White Castle Near Me

Generally credited as the nation’s first fast food chain, White Castle is a beloved regional hamburger restaurant that is located in the Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic United States. The chain is a bit of a cult phenomenon, even garnering movies and pop culture references about just how satisfying a White Castle burger truly is.

Are you interested in finding a White Castle location near you? Simply browse White Castle near me on the map below and find a list of White Castle locations within a close proximity to you. Need a bit more information on White Castle? Read on for interesting facts, trivia, and history on this beloved Hamburger chain.

White Castle Near Me – Find it on the Map

White Castle Near Me – White Castle Trivia

True or false: The White Castle founder may have invented the modern hamburger.

This fact is true! According to historians, Walt Anderson, a short order cook from Wichita, Kansas was pretty keen on experimenting with the size and shape of each of the hamburger patties he served. There’s nothing new there, every cook get’s a bit frustrated from time to time. Walt’s greatest invention came when he was upset by how his meatballs were sticking to the griddle. In a burst of anger, Walt smashed the meatball down with a spatula, resulting in a very flat and thin patty. Some believe this is when the flat hamburger patty we know and love was first born. As you search White Castle near me, consider just how the modern hamburger may have been influenced the founder of this beloved chain. Anderson is also credited with pioneering fast food when he opened a hamburger stand with an $80 loan and quickly grew it out to include four locations. Billy Ingram, a local real estate agent, bought in and in 1921 the duo established a chain of small but efficiently run restaurants that specialized in selling burgers by the sack for just five cents.

The iconic White Castle architecture.

How did the chain get its name?

One might not think of hamburgers as a particularly regal affair, but that’s exactly why Anderson chose the name. During the time of Anderson’s pioneering venture, exposes such as Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” portrayed hamburger beef as unsafe, poisonous, and cruel to produce. This left a lot of patrons shaken when it came to ordering beef. In order to give his burgers a pristine image, Anderson combined two words that would inevitably convey purity and solidity: White Castle. The name was a hit, with lines often forming around the corner. The design of the restaurants themselves were based on the Chicago Water Tower, a landmark that managed to survive the great fire of 1871. The tower quickly became a model for White Castle’s tower design. If you’re searching White Castle near me, then you know that his brand not only serves up quality burgers, they are a fairly pristine and well operated chain.

White Castle Near Me – White Castle Facts

The Paper Hat business

Ingram and Anderson didn’t want to be deemed one trick ponies, but they also wanted their restaurants to be inexpensive, small, quick to build, and even easier to take down. In 1934, Ingram went on to start his own subsidiary company, Porcelain Steel Buildings. The purpose of the business was to produce lightweight porcelain and steel structures. These structures would be incredibly easy to put up, with minimal cost, and minimal labor. If the buildings needed to be taken down, that was a cinch as well. During World War II the brand even did its part to contribute by manufacturing amphibious vehicles. The company also went on to purchase the manufacturer Paperlynen in 1932. This was to produce the paper hats that employees were required to wear. Realizing that the paper hat business was pretty popular and profitable, White Castle started taking orders from other food service establishments throughout the United States. By 1964, Ingram and White Castle were selling and producing more than 54 million caps annually. If you’re searching White Castle near me, then odds are you’re all too familiar with their iconic paper caps and classic structural designs.

Flipping Burgers Was Once Desirable

Nowadays, fast food workers aren’t always paid a fair wage. In fact, it’s spurred much debate in recent years. However, back in the day, flipping burgers at White Castle was a highly desirable job. Ingram reportedly paid his employees up to $30 a week, that was a nice chunk of money in those days, especially for someone working at a restaurant. Not only did Ingram pay fairly, he also offered paid sick days, pension plans, and the opportunity for promotion. Of course, employees had to work hard. Each was required to undergo a two week unpaid apprenticeship, were expected to wear spotless white cloths, and were instructed to keep their hair short and be overly courteous to every customer. Every employee was also required to e between the ages of 18 and 24 years old.