CULVER’S PLANNED FOR PULLMAN COMMUNITY

A Culver’s restaurant location is set to open at 111th and Doty Avenue in Pullman. The Pullman community has seen new restaurants open, in One Eleven Food Hall, as well as a Community Center, retail and other economic development in the last few years. Photo courtesy of Alderman Anthony Beale
A Culver’s restaurant location is set to open at 111th and Doty Avenue in Pullman. The Pullman community has seen new restaurants open, in One Eleven Food Hall, as well as a Community Center, retail and other economic development in the last few years. Photo courtesy of Alderman Anthony Beale

Culver’s planned for Pullman community

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Residents on the South Side will be able to get their butterburger, cheese curd and concrete mixer fix next year as it was announced that a Culver’s will open in Pullman next Spring.

Culver’s will join Lexington Betty’s Smokehouse, Majani and Potbelly on 111th St., near US Bank.

“We’re actively and aggressively trying to bring resources into the community, whether it be restaurants, hotels [or] job opportunities. We’re actively engaging and trying to get different people to take a chance on us in this community,” said Alderman Anthony Beale (9th).

Beale said he had been trying to get something to anchor that corner at 111th and Doty Avenue. “We’ve been working on it for a while,” he said. “It just came down to a couple of different stores, restaurants that we were looking at and we thought, right now, that Culvers would be a very good fit.”

Beale acknowledged that while the Pullman community is growing, having a Culver’s would get other people’s attention. There will be an estimated 50-60 job opportunities created with the opening of the restaurant.

Construction is set to begin on the 4,300 square foot facility in late Fall 2020, with a Spring 2021 opening.

The Amazon Distribution Center is set to open this fall. Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, a non-profit developer, has been instrumental in much of the neighborhood’s redevelopment and revitalization.

“We, the community, CNI and I have worked long and hard these past years to reinvigorate Pullman. Where vacant land once signaled despair, today there are new stores, small businesses, and environmentally friendly industries – with more on the way--bringing people the goods, the services, and the jobs they need,” Beale said.

Baron R. Waller will own the Pullman location. Waller also owns the Culver’s in Bronzeville, which is located at 35th and King Drive.

“Culver’s is part of the renaissance and we congratulate Baron Waller for having the foresight to know that this is a great community in which to plant your feet and grow. We look forward to a new neighbor and the 50 or more new jobs that Mr. Waller will bring, and of course, the great burgers and custard for which Culver’s is well-known,” Beale said.

Beale said that all the development and revitalization shows the interest people have in Pullman. “It just goes to show that all the hard work the community has been putting in and staying with me and the vision that we have for the community, it’s paying off. We’re bringing hundreds of jobs and opportunities, we’re bringing now restaurants,” he said. “It just goes to show that a little bit of investment and attention can turn any community around.”

Beale said Culver’s moving into the community is just another piece of the Renaissance of Pullman. “This is a huge feather in the community’s cap. We’re really excited about having them here and having an African American entrepreneur franchisee,” he said. “It’s great to see the growth we’re having in the community.”

Beale said another attraction to the community, is that there are already plans for development and investment. He added this has been the reason why organizations like the Local Initiatives Support Corporation have chosen the community to create a quality-of-life-plan. “We’ve had a plan in place for years and we’re going to continue to work the plan. You can see if you come up with a plan and you work it, and stay with the plan, it just takes time,” he said. “It’s like planting a seed. Once you plant a seed, it’s only a matter of time before the flowers start blooming and right now, the flowers are blooming,” he said.

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