15 Things You Should Know About White Castle Before Your Next Burger Binge

by N/A, 10 years ago | 2 min read

The facts will teach you everything you wanted to know about your favorite fast food joint!

food History Food/Cooking Restaurants white castle Non-Premium

1. It's the home of the modern burger.

Walt Anderson was a line cook in Kansas and was frustrated with the way meatballs stuck to the griddle. So, we smacked one with his spatula and accidentally created the flat patty.Â

2. The founder helped created the modern fast food industry.

Anderson opened a burger stand with an $80 loan that had fast, efficient service and sold 5 cent burgers by the stack. He quickly expanded to four locations.

3. Burgers weren't very popular when White Castle opened.

Beef burgers were thought of as low quality meat. The name White Castle, conveying purity and royalty, was used to combat that.

4. The CEO started a side business.

Billy Ingram, White Castle's CEO started a subsidiary called Porcelain Steel Buildings to build lightweight structures. He later started a company called Paperlynen that made paper hats.

5. The recipe hasn't changed much.

The original burger was a small beef patty that was cooked over shredded onions and then placed in a bun.

6. The CEO made working a White Castle popular.

Ingram offered pension plans, sick days and pay grades of $18-$30 a week when the company first started. Many people wanted to work there.

7. The company had a newsletter.

It was called the Hot Hamburger. It contains short stories, sales advice and jokes.

8. White Castle had high employee standards.

New employees were expected to undergo a two week unpaid apprenticeship, wear all white, be extremely courteous to customers and keep their hair short.

9. Ingram paid for research to prove the food's nutritional value.

Ingram funded some odd studies, one involving a med student who only ate White Castle for 13 weeks to prove that the food is nutritious.

10. They had a burger delivery program.

The Hamburgers to Fly program delivered burgers anywhere in the U.S. within 24 hours.Â

11. There's a "craver" hall of fame.

The hall of fame for devoted diners started in 2001. A couple collectively ate 200 pounds of sliders.

12. The design of the restaurants was inspired by the Chicago Water Tower.

13. Kumar, from Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, was a vegetarian.

Kal Penn ate veggie sliders while shooting the movie, which helped further popularize the restaurants.

14. They've made candles that smell that sliders.

You can get oneÂ here.

15. The CEO works behind the counter sometimes.

Lisa Ingram, the current CEO, will take a shift everyone now and then at a location near headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.