5 Culver's Menu Items That Deserve To Be Smothered In The Chain's Cheese Sauce

Culver's is a chain of fast food burger restaurants that originated in Wisconsin. It specializes in butterburgers, which are a Wisconsin specialty that features generously buttered and toasted buns and is one of the dishes that simply tastes better in the Midwest. The chain stays true to its Wisconsin roots and highlights many signature ingredients from the Dairy State, especially its cheese. It features on its burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as its famous fried cheese curds, a regional specialty. There is one cheesy concoction at Culver's that may sometimes get overlooked unless you order certain items, like its pretzel bites –- the chain's rich and creamy cheese sauce.

But this isn't the orange-hued stuff that comes in a can or is dispensed at ball parks. Rather, Culver's sauce is based on a classic French-style mornay –- a béchamel enriched with cheese. In the case of Culver's, a Redditor self-identifying as an assistant manager on a thread about its cheese sauce confirmed that it's real Wisconsin cheddar, fresh milk, and no added preservatives or colorings, meaning that while the cheese sauce isn't made fresh at each location, it is perishable and needs to be kept frozen. But Culver's offers a lot more than just burgers and cheese, and below are five menu items that you should definitely smother with its cheese sauce. You can order a side of the sauce online and do it yourself, or if ordering in person, you can ask a friendly employee to add it to your order.

Culver's already has chili cheddar fries on its menu featuring George's famous chili and its unctuous cheese sauce. However, if you're not into the beefy stew, which can be hearty enough for a complete meal, or want to save room for custard, you can pour an avalanche of cheese sauce over the chain's signature crinkle-cut fries. For an even cheesier treat, you can add in some fried cheese curds and end up with doubly cheesy riff on a poutine. Just be sure to request your fries extra crispy to prevent them from getting soggy under all that cheese.

Broccoli and cheese is a classic combination for a reason — the creamy sharpness can liven up the grassy notes of the vegetable while also cutting through some of the brassica family member's sometimes bitter flavor. It's why the combination is a favorite during holiday banquets in parts of the USA. Culver's has a broccoli and cheddar soup, but it does also offer steamed broccoli that is just begging to be drowned in the chain's cheddar-based sauce.

Among Culver's butterburger options is a melty, cheesy take on a diner classic, the patty melt. Called a Sourdough Melt at this Midwestern fast food chain, the sandwich features beef patties, grilled onions, and cheddar cheese slices between two slices of buttered, toasted bread. Adding cheese sauce to the mix will give you two cheesy textures in a single bit: creamy and unctuous, and melty and stretchy. If ordering in person, ask the staff to add the cheese sauce to the sandwich before they grill it.

Besides burgers, Culver's other beef-forward handheld entree is its beef pot roast sandwich made with slowly braised chuck that's shredded in-house at each location. Instead of the barbecue or horseradish sauces that the chain suggests when customizing your order, just add a side of cheese sauce to your sandwich. You can take it to the next level by including sliced cheese and extra toppings, like grilled onions, mushrooms, and bacon, or give it a spicy kick with pickled jalapeños.

Even if you consider a hotdog a sandwich because it has bread, it may be harder to convince people that its deep-fried cousin, the corn dog, deserves to be in the same category. Nevertheless, at Culver's, it lives in the sandwiches section of the menu. While some may argue that mustard is the only suitable topping for this popular fair food, when you're dining at a Dairy State institution, you should add a torrent of cheese sauce to your corny hotdog on a stick.