News

Culver's CEO, Phil Keiser, passes away

October 17, 2016

Culver's President and CEO Phil Keiser died last Friday of natural causes, according to a news release sent out by the company this afternoon. Co-founder Craig Culver will assume the role of interim CEO. 

Keiser worked for Culver's for 20 years and led more than 20,000 team members at 580 Culver's locations in 24 states. The release said that the brand's entire community of staffers at both the corporate and individual site level were "devastated."

"Culver's would not be what it is today without Phil's influence," Culver said in the press release. "Yet, as great a loss as this is for us professionally, it doesn't begin to touch how much Phil will be missed on a personal level. We hurt most deeply for his wife, Betsy, and his children: son, Nate and [his] wife, Bethany, and their children, Caprina, Linea and Landon; as well as son, Nick, [his] wife, Maria, and their [children] Harper and ... Kelsey."

The release said that Craig and a tenured senior leadership team will continue to lead the brand forward until a new CEO is named.

"[Keiser] worked tirelessly to better himself and our company," said Culver's CFO Joe Koss. "We'll strive to emulate his focus, his drive and his dedication to doing the right thing."

Keiser had more than 35 years of food industry and strategic restaurant management experience. He joined the Culver's organization in 1996 and held several positions there — including director of operations and vice president of operations — before being named president and chief operating officer in 2003, and president and chief executive officer in 2015. Prior to joining Culver's, he held various management positions with Burger Chef and Hardee's.

Keiser is credited with being a driving force behind Culver's development and expansion. Since 1996, the system has grown from 44 restaurants to its current size of 580 restaurants nationally. The restaurant support team has grown from 14 to more than 100 members in that same period.

Keiser was a strong advocate of education and community involvement, and sat on the Manchester University Board of Trustees, the Sauk Prairie Health Care Board of Directors and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Board of Directors. He was a native of Nappanee, Indiana.