A shuttered Arby’s near Mint Hill could soon become the newest outpost of Culver’s, the Midwestern burger chain known for its ButterBurgers and frozen custard. A site plan filed with the city shows Culver’s wants to bring its menu to 6200 Wilson Grove Road, right next to the Lawyers Square Shopping Center, repurposing the former Arby’s building, which has a drive-thru.
The filing was first reported by the Charlotte Observer, which cited the service site plan showing the chain’s interest in the Mint Hill-area address. The planned restaurant would occupy the currently closed Arby’s building at the site and is expected to include a drive-thru, parking and utilities, according to the same filing. A listing for the property from New South Properties describes it as a roughly 3,710-square-foot former Arby’s building with an existing drive-thru, surrounded by major retailers including Food Lion, Bojangles, Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park, Dollar Tree, Walgreens and Sam’s Express Car Wash.
That retail density comes with serious car traffic. The property listing cites counts of 17,680 vehicles per day on Wilson Grove Road and 16,540 vehicles per day on Lawyers Road, numbers that make the corridor an attractive bet for a drive-thru-dependent chain.
No Timeline Yet for the Mint Hill Project
As of now, the planned Mint Hill-area location has an undetermined opening date, and the report notes Charlotte Observer sister outlet CharlotteFive reached out to Culver’s for more information and was still awaiting a response. Culver’s already has a presence in the region, with existing locations in Belmont, Indian Trail, Kannapolis, Mooresville, University City and Olde Whitehall, plus an outpost in Fort Mill. The chain is also planning to open another restaurant in Rock Hill, which would bring its regional count to eight locations in the Charlotte area, with the Wilson Grove Road project potentially making nine.
Culver’s is also planning to open a location in Wilmington, its first in that city, at 6 Van Campen Boulevard off Market Street, according to WECT. That project would demolish a former Kirkland’s Home store inside a Walmart-anchored shopping center and replace it with a roughly 4,500-square-foot restaurant featuring a drive-thru lane and parking lot on a 1.51-acre, Regional Business-zoned parcel. The Wilmington development is being led by Dimitro Group LLC, a Shorewood, Wisconsin-based developer, with civil engineering work handled by Kimley-Horn and Associates, and as of late July the project remained under city review.
A Wisconsin Chain on a Nationwide Growth Streak
Culver’s got its start in 1984, when the first restaurant opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and the company has since grown into a chain with more than 1,000 restaurants spread across 26 states, according to USA Today. The chain is based in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, and built its reputation on made-to-order ButterBurgers, crinkle-cut fries, crispy chicken, fish and frozen custard flavors that rotate daily. USA Today reports the chain has averaged opening 50 to 60 new restaurants annually and had broken ground on new locations across 12 states, with future sites planned in cities across Florida, Illinois and South Carolina.
The brand’s Midwestern roots show up in more than just its menu. Culver’s recently hosted its second annual Curdtoberfest, a monthlong celebration centered on deep-fried cheese curds. Emily Patterson, the company’s vice president of marketing, said the event “brings people together” and is inspired by Wisconsin traditions, underscoring how the chain has leaned into its regional identity even as it expands well beyond the upper Midwest.
For now, the Wilson Grove Road proposal remains in the filing stage, with no confirmed opening date and no word yet from Culver’s corporate office on next steps. If it moves forward, the project would mark another step in the chain’s steady march across the Charlotte region, following a now-familiar playbook of turning over vacant drive-thru buildings into new ButterBurger stops.
