INDIANAPOLIS — A local Culver's franchisee is opening his next restaurant in the Glendale Town Center on the northeast side of Indianapolis.
The fast-food restaurant known for its Wisconsin cheese curds and frozen custard is slated to open in late September at the site of a former O'Charley's restaurant, located at 6111 N. Keystone Ave.
O'Charley's permanently closed that location in the summer of 2019.
The addition of Culver's at the bustling corner of Keystone Avenue and 62nd Street is exciting for the owner, Jeff Meyer, who's had a love for nearby Broad Ripple since he moved to Indianapolis in 1998.
"We are unbelievably excited. I'm super excited — more than you can imagine — to go and open on Keystone," Meyer told WRTV. "We're so excited to be here and be a part of the community and do our best to make a positive impact."
Meyer's excitement for this particular Culver's restaurant is saying something, considering the Keystone location will be his 19th. Meyer, who has been a Culver's franchisee since 2004, has locations in Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia.
The opening of this location is even more exciting for Meyer because he has owned the property since 2018.
"I got word that the old O'Charley's was going to be for sale. And I actually jumped on it right away. And then the owners out of California interviewed me," Meyer recalled. "And even though our offer wasn't the highest, they accepted our offer. It was kind of a cool situation."
Meyer says as a Christian born and raised on a farm in central Indiana, he believes his calling is to help positively change people's lives.
"These young minds that come in there and work for you, you can just be so impactful to them and their outlook on life. That's what encourages me to do what I do," Meyer said.
The established franchisee owner could've chosen any other fast-food chain back in the early 2000s to make himself a boss, but he decided on Culver's after a trip to Wisconsin Dells.
"Culver's is about quality; it's about being personal with others, it's about being in a community, and being impactful in your community," Meyer said.
Meyer's opening of Culver's restaurants in central Indiana doesn't stop on the northeast side.
In a couple of weeks, a Culver's will be opening in Westfield at 146 Street and Gray Road. And Meyer will be opening another Culver's in Whitestown in about a month.
After the Culver's on Keystone opens in late September, folks up in Carmel can expect another location to pop up on Carmel Drive.
Although these locations are not open yet, Culver's is actively hiring for the restaurants and placing individuals in training at other spots in preparation for opening day.
Just like the rest of the food and hospitality industry following the COVID-19 pandemic, hiring has been a challenge, according to Meyer.
"We want people from that community to work in that store. So we're not trying to bring people from our other stores to the community. We want to hire everybody within that community so that they understand what being a part of that community is all about," Meyer said.
Those interested in management positions to being team members at Culver's can visit culvers.com.
WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be reached at shakkira.harris@wrtv.com. You can follow her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.
