White Castle announces first plans for 100th birthday - a chance to be immortalized in the 20th class of the "Cravers Hall of Fame"

As part of White Castle's birthday celebration in 2021, Cravers Hall of Fame inductees will be enshrined on iconic packaging

Top 100 entries will receive a special 100th birthday collectible

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White Castle

Aug 04, 2020, 08:01 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year, White Castle seeks entries for its Cravers Hall of Fame, and this year is no exception. America's first fast-food hamburger chain and home of The Original Slider^® has posted a call for entries on its website, hoping to get heartfelt stories that will earn a small, elite group of its most loyal fans, affectionately known as Cravers, a coveted spot in the 2020 class of the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame.

White Castle's Cravers Hall of Fame class of 2019. America's first hamburger fast food chain is now inviting entries for its class of 2020 inductees.

In addition to their selection for this prestigious honor, the 2020 inductees will also receive an extra special tribute: Their stories will be featured on select White Castle restaurant packaging in 2021, which just happens to be White Castle's 100^th birthday and the 20^th anniversary of the Cravers Hall of Fame.

White Castle always treats it Cravers Hall of Fame inductees like royalty, bringing them on an all-expense paid trip to Columbus, Ohio, the site of White Castle's home office, where they are wined and dined and formally inducted into the Cravers Hall of Fame. (This year's in-person celebration will depend on the status of the pandemic.) But for its 100^th year, White Castle decided to step up the royal treatment by also showcasing inductees' stories on packaging.

"We're about to enter our 100^th year as a family-owned business because of the support of our passionate cravers," said Jamie Richardson, vice president with White Castle. "We wanted to do something extra special for those inducted into the Cravers Hall of Fame this year. Featuring our Hall of Famers on our packaging is the perfect way to celebrate their devotion and to share their extraordinary stories far and wide."

In another nod to its 100^th birthday, White Castle will be awarding, for the first time, a special collectible to the 100 entries that best exemplify why White Castle is meaningful to the them. All entries are judged on brand loyalty, creative presentation, originality and magnitude of the crave.

Cravers can apply for the Hall of Fame on the White Castle website. Entries are due by Sept. 30, 2020.

White Castle created the Cravers Hall of Fame in 2001 as an exclusive, honorary club to recognize White Castle's most dedicated and zealous fans. Each year, White Castle receives several hundred entries that show just how far some people will go to satisfy their crave. Some of the stories are funny, some are poignant and some are remarkable, but all of them are very personal, heartfelt testaments to the ways in which White Castle has touched their lives and created lasting memories. A total of 228 people have been inducted into White Castle's Craver Hall of Fame. Notable inductees include rock 'n' roll icon Alice Cooper, comic pioneer Stan Lee, award-winning fashion designer Telfar Clemens, and the stars of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Kal Penn and John Cho.

About White Castle^®White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for almost 100 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider^® in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 360 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine's most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible^™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger." White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

SOURCE White Castle