Culver’s is officially headed to Bloomfield Township. Trustees unanimously signed off this month on plans for a new location at 1801 S. Telegraph Road, approving a 4,060-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru and outdoor patio. Franchisee Joe Zimmer, who already runs two Culver’s in the Lake Orion area, told reporters he expects to open the doors in the fall, with seasonal hours of roughly 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. in summer and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. the rest of the year.
According to Bloomfield Township, the board approved Zimmer’s site plan and special land use request for the 1801 S. Telegraph parcel with several conditions. Those include fencing around the outdoor seating area, easements for ingress and the stormwater system, and compliance with recommendations from the township’s landscape and traffic consultants. The vote also cleared a related lot split and amended site plan for the Lowe’s at the same address, wrapping multiple land use decisions into one go.
When It Could Open
As reported by MLive, Zimmer is aiming for a fall opening, though he has not committed to a specific date. He told reporters the new Culver’s will stay open later in the summer months and then scale back to shorter hours once cooler weather quiets things down. With township approval now in hand, the project can move into permitting and site work.
About the Operator
Zimmer’s own website lists two Lake Orion-area Culver’s locations and highlights his long run as a local restaurateur and community booster, per JoeZimmer.com. That background with high-volume franchise operations gives his team experience with navigating permits and buildouts for similar projects around the region.
Where Culver’s Fits
Per MLive, Oakland County already has about 15 Culver’s locations, and the company has more on the way in metro Detroit, including a planned site in Southfield. That pattern helps explain why developers keep carving out room for drive-thru-friendly quick-service spots near big-box retailers and busy corridors like Telegraph.
Now that the board has given the go-ahead, Zimmer’s team can shift focus to building permits and site preparation. A firm opening date, along with details on construction timing and any grand-opening fanfare, is expected once those next steps fall into place.
