Upon entering Culvers, a customer is met with the smell of burgers and fries, the sight of workers dashing in and out the door to fill drive-through orders and the sounds of other patrons clamoring and eating. Culver’s of Fenton is a member of the restaurant’s national chain with more than 500 stores .In 2015, Culver’s of Fenton has been ranked as one of the top five store locations in the nation.

“We’ve been striving for this goal the past couple of months; everyone’s been working really hard and has been motivated,” Culver’s employee Emma Bellini said. “My boss really believes in us, which helps. I remember one day I heard my boss’s voice from his back office ‘We’re ranked number one!’ and he comes running out holding up a sign with the number one.”

In order to be named one of the best store locations in the nation, the Culver’s workforce has been on the top of their game all throughout 2015, keeping an eye out for corporate restaurant inspectors during the process.

“Everyone is like family there, so it doesn’t really feel like work,” Bellini said. “The crew consists of hard workers, who are friendly and approachable and don’t dread their job, which contributes to our rank as one of the top Culver’s. We all follow dress code, show up to work on time, and treat customers properly. Culver’s is known for hospitality, and we accomplish this aspect of making the customers feel welcome and at home.”

In training their workers, Culver’s aims to instill good service and attitudes within their employees. Culver’s wants to make sure the food is made correctly and with high quality every time, and to create a hospitable restaurant environment for people to enjoy their food within. They believe this what keeps their customers coming back time and again, and what ranked them so highly.

“Every employee is taught to create a welcoming environment for customers since we really don’t consider Culvers a ‘fast food’ restaurant,” Culver’s employee Isabelle Macintosh said, “We welcome everyone at the door, and even if something gets tough or an order isn’t done right we try to always talk with the customers and be understanding. By doing all of these thing we like to think it helped us make people want to come back for another experience. But, all together we just want guests to leave happy.”

The Fenton Culver’s restaurant is still in the running for best restaurant in the nation; the winner will be announced early in the new year, at Culver’s’ annual national convention, in Phoenix, Arizona.