Culver's restaurant to bring family feel to Johnson City

Culver's is officially making its way to Johnson City. Culver's franchisee and long-time fan of the restaurant Lisa Noakes said she couldn't be more excited to bring the business to the region. "We knew we wanted a town about this size," Noakes said. "It's the perfect size for Culver's because it's very family-oriented. It's got everything going for it." Originally starting in Sauk City, Wis., Culver's began as a family-owned business before turning into a franchise. It's known for its ButterBurgers, frozen custard and cheese curds. As a Wisconsin native and living in Jacksonville, Fla. before coming to Tennessee, Noakes is all too familiar with Culver's, frequenting the restaurant often with her two girls. Her personal connection and many memories made in the restaurant with her daughters is what encouraged her to bring the family-oriented business to Johnson City. "The Culver's mission statement is, 'We genuinely care so that every guest who chooses Culver's leaves happy,' and I love that," Noakes said. "Culver's has definitely given me and my family, especially me and my girls, lots of happy memories. I want that to be the same for the people of this community." Bringing a Culver's to East Tennessee has been a quick process, said Noakes. In April 2025, the day after her birthday, Noakes sent in an application to Culver's to try and become a franchise owner. She received a call to move forward, and in May she attended Discovery Week as part of the interview process, where she had to work in a Culver's restaurant for a week to understand the ins and outs of the restaurant. By early June, she was asked to be a Culver's franchisee and looked at bringing the restaurant to Johnson City, which was approved just a few months later in October. "My parents put their house up for sale, I put my house up for sale, and by Christmas we had everything sold [and] we had everything moved here," Noakes said with a laugh. Noakes said the Johnson City restaurant franchise will be located off North State of Franklin, calling the former Optimist Park its home. She added she looked in multiple places before determining where to settle with Culver's, with the biggest selling points of the decided location being the amount of traffic traveling on State of Franklin, the amount of accessibility points from the main roads and the closeness of other establishments, such as the Niswonger Children's Hospital and East Tennessee State University. "You want a location where there's a lot of traffic because you want a vibrant, thriving business," she said. "We loved it because we were able to get the plot right on State of Franklin, so we have good visibility." Noakes said the hope is to have a groundbreaking for the Culver's in the latter half of 2026 and to have the doors open in the first part of 2027. She added the restaurant will also create around 70 jobs total, which includes part time and full time positions. Though there is still a lot of work to be completed before Culver's is ready for customers, Noakes is optimistic about the restaurant's impact on Johnson City. She said her hope is to reflect the business's priority of creating a space to serve others and become an integral part of the local community. "It's not just about making money for me," she said. "For me, it really is deeper than that. I want to serve my community and provide a happy place and provide people a place to have memories and smiling faces. I'm just excited to serve the community."