Construction crews broke ground on a new Culver's in Ooltewah earlier this month, bringing the Wisconsin-based fast-casual chain's butterburgers and frozen custard to another corner of the Chattanooga area. The restaurant is expected to open in February 2027, adding a second location to the local market after the chain's debut in Hixson.
Work on the Ooltewah site began on Friday, Oct. 16, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, which reported that the new location is now under construction. The restaurant will be owned and operated by Ross Thomas, who also runs an existing Culver's in Elgin, Illinois, and has worked with the company for 22 years.
Thomas emphasized the chain's approach to its signature burgers in comments to the Times Free Press. “The meat is never frozen, and we do not cook it until it's ordered,” he said. That cooked-to-order promise applies to Culver's butterburgers, which are made with fresh, never-frozen beef, while the chain's custard is churned in small batches throughout the day rather than mass-produced ahead of time.
A Growing Footprint Around Chattanooga
The Ooltewah restaurant will mark Culver's second location in the Chattanooga market, following the chain's entry into the area last year with a store in Hixson, per the Times Free Press report. That expansion fits a broader pattern of growth across East Tennessee, where Culver's has been opening new restaurants in multiple communities over the past couple of years.
In Oak Ridge, a Culver's location at 1510 Oak Ridge Turnpike near Robertsville Road and in front of a Kroger store was under construction, according to WBIR. The Oak Ridger reported that the restaurant should open in September 2025 if the weather cooperated, and identified DeFreese as the owner-operator.
A third East Tennessee Culver's was also under construction on Dolly Parton Parkway in Sevierville, though no opening date had been announced for that location, according to Knox News. The outlet reported that Hixson, Oak Ridge, and Sevierville were all slated for new locations, and that Culver's had nine restaurants operating across Tennessee at the time. WBIR separately reported that an eleventh Tennessee store was planned for Northgate Mall Drive in Hixson.
From Sauk City to the South
Culver's traces its roots to 1984, when it was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and the chain has built its identity around frozen custard, cheese curds, and butter burgers made with fresh beef, the Times Free Press reported. The company's statewide and national footprint has grown considerably since then, though reports differ slightly on the exact scale: Knox News put the chain at more than 1,000 locations across 26 states, while WBIR reported the figure as 1,000 locations across the same number of states.
For Ooltewah residents, the more immediate detail is simpler: a Culver's specializing in cooked-to-order burgers and daily-churned custard is now under construction in their community, with a target opening date still months away.
