4 Differences Between Culver's Deluxe And The ButterBurger

Fast food chain Culver's is famous for its ButterBurgers, a signature item since the 1984 opening of its first Sauk City, Wisconsin, location. The ButterBurger, which topped our ranking of popular items at the chain, wasn't the only famous burger on the original menu. The Culver's Deluxe was also there from the very beginning. Like all Culver's burgers, both are cooked to order, with patties made from a combination of sirloin, chuck, and plate beef that's never frozen. They are pressed smash burger-style and served on toasted buns with lightly buttered tops (which is where the trademark ButterBurger name comes from). However, there are several differences between these two OGs, with distinctions not just in their components, but in areas like pricing and nutrition, too.

You can order either burger as a single, double, or triple, swap the Kaiser buns for brioche or gluten-free, and ask for the same optional toppings, but only the Culver's Deluxe comes with several toppings automatically. The original ButterBurger is all about the beef patty and nothing else. When it comes to cost vs. nutrition, the ButterBurger is the more affordable of the two, but falls short protein-wise. And in a coup for the Deluxe, it's chain co-founder Craig Culver's favorite burger.

A standard ButterBurger is just the salt-and-pepper-seasoned patties alone on a bun, ideal for a beef purist who just wants to savor its flavor. A similarly plain ButterBurger with cheese, which was also an original Culver's menu item, is one of the simplest customizations. By comparison, a regular Culver's Deluxe comes with American cheese, pickles, mayo, raw onions, lettuce, and tomato. One slice of cheese is added per patty, and American can be swapped for cheddar or Swiss.

Both burgers can be ordered with the same mix-and-match toppings that are optional for all seven varieties of the chain's ButterBurgers. In the Deluxe's case, these would be ordered in addition to the usual toppings. Customers can also ask for the ButterBurger with The Works, which adds pickles, ketchup, mustard, and raw onions (an onion-free version of The Works is available as well). Although The Works and the Deluxe's standard toppings are both preselected, these combinations only share pickles and raw onions in common.

The Culver's Deluxe is unsurprisingly the more expensive of the two burgers. Prices can vary by location, but at a Milwaukee restaurant in the chain's home state of Wisconsin, a double Deluxe without a drink or any sides is $6.89. A similar two-patty ButterBurger without any added toppings, drink, or sides costs $5.99. 

The difference is due only to the costlier burger's cheese and toppings. A double ButterBurger with Cheese is 60 cents more, but ordering The Works is free. The only Deluxe topping with an extra charge when ordered individually is tomatoes, at 30 cents. Adding cheese and tomato to a double ButterBurger brings its $5.99 base price level to the price of a standard Deluxe. 

For another $4.20, either burger can be ordered as a Value Basket with crinkle cut fries (requesting them "extra crispy" is a Culver's ordering tip for crispier food), mashed potatoes, coleslaw, or steamed broccoli, plus a fountain drink or iced tea. Customers can upgrade to a premium side for an additional cost. Wisconsin cheese curds, onion rings, and pretzel bites are some of the chain's popular premium sides. Beverage upgrades include handcrafted shakes, floats, or malts with frozen custard.

Many people have been trying to increase the amount of protein they consume, and both the ButterBurger and Culver's Deluxe pack a good amount of the essential nutrient. However, the Deluxe comes out ahead, with 41 grams of protein in a double compared to a double ButterBurger's 34 grams. Each beef patty has 14 grams of protein, and there are 6 grams of protein in the lightly buttered bun. The double Deluxe gets its protein boost from the 7 grams in the two slices of American cheese.

Another substantial nutritional difference between the burgers is their caloric content. The double Deluxe has 820 calories, while the ButterBurger clocks in at 560. The Deluxe also contains significantly more fat due to the American cheese and mayo, with 53 grams. A double ButterBurger's total fat content is 30 grams. The double Deluxe's four more grams of carbohydrates — for a total of 42 grams — is from the cheese, raw onions, and tomato. It also contains more than twice the sodium (1,240 milligrams) because of the cheese, pickles, and mayo. The topping-free double ButterBurger has 580 milligrams of sodium. They do match up when it comes to fiber, with 1 gram apiece. 

Culver's co-founder Craig The Culver family established its namesake restaurant in 1984, and since then, has grown the chain to more than 1,000 locations in 26 states, opening the first successful franchise in 1990.  The family still owns Culver's with a majority stake, and retired CEO Craig continues to serve as Chairman of the Board. He also still enjoys the food — his go-to order is a single Culver's Deluxe with a small drink and small crinkle cut fries.

Many Culver's customers agree with Craig, though they tend to lean towards the double. One self-proclaimed former employee of the chain wrote on Reddit, "The double Deluxe is far and away the most popular." A fan on a separate Reddit thread said,  "Every time I have a Culver's Deluxe, I'm reminded 99% of burgers could never touch it." And another Redditor who loves it wrote, "Best burger of my life – Culver's Double Deluxe ButterBurger ... I have had gourmet stuff, super fancy stuff in Japan even. But this is the best one."