New Culver’s in Bluffton sets opening date. Here’s when — and how to apply for jobs
Bluffton residents craving a ButterBurger or Wisconsin-style cheese curds won’t have to wait much longer.
The new Culver’s restaurant in the Buckwalter Place business plaza is set to open Oct. 19, according to Thomas Zientek, the franchisee of the upcoming location.
Crews have already broken ground on the site at 231 Buckwalter Place Blvd., Zientek said, and construction of the building should start as early as this week.
“In the next two or three weeks, we should see huge steps in the growth of the building,” Zientek told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Monday.
Bringing Culver’s from Wisconsin to Beaufort County
Culver’s is a hybrid drive-through and sit-down restaurant chain that began in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1984. With about 1,000 locations nationwide — including in Beaufort and Savannah — the “fast-casual” restaurants are known for their creamy custard, crinkle fries and cheese curds.
Zientek has been with Culver’s for 29 years, he said, beginning as a high schooler and later becoming an operations manager. His family moved to the Bluffton area from the restaurant’s homeland of Wisconsin so he could open his first franchise, Zientek said, calling Beaufort County a “great growing market.”
“Honestly, my wife (said), ‘Anywhere there’s no snow, we’re good to go,’” Zientek joked as he explained his rationale for choosing the new franchise’s location.
Job opportunities at the new restaurant
Zientek is hoping to hire 80 to 100 employees for the restaurant, he said, including full-time managers and shift workers as young as 14 years old. Job postings are now available on the location’s website.
The new Culver’s will be situated at a prime location at the intersection of Bluffton and Buckwalter parkways, in the same shopping complex as Publix and Kroger and other popular eateries like Station 300.
Zientek said residents should expect more announcements as the October opening edges closer, including giveaways for the location’s first customers.
“I’m looking to be part of the community and do our community programs that Culver’s is known for,” he said.
