White Castle Franchise

The White Castle franchise has been a major competitor of McDonalds and Burger King since it's start in the 1920's. The restaurants had seating for five, and a limited menu. They opened in Omaha in the early 20's and quickly became very popular. They had three major locations in Omaha: 202 South 24th St, 101 South 13th St, and in Benson, at Military Avenue. Ask any old-timer and they'd tell you about the White Castles. They were the most beloved fast food store in the city. The hamburgers were small and square and cooked with steam on special griddles instead of with grease or oil. They were then placed in square buns especially made for the burgers at the White Castle Bakery.

The first White Castle opened in Wichita, Kansas with $700 of borrowed money in 1921. They sold their hamburgers for an astonishing $.05 a piece. After ten years of practicing "Cravology," a study to see if a person can live off of White Castle hamburgers and water alone, they started using frozen meat to ensure quality.

In 1932, White Castle ran the first fast food advertising campaign. They offered the 5 hamburgers for the price of 2. This saved consumers 15 cents off the regular class. The campaign was more than successful.

In 1949, five holes were added to every burger. The hamburgers could now be cooked faster, more evenly, and never needed to be flipped. In 1954, White Castle patented its five hole Slyder. Two years later, the menu grew to include ice cream shakes.

In 1961, White Castle sold its billionth hamburger, more than any other chain in the U.S. at the time. The following year, they added cheeseburgers to the standard menu, bringing in more business for the dairies of Wisconsin.

In 1996, White Castle celebrated it's 75th anniversary.

In 1999 White Castle started it's web site at Whatyoucrave.com, where more information about the fast food chain can be found.

The restaurant chain left Omaha in the early 1930's, but still continues to thrive across the country. White Castle can be found in ten metropolitan areas and employs over 7000 workers. More than seven billion hamburgers have been sold since White Castle's inception.

White Castle Introduces Classic New Look

COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 23, 2001) - Local leaders and members of the media have been invited to participate in the unveiling of a new prototype design for White Castle restaurants and to help feed the hungry.

From 5 p.m. through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31 at 43-02 Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, New York, White Castle will officially open the re-imaged location. Participating members of the community each will prepare 30 hamburgers to be donated to food charities in celebration of the opening.

White Castle is opening several locations introducing a new design and a new logo for the 80-year-old hamburger purveyor.

The new stores feature a new look holding true to designs traditionally used by the historic company, but also possess new facets that focus on the ability of customers to "crave in comfort."

Although the locations have a fun new look, customers will have no problem recognizing the building as being distinctly White Castle. The new designs maintain the white exterior and castle-inspired facade, but the look is designed to convey the brand's vitality and ability to satisfy "cravings." In fact, there are signs designating "Crave Zones" above where the hamburgers are prepared.

The new logo is true to the spirit of past logos, but is updated with a new style. It retains the castellations and a hint of the gothic font, but is brighter, bolder and easier to read. Orange has been added to the traditional blue and white used by the company in both the logo and the design of the stores.

One goal of the new design is to keep White Castle locations warm and appealing to customers 24-hours a day. All-night operations have been a feature of the company since the early 1930s.

The new design is being tested in a select number of sites around the country beginning with stores in Saint Louis, Chicago and New York City.

White Castle operates 347 restaurants in 12 states. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, and was the first fast food hamburger chain.