John Laskowski made a name for himself within the walls of Assembly Hall. His distinguished resume under coach Bob Knight made him a fan favorite. Now, he’s back in Bloomington to pursue the second half of his college career — business.

In addition to being widely known in Bloomington for his efforts on the hardwood, the two-time academic all-Big Ten team member was a workhorse in the classroom as well.

“My high school coach said, ‘You may never play in college, would you go just to get an education?’” Laskowsky replied. “Absolutely I would. I would take playing as icing on the cake.’ I didn’t tell coach Knight that, but it worked out where I got a great education and I got to play.”

Upon graduation, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do within the world of business. So, naturally, he did what any college graduate does in the meantime— spend two years playing in the NBA. After his short career ended, his business career tipped off.

“I had a sales career that started just after I got done playing with the Chicago Bulls,” he said. “Real estate, sporting goods, mortgages, lots of different sales activities, but I could never find the right thing.”

Then, the stars began to align.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductee ended up working for the IU Alumni Association in 1994, where he traveled across the country to speak on behalf of the organization. 

Remember @HoopsHall inductees who’ve graced the cover of Sports Illustrated? Some are the feature of our newest exhibit, including Rick Mount, Oscar Robertson, Kent Benson, John Laskowski and Damon Bailey. #FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/yssmEac4JK

— Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (@HoopsHall) September 14, 2018

Two years later, he was working a camp sponsored by the IUAA in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. On the way to his  Friday golf outing, he stopped for a bite to eat. “I stopped along the way at Culver’s, butter-burgers and frozen custard — I had never heard of such a thing!” he said with excitement. “I had it, and said, ‘Wow, this is really good.”

His new-found love came at a price: There were not yet any Culver’s locations in his home state of Indiana. But once one opened, everything changed for him.

“I just kept going and I loved it.”

Fast forward almost two decades, and Laskowski is still working in sales. On one of his business trips up north, he stopped at a Culver’s in Crown Point. “The owner was in there and he recognized me, so we talked about basketball,” he said. “Then he said, ‘Hey, have you ever thought about getting in the restaurant business?”’

Laskowski laughed at the absurdity of the question, noting all of his peers who have tried and “lost their butt” in the restaurant business.

“He [the owner] told me Culver’s is different, they have an operations manual. If you follow what’s in that manual, it tells you everything you have to do to be successful.”

After reflecting on his playing days with coach Knight, he decided that maybe this was the path for him. “I thought, I played for a college coach who told me everything I had to do and it worked out great for me,” he said. “So I got started, we’re going to open in October sometime, and I can’t wait to bring butter-burgers and frozen custard to the town of Bloomington.”

You can find John and the rest of his staff in the restaurant after they open at 1914 W. Third St.