White Castle Celebrates 35th Birthday of Its Highly Successful Retail Division

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Jun 07, 2022, 07:00 ET

More manufacturing capacity, new retail products, celebrity recipes and a documentary video series highlight a year of announcements and celebrations

COLUMBUS, Ohio , June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1987, White Castle launched its retail division, becoming the first fast-food restaurant to offer its food in grocery stores for preparation at home. Some industry experts scoffed at the idea, saying a fast-food restaurant couldn't succeed as a consumer packaged-goods company. But White Castle proved them wrong. Its retail division has grown steadily over the years, becoming an integral part of the family-owned business' success and giving the brand a national presence.

White Castle's retail division, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, features a diverse lineup of menu items.

"When my dad, Bill Ingram, was president and CEO, he wanted to make sure everyone had access to White Castle Sliders, including people who didn't live in a White Castle market," said Lisa Ingram, White Castle's current president and CEO. "That's how he came up with the idea of selling our Sliders in grocery and convenience stores. It was a strategic decision that has made a significant difference for White Castle."

Now observing its 35^th birthday, White Castle's retail division has several reasons to celebrate.

The division sold its 6 billionth retail Slider at the end of 2021 and achieved record sales last year. In fact, 20% of its total sales since 1987 have come in the past three years alone, and the division is poised for continued growth.

To keep up with the increasing demand for its frozen Sliders, White Castle is expanding the manufacturing capacity at its plant in Vandalia, Ohio, near Dayton. The company has invested $27 million in the project, which will be finished this summer. The expansion doubles the size of the plant from approximately 75,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet.

During the groundbreaking ceremony last summer, White Castle officials named the plant "The House That Bill Built" in honor of Bill Ingram, the third-generation family member who was responsible for creating and expanding the retail division during his tenure as president and CEO. Today, The House That Bill Built, along with other dedicated manufacturing facilities in Covington and Louisville, Kentucky, supply packaged Sliders to retailers, large and small, in all 50 states.

As part of White Castle's commitment to bring even more craveable snacking solutions to consumers, White Castle on June 1 announced a partnership with Bellisio Foods, one of the nation's largest, most trusted frozen-food companies, to bring White Castle's Chicken Rings to retail outlets across the U.S.

One of the most popular menu items in Castles, Chicken Rings will debut this summer, making a welcome addition to White Castle's retail selection. These lightly breaded, tender, juicy white meat chicken rings will come in two flavors — original and spicy. Packaged in a stand-up, resealable pouch, they're ready to satisfy every crave anytime.

Look for another product announcement at the end of July.

"Our retail division continues to perform well and exceed our sales goals," said Tiffany Carreker, general manager and vice president of sales for White Castle's retail division. "These new products are going to enhance our existing line-up and make our retail offerings even more attractive to customers. It's a perfect way to celebrate our 35 years as a CPG business."

In late 2021, White Castle added the Chicken & Cheese Slider, White Castle's top-selling non-beef Slider sold in Castles, to its retail lineup. The rollout of the popular Slider, which is made with all white meat topped with American cheese, continues with wide acceptance among major food retailers nationwide. The Chicken & Cheese Slider joins five other craveable varieties of White Castle Sliders available in grocers' freezers: Original Sliders, Classic Cheese Sliders, Jalapeño Cheese Sliders, Chicken Breast Sliders and the Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Slider.

White Castle will be celebrating the 35^th anniversary of its retail division in other ways, too.

Celebrity food enthusiast Adam Richman, the former host of Man v Food, recreated three of his favorite recipes using White Castle Sliders. This tasty trio of dishes — Slider Lasagna, Slider Scallion Pancakes and Afternoon Tea with Sliders — are very easy to make but result in surprisingly delicious flavor combinations.

And later this year, White Castle will release a documentary-style video series on social media. Called "The Crave Chronicles," these 30- to 45-second vignettes will go behind the scenes to show how Sliders are made, how they ended up in grocery stores nationwide, and how team members work to satisfy customers' cravings every single day.

"We've come a long way since retail's launch in 1987, not just in years, but in everything we've been able to accomplish, as well," Carreker said. "We make the great taste of Sliders available to Cravers all across the country, and that's always reason to celebrate."

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 101 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider^® in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 350 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. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." 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 also for its faithful fans ("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 at 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