The first Culver’s in Shelbyville is officially open.

Owner Ashley Mitchell and several staff members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning as the fast food restaurant was prepared for its first hours of operation.

“The demographic … the people … the town … it’s a small town and we are excited to be a part of a small town,” said Mitchell, who also owns and operates a franchise in Franklin, Indiana.

The Shelbyville location at 1930 N. Morristown Road is the 867^th Culver’s franchise to open its doors since the first one on July 18, 1984.

Mitchell (photo) first started working for the franchise in 2005 as a senior in high school. She worked her way up the management ladder from shift manager to assistant manager to general manager and finally owner in 2020.

She is the third woman in the Culver’s franchise group to operate multiple restaurants.

Mitchell realizes there is a great challenge ahead of her owning two restaurants in two different communities.

“I’ve heard this is the hardest transition,” she said. “If you can do two, you can do 20.”

The opening of the restaurant from its original timeline was delayed as the effects of the pandemic still made it difficult to get supplies.

“It’s a lot harder to get supplies during COVID,” she said. “It took a longer building process because we were trying to find lumber and the asphalt place was still shut down, they just opened. That’s why we were delayed a few weeks.”

Mitchell is excited to have a dedicated staff ready to work.

“We are very blessed,” she said. “We fortunately found 75 team members who are ready and willing to do whatever it takes.”

Through her two decades of experience with Culver’s, Mitchell knows this first week of operation will be time-consuming for her while also rewarding.

“I expect insane business,” she said. “We can’t wait to see what Shelbyville is going to do with us.”