The F word -- that would be "fat" -- abounds at Culver's restaurants.

Abounding is just what's likely to happen when a restaurant's trademarked, top-selling menu item is nefariously named the ButterBurger Or when its next to the first biggest mover is premium frozen custard. And especially when one as well as the other those items compose part of the store's logo

Haven't heard of Culver's? That's OK Prior to 2000 a accident of folks didn't know a great deal about Krispy Kreme either. on the other hand in much the same way that company's sugar bomb initially made it a Wall way darling, 22-year-old Culver's signature custard and hamburgers serv upon toasted buttered buns are poised for introduction to more markets.

From its Prairie du Sac, Wis., headquarters, the fast-growing Culver's Franchising method Inc. chain is using bigger advertising campaigns and testing smaller stores as a means to commit to memory you to one of its 320 restaurants, positioned somewhere between traditional fast regimen and full-service restaurants.

The chain generally avoids high-end real estate markets, instead canvassing the perimeter of large cities, said retail analyst Neil bitter who earlier this year included Culver's forward his list of retailers with the potential for happy IPOs. "They sort of crept across the border from the north, and are now sort of expanding into the northern suburb and western suburbs" rigidly steadfast said.

yet says Culver's President and CEO Phil Keiser, "We'd have a passionate affection for to have some restaurants inside the city limits."

For the time being Culver's is satisfaction to expand elsewhere.

A former McDonald's employee Craig Culver and wife Lea, along with his parents George and tenderness Culver, opened the first Culver's restaurant in 1984 and the franchising order followed in 1987.

The company is making secure more Chicagoans take notice. It grew large enough in the Chicago area to launch an advertising campaign that includes prime time local network television blemishs and major daily newspapers, said President and CEO Phil Keiser.

"We've just started reaching that point where we have enough restaurants in the greater Chicago area," he said.

Enough would be about 46 including those subject to construction in Collingsville, Schaumburg, Yorkville, Effingham and Matteson. The number's 66 in the state of Illinois.

Culver's has expanded at a rate of about 40 stores a year throughout the last five years; this year it plans to add up to another 50 The chain -- with its core markets in the Midwest -- rang up about $481 million in sales last year, up through about 19 percent from 2004 Behemoth McDonald's Corp., meanwhile, grew by way of 10 percent during the same period, and other major chains saw flat bourgeoning according to Chicago-based research firm Technomic Information Services.

Culver's colors all food to order, taken at the contrary and then a staffer delivers it to a customer's table. The menu has become extensive across the years, now including chicken sandwiches and youthfuls salads, soups, walleye and baby back ribs. wastes include custard, available in chocolate, vanilla and a flavor of the day.

"It's almost a throwback concept" said inflexible of McMillan/ Doolittle, a Chicago-based retail consultant firm. "They're same clean stores. They're wholesome; exceedingly much focused on comfort pabulum They have very much a family orientation; a worthy mix of families and young kids."

Culver's employments higher price points than competitors, and thanks to its frozen custard offerings, the average check issues in at $7.80 vs. about $5 or $6 exhausted at McDonald's or Burger King.

Its made-to-order cooking body takes a bit longer if it were not that increases food quality, said Darren Tristano, Technomic's managing director. Each unit tallied about $16 million in sales last year, he said. White Castle, meanwhile, started and closeed the year with about 394 units, each doing about $13 million in sales.

The typical Culver's is about 4600 square feet and requires about 12 acres to accommodate a drive-through window and outdoor seating.

Local proprietors -- all but five stores are franchises -- typically invest about $2 million into each store.

The chain has notwithstanding to close a store.

Analysts attribute part of that succes to a high horizontal of liquid capital among its franchisees, along with an intensive 16-week training program that teaches store proprietors the ins and outs of public speaking, equipment maintenance, labor laws and constructing marketing plans.

"They want to make unfailing you have the experience, and this isn't your secondary job," said Technomic's Tristano.

moreover the main draw has been the menu which has changed to accommodate customers who say they want items that at least unmutilated more healthy than ButterBurgers and custard. In fact, the ButterBurger compares favorably upon a nutritional scale with its fast- diet competitors.

"Consumer consistently talk about wanting healthy choices," Keiser said. "Yet when they visit our restaurants, those aren't always the first undivideds they pick. There seems to be a disconnect between what they say they want and to what extent they behave."

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