Culver’s Opens in Ashland With Big Crowd, Big Smiles, and Plenty of ButterBurgers
ASHLAND, Ohio — Ashland officially has a Culver’s, and judging by the crowd that showed up for the grand opening and ribbon cutting, the community is more than ready.
Culver’s Ashland celebrated its grand opening at 725 U.S. Route 250, near the I-71 interchange, with a large turnout of community members, local leaders, Chamber representatives, city officials, and plenty of hungry guests excited to welcome the restaurant to town.
Amy Daubenspeck, president of the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, opened the ceremony by welcoming everyone to the ribbon cutting for Culver’s Ashland. From there, owner Ryan Lehar thanked the crowd, his leadership team, outside support staff, business partners, family, and the new Culver’s crew for helping bring the restaurant to life.
“What a turnout. This is incredible today,” Ryan said during the ceremony. He said the team had a successful soft opening the day before and praised employees for their hard work during training. He also became emotional while thanking the Ashland community for its support, calling it the largest turnout he had ever seen for one of these events.
Mayor Matt Miller welcomed Culver’s to Ashland and thanked Ryan and the Culver’s team for already stepping forward as a community partner. Miller noted that Culver’s previously donated $5,000 toward Ashland’s America Celebrates 250th celebration, showing early support for the community before the restaurant even opened.
Miller also pointed out the importance of the restaurant’s location, saying the corner near U.S. 250 and I-71 is one of the busiest in Ashland County, with more than 1 million people stopping in the area each year.
“Something tells me they’re going to pull in for a ButterBurger, custard and cheese,” Miller joked.
The mayor also thanked Culver’s for investing in Ashland without tax incentives and for creating local jobs.
Dr. Dan Lawson, Ashland City Council at-large member, added some humor of his own, saying that after Culver’s opening, he may go from “city council at-large” to “city council quite large,” because he plans to visit often.
Lawson said the community has been waiting with excitement for Culver’s to open, adding that his phone was “blowing up” the night before with people saying, “Culver’s is open.”
Representatives from the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office also presented a commendation, congratulating Culver’s for investing in Ashland. Craig McCarthy of Macan Building Corporation, the general contractor for the project, thanked city staff, officials, designers, construction crews, and the owners for the opportunity to be part of the project.
Chamber representatives also shared the story of how the connection with Culver’s began with a call from Ashland, Wisconsin, to Ashland, Ohio. Since then, they said Ryan and the Culver’s team have jumped into the community with both feet.
The grand opening was more than just a ribbon cutting. It was a celebration of growth, investment, jobs, community pride, and, of course, food. With a busy location, a packed opening day, and plenty of local excitement, Culver’s Ashland appears ready to become a popular stop for residents and travelers alike.
Congratulations to Ryan Lehar and the entire Culver’s Ashland team.
Ashland showed up strong, and now the community can officially say: see you at Culver’s.
