Heard on the Street: Culver’s second location opens in Bourbonnais

BRADLEY — The area’s second Culver’s restaurant opened near the Bradley Sports Complex.

The location opened its doors June 16 and is directly north of the Aldi grocery store along Bradley Boulevard, across the street from the Bradley Commons Shopping Center at 2061 N. Illinois Route 50.

Culver’s officials said the development of the $45-million-plus baseball-softball complex at St. George Road immediately east of Bradley Commons was a factor in their decision to invest $3 million in a new site.

The restaurant is now open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, and the drive-thru is open late until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

The area’s first Culver’s, 983 N. Convent St., Bourbonnais, opened in November 2008.

Rachel Vandergriff, a 2015 graduate of Manteno High School now of Kankakee, is part owner of the original Bourbonnais restaurant and the planned Bradley site as well as the local’s general manager.

Vandergriff said Culver’s ownership has always believed the Kankakee County region could support two sites. She said the sports complex will only add to the customer base.

“The baseball project will drive traffic here,” she said. “One of our co-owner’s sons plays travel baseball. So he knows what this development can bring. The baseball field is definitely a good motivator” for the project.

Ownership had been talking about a second Kankakee County site for a few years. She added that there is no concern that the second site will pull customers from the current location.

Culver’s, a fast-food style restaurant, is known for its ButterBurger, frozen custard and Wisconsin cheese curds.

The Culver’s locations are under the management of Milazzo Restaurant Group, of Wales, Wisconsin, a community 30 miles west of Milwaukee.

The Milazzo group purchased the business in 2016. The Milazzo group installed the second drive-thru lane at the Bourbonnais site in June 2023. The company has 25 sites and is developing others.

The 3,752-square-foot building will have a seating capacity of 99. The restaurant will employ about 75 full- and part-time workers. Like the Bourbonnais site, it will feature a double drive-thru.