White Castle Honors America's Servicemen And Women During Fleet Week

Fresh Grilled Sliders Served Onboard the U.S.S. Wasp

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May 22, 2012, 12:22 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of sailors, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are celebrating Fleet Week in New York City with the one-of-a-kind, All-American White Castle Slider. With two outdoor specially made grills, White Castle team members will grill the restaurant's famous Sliders on the deck of the U.S.S. Wasp. More than 2,500 military personnel are being served approximately 5,000 fresh steam-grilled-on-a-bed-of-onions Sliders from 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 25.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030828/WHITECASTLELOGO )

This "Taste of Home" event is a way for White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, to honor the U.S. military for its heroic dedication to our country.

"Our legion of loyal Cravers extends to those serving in the U.S. Military," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle and the Ambassador to Craver Nation. "It's our turn to give back. White Castle is honored to pay tribute by participating in Fleet Week and showing our support for the troops."

This "thank you" celebration is just part of the White Castle festivities for Fleet Week and National Hamburger Month.

Thursday, May 24, White Castle is dedicating Castle no. 47, located at 2900 E. Tremont Ave., for its historic significance in Castle history. Victor Gradowski's streak of eating White Castle for 218 consecutive weeks landed him in the Cravers Hall of Fame class of 2010. His streak started in 2004 and lasted until 2009. Castle no. 47 is where Gradowski consumed many of his White Castle meals during the great streak. Gradowski is being honored during the ceremony with a historic landmark plaque and this dedication ceremony establishes the first landmark for Craver Nation.

After the Castle dedication ceremony, hundreds of Craver Nation citizens will take an oath of Cravership. White Castle is known for the loyalty of its fans, fondly known as Cravers. This loyal dedication led to the birth of a new nation on May 1 – Craver Nation. The program encourages like-minded Cravers to form a social community with contests and rewards in the form of FREE Sliders.

"What could be more natural than our loyal followers pledging their complete commitment to distinctive taste," Richardson said.

United by a common craving and pledging their allegiance to a two-by-two square-inch, 100 percent all beef patty and all things White Castle, the ceremony is part of White Castle's new loyalty program. Each Craver Nation citizen receives an official Craverhead mask and White Castle is serving complimentary Sliders. Since its launch, Craver Nation has already gained thousands of citizens from around the globe.

About White Castle

White Castle is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio that owns and operates more than 400 White Castle restaurants in 12 states. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and is America's first fast-food hamburger chain. All White Castle Sliders are made from 100-percent USDA approved beef or 100-percent white meat chicken. For more information on White Castle, visit www.whitecastle.com.

SOURCE White Castle