(Photo by Todd Plitt/Getty Images). While most of us don't have the athletic prowess or musical accolades to land us a spot in a sports or music hall of fame, almost anyone can eat a hamburger. The History of White Castle. The old White Castle logo when Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson first opened their very first White Castle in 1921. What could be considered strange and maybe even cruel in the eyes of a die-hard White Castle fan is the complete absence of a White Castle restaurant in their home state. The Ingram family tries not to talk about the business of sliders over Christmas dinner. Started in 1921, by Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram, a Wichita real estate and insurance agent and Walt Anderson, who created a tiny, square hamburger. From the beginning, White Castle innovator and founder Billy Ingram's mission was to help team members and provide opportunities for them to better themselves. How many burger joints can say that? Ingram had replaced her father as CEO at the end of 2015, according to The Columbus Dispatch. THESE RESTAURATEURS BRAVELY OPENED NEW EATERIES AMID COVID PANDEMIC: DETERMINED' TO SUCCEED. Krispy Kreme eventually backed out of the idea and a fictional hot dog stand was swapped in place before reaching out to White Castle executives who loved the idea. Perhaps it's the small size of its iconic sliders, the mystique of its busy late night hours, or scarcity in certain states, but the company has been successful creating a "crave-worthy" business. Walter Anderson and Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram, Sr., formed the White Castle System of Eating Houses Corporation in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. Our focus is still on great value. As White Castle celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2021, the Ingram-White Castle . He recently ordered 50 sliders at a Las Vegas White Castle just for fun. Once pioneers in the industry, they now 'refer back to what great-grandfather Billy would do, forgetting the fact that it's 2014 and that's not really relevant anymore.'. As McDonald's and other burger franchises dominate the American landscape, White Castle with approximately 375 locations in 14 states, remains a modest . Roughly half of its 401 outlets were built before 1960; the average manager has put in 21 years. . Ingram Jr., who passed it on to E.W. When Billy Ingram retried to Florida in 1958, White Castle briefly opened a few locations in Miami. You can still get a 10-sack of sliders for around $7, which can be shared by several people. Inside Frogmore Cottage: Plush home Harry and Meghan have been 'evicted' from by King Charles boasts a roomy Charles evicting Harry and Meghan is the act of a King putting his country first: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals A royal princess at Eton? "White Castle didn't make that hamburger famous, that hamburger made White Castle famous," Coastal Castle president Kenneth H. Clifford told the Los Angeles Times in 1985. She is even looking at a couple of new brands too: Laughing Noodle, a Chinese restaurant with three outlets in Ohio and Kentucky; Blaze Modern BBQ, a smoke joint with two locations in Indianapolis; and Deckers Grilled Sandwiches, a lunch food joint in Tennessee and Kentucky. The tiny White Castle "slider" cost just 5 cents in 1921, which amounts to about 66 cents today. 11% of White Castle employees are Hispanic or Latino. In 1999, in honor of the foundation's 50th anniversary, Mary and E.W. Theyre still hungry for more sliders and that keeps them happy. White Castle enjoyed a trophy silver screen moment in the landmark 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever" when Brooklyn disco celebrity Tony Manero (John Travolta) takes his date to the burger joint with his classless buddies. So with all of this commitment to cleanliness and history behind it, opening a White Castle franchise seems like an awesome idea, right? The company has not only received attention for their "fashionable" uniforms but has been one of the first fast food chains to show transparency by creating a website to display restaurant health scores online. In fact, we have 1.2 million followers on Facebook. Its 100% beef and we put the onions on the grill, then the 100% beef patty on the onions and the bun goes on top to absorb the flavor. How are you adapting to consumer tastes for healthier food? Billy bought out Anderson in 1933 and moved the operation to Columbus a year later. Perhaps one day, White Castle will bestow the good people of Texas with a restaurant so Cruz and O'Rourke can hash things out over a case of sliders. Its distinctive white castle buildings adorned towns early in 1921, when it was founded by Billy Ingram. Workers scheduled during that time in the restaurants, at the home office and at the companys manufacturing plants were paid for the four-hour break. Ingram Jr. About Dave Rife. While Chicken Littles and Burger Bundles are long gone, White Castle also saw smaller burger joints pop up that were brazen enough to rip off the White Castle name and building design. His original slider hamburger cost just 5 cents 101 years ago. . Americans are expected to spend about $333 billion on fast food in 2022, according to IBIS World data. Even today, its expansion is slow as is still only in 12 states. White Castle still offers a value meal as it did when it first started. Yet, price changes were inevitable. "Mr. Ingram helped found in 1921 the White Castle System, noted for its inexpensive burgers, years before [the] recent boom in hamburger chain operations," The New York Times reported in its obituary. Title page for Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," 1906. In just the past 20 years, sales have more than doubled to $675 million and the chain added about 100 stores. (White Castle made $738.3 million in 2019, according to The Business Journals. Billy Ingram passed stewardship of White Castle along to his son E.W. Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram, born in Colorado in 1880, opened a White Castle in 1921 and changed American eating habits forever. 'But they said my ID will still work at the door.'. The foundation has also provided $1.5 million scholarships to full-time team members and their dependents. Anderson's . . Richardson: Our biggest surprise of 2019 was delivery sales. White Castle isn't the first that accolade goes to Taco Bell but they've arguably had one of the biggest recent vegan successes in fast food. The 1940s ended bleakly for White Castle. At the turn of the new century, White Castle has continued to grow, with the expansion plan of opening 20 to 25 outlets each year. California had its own version of White Castle with the slider joint Coastal Castle. The burger chain almost didn't even happen because Ingram had plans to go into the insurance business, but only decided to switch gears after meeting Anderson and being convinced that hamburgers were the way to go. And to this day, its still a family-run business since Billys great-granddaughter Lisa Ingram serves as White Castles president and CEO. ", MEET THE AMERICAN WHO COOKED UP FROZEN FOODS: ADVENTURER AND INNOVATOR CLARENCE BIRDSEYE. The one . Each year, White Castle and the Ingram-White Castle Foundation, founded in 1949, donate more than $2 million to a variety of charities across the nation, including more than $8 million for Autism Speaks in the last 10 years. "Knowing that we started in Wichita and that it is where it all began, we thought would be a great chance to bring some of the family members together," said Jamie Richardson, the company's VP. Ingrams great grandfather, E.W. Founded on September 13, 1921, in Wichita, Kansas, it has been generally credited as the world's first fast-food hamburger chain. (Courtesy White Castle). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Billy Ingram moved White Castle to Columbus in 1934 after buying out Anderson's share of the business. Any team member who encounters an unexpected hardship can apply for a confidential relief grant of up to $1,500. White castle was dismissed as just a cheap food fad early on, but its small square burgers were such a hit that the chain found itself being imitated from competitors big and small. "Prior to Anderson's method of preparation, the hamburger sandwich consisted of a thick ball of ground meat cooked slowly on a griddle for an indefinite period of time," noted the same source. "There was something authentic in the way the script described how people feel about our distinctive taste and the lengths they'll go to.". In 2014, Time Magazine declared our iconic Original Slider the most influential burger of all time. The Prestigious school where Princes William and Harry were educated is EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince William's potentially awkward visit to homelessness charity. Were adding about three locations a year, including three or five in 2020. White Castle made rock icon Alice Cooper a throne of White Castle burgers to celebrate his ascension into the brand's Cravers Hall of Fame. Distributing Plant in Vandalia, Ohio, on April 30, 2014. Local burger cook Walter Anderson (left) and entrepreneur Billy Ingram founded White Castle in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. Elizabeth Ingram Net Worth Elizabeth Ingram biography. The company -- the first hamburger chain -- relishes its iconic status. 683 Million. Richardson: So much of our investment these days is in growing sales of consumer packaged goods. In 1921, real estate agent and insurance salesman Billy Ingram met Walt Anderson, a cook who owned three hamburger stands in . By the time his son, Edgar, took over in 1966, White Castle had sold a billion burgers. More recently, White Castle partnered with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation with a new relief fund, Change Is on the Menu, and donated money through a narration of Twas the Night Before Cravemas by Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss. With their ironclad commitment to the integrity of White Castle food, it's safe to assume the burgers of today are identical to what Ingram and Anderson were serving up in 1921, right? In fact, thousands of people have applied for admission since 2001, but just 227 have been accepted. The only other time White Castle units close is on Christmas. While it probably won't become a White Castle restaurant again, Hartman is hopeful that he can find a long-term tenant that sees the value in the history of the building that only had room for five stools in its early years. The perks of being a rock star. In 1933, the company made a transition in ownership. Or was it six? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The mobile app showed that an impressive 21 percent of the chain's business happens during that late night six-hour block. The chain currently has just under 400 locations. 1 billion. Hungry fans were able to buy sliders for 90 cents (for two) before the company packed up and left once again for the Buckeye state. According to Forbes, Ingram's net worth is now $4.2 billion, up from $3.9 billion last year. Left to die alone like an animal: Parents who left 23-stone disabled daughter to die in her own filth are Holiday home owners in Scotland face new SNP tax hike under plans from front-runner to be new First Scotland should just self-identify as an independent country, one SNP member proposed. MEET THE AMERICAN WHO INVENTED THE CRASH TEST DUMMY, A LIFE-SAVING INNOVATION, "White Castles rise to cult status was nothing short of miraculous," raved burger enthusiast and "Howard Stern Show" radio personality Jon Hein in the debut episode of TV program "Fast Food Mania.". Now it would sound weird the idea that your experience there should be the same every single time and that every customer gets the exact same food over and over again. It was back in 1921 when Billy Ingram took out a $700 loan and, with friend Walt Anderson, opened a shack in Wichita, Kans. Reply. "We invented National Slider Day as a special tribute to the fans who share that appreciation for the slider and share their Cravings with us," White Castle VP Jamie Richardson, said in a press release. "W e first opened our doors in Wichita, Kansas, in March of 1921. The Colorado native founded the worlds first burger chain, White Castle, in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. The New York City rappers shouted out the burger joint in five of the 13 tracks on the album; and again in a tune on their sophomore album "Pauls Boutique. Photo . Nation's Restaurant News is part of the Informa Connect Division of Informa PLC. White Castle hamburger Sliders move down a conveyor belt before being frozen, packaged and shipped to grocery stores at the new White Castle Co. I know where he lives.'. Wife is shocked after husband of 15 years asks for permission to have an affair: 'I don't know what to do', My Daily Horoscope: What does March 2nd hold for MY star sign? Long story short, Coastal Castle no longer exists. Billy Ingram died in Columbus on May 20, 1966, after battling a short illness. "Part of the agreement from purchasing it from Indiana Landmarks is that the purchaser has to restore the exterior brick," Jason Hartman, the building's new owner said. Jun 2000 - Present22 years 9 months. Market data provided by Factset. In order to get the misinformed public in the door and ordering his White Castle hamburgers, Ingram worked out a deal with the University of Minnesota to research the health of the food. It wasn't just the look of the restaurant that Ingram and Anderson placed a level of sanitary scrutiny on, but the employees working behind the counter as well. The book had impacted the good name of ground beef so much, that Anderson and business partner Billy A. Ingram choose the name "White Castle" to convey a sense of purity and strength. Version of White Castle had sold a billion burgers to SUCCEED Ohio, on April 30, 2014 to tastes! 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