Since opening in 1984, Culver’s has evolved from a family-owned burger restaurant in Wisconsin to a top-rated national fast food chain with over 1,000 locations across 26 states. The chain is known best for its iconic ButterBurger (which happens to be Andrew Zimmern’s favorite fast food burger) and fresh, creamy custard. Besides the flavor of the day, Culver’s offers the very customizable Concrete Mixer. Those unfamiliar with this dessert might wonder: What exactly is a Concrete Mixer, and how do I order one?
Similar in concept to the Dairy Queen Blizzard, which is another Midwest favorite, Culver’s Concrete Mixers are cups of frozen custard with yummy ingredients of your choice stirred in. The name refers to the denseness of the custard, which is so thick that it requires a spoon to be eaten, unlike a malt or shake that you can slurp through a straw. Think of it as a sundae with toppings, except the toppings are mixed into the custard so you can taste them in every bite.
Different in taste and texture to ice cream, frozen custard is extra smooth, velvety, and dense due to the addition of pasteurized egg yolks. Culver’s uses fresh milk from Wisconsin family farms to craft its custard in small batches throughout the day. Besides for the creamy frozen base, choosing your mix-ins is arguably the best part of ordering a Concrete Mixer.
Choosing your Concrete Mixer’s mix-ins
When ordering a Concrete Mixer, customers can choose between four sizes: mini, small, medium, or large. The Mixer’s custard base can be either vanilla or chocolate. Next comes the fun part: the mix-ins. While the mini includes one choice of mix-in, the other available sizes include the option to add two. Additional toppings can be added for around 35 cents each (though this price may differ depending on where you are). While there’s technically no limit if you visit the store in person, the Culver’s app will cap your mix-ins when you’ve hit 10.
The choices for available inclusions may differ depending on location. However, most Culver’s restaurants will typically offer a wide selection of custom additions. These may include fruits (like bananas, blueberries, or strawberries), candies (including M&M’s, Dove chocolate chunks, and candy sprinkles), and cakes or cookies (like cookie dough bites or hunks of Oreo). You can even add certain sauces as well, like hot caramel and marshmallow creme.
If you’re not near any Culver’s locations, don’t fret — Concrete Mixers can be ordered year-round, so you can try this creamy treat whenever you find yourself at the chain. The only exception to this are the featured seasonal Mixers that some Culver’s stores will serve for a limited time, such as the Frozen Cocoa Concrete Mixer offered during past winter holidays.
