives have been surprised by the enthusiasm for the cheesy burger creation.

Since its release, the CurderBurger has made occasional appearances at Culver's each October, coinciding with the recognized National Cheese Curd Day that falls on October 15. In 2024, the CurderBurger made a return appearance alongside another limited-time order of Hot Honey Cheese Curds, the restaurant's classic cheese curds reimagined with the added taste of a breading that included hot honey.

Although the CurderBurger has yet to become a year-round menu option, it is possible to recreate the burger experience for yourself if you're craving an extra-cheesy meal. Order a classic Deluxe ButterBurger and ask for a side of Culver's cheese curds. Once you receive your order, you can stack the cheese curds inside your burger to savor the combination of a juicy burger layered with buttery, crunchy morsels of fried cheese. Instead of having to wait until October to see if Culver's blesses us with another limited-time release, each burger bite can deliver a chewy, creamy, crunchy burger that is absolutely no joke.