White Castle Inducts 11 Loyal Cravers and, for the First Time Ever, One Extraordinary Craver Community Into Its Cravers Hall of Fame

85-year-old who celebrates birthdays at White Castle, couple who got engaged at White Castle, man who battled blizzard to satisfy the "Crave" and the city of Whiting, Indiana, among this year's inductees

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a new group of royalty inside White Castle's walls. On Wednesday, the beloved fast-food pioneer and popular consumer-packaged goods business announced the 11 newest members of its Cravers Hall of Fame, an exclusive club that White Castle created in 2001 to recognize its most zealous fans. For the first time ever, the list includes an entire city of Cravers!

The 11 members of the 2023 class of the Cravers Hall of Fame were formally inducted during a ceremony that was part of White Castle's annual leadership conference at its home office in Columbus. Nearly 700 of White Castle's district supervisors, regional managers, and general managers were on hand to watch the induction ceremony and celebrate the achievement of these devoted White Castle fans.

White Castle provided the inductees with complimentary travel, dining and hotel accommodations as well as a reception in their honor. Each one received a plaque commemorating their special place in the Cravers Hall of Fame. In addition, their individual stories will be featured on the restaurant's iconic Slider box packaging.

"More than two decades ago, we created a Cravers Pantheon to celebrate the devotion of customers whose loyalty to White Castle transcends our Sliders and tasty sides," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "It was our pleasure to induct another 11 of our most ardent fans and — for the first time — a city into our Cravers Hall of Fame. Their stories celebrate the magic that happens when White Castle connects with people in special ways."

Celebrating Craver Passion Since 2001

Each year, hundreds of Cravers submit their White Castle stories in hopes of being chosen for the Cravers Hall of Fame. While some of the stories are funny, some are poignant and some are remarkable, all of them are very personal, heartfelt testaments to the ways in which White Castle has touched lives and created memorable moments.

This year's stories include a man who has eaten White Castle Sliders on his Christmas Eve birthday for nearly all of his 85 years; a couple who celebrated many Valentine's Days at White Castle and even got engaged there; and a man who braved a Chicago blizzard to satisfy his late-night White Castle "Crave." In addition, White Castle leadership chose to induct the city of Whiting, Indiana, in gratitude for its support as the family-owned business replaced a beloved historic Castle with a brand-new one.

"We were so touched and overwhelmed by the outpouring of goodwill in Whiting as we turned the page from old to new," said Richardson. "We realized the only fitting way to express our gratitude to the people of Whiting was to induct the whole city into the Cravers Hall of Fame."

Since the Hall of Fame's start in 2001, a total of 274 inductees, including this year's group, have been honored with this distinguished award. A few notable inductees include rocker Alice Cooper, designer Telfar Clemens, TV personality Adam Richman, actors Kal Penn and John Cho, and the late comic pioneer Stan Lee.

Nominations for the next class of Cravers Hall of Famers can be submitted now through White Castle's website here.

Cravers Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductees

1.    The City of Whiting, Indiana

The White Castle at 1879 Indianapolis Blvd. had proudly served Whiting, Indiana, since it was built in 1935. The 88-year-old restaurant, the oldest in the Chicago region, was a city landmark that served generations of families. Many people were sad to see it torn down, but everyone embraced the new, larger and more modern White Castle that took its place in 2023 with a huge turnout at the opening ceremony. Throughout the process, Whiting residents shared story after story about the important role White Castle had played in their lives and in the community throughout the years.

2.    Nick Brow, Schaumburg, Illinois

In January 2020, in the midst of a blizzard in Chicago, Nick was hanging out at friend's house when he got a late-night craving for White Castle Sliders. Even though it was 2:30 a.m. and snowing heavily, he was determined to satisfy his crave. Only one friend was brave enough to join Nick on his snowy quest. After 15 minutes of clearing snow and ice from the car, Nick and his friend began their perilous journey to White Castle, just a few miles away. The trip, which normally would have taken just a few minutes, took them about an hour. Nick's friends were relieved to see them return, but laughed at the steps they took for Sliders. "It was 100% worth it," Nick told them.

3.    J. Stuart Cundiff, Columbus, Indiana

Stuart celebrated his 85^th birthday on Christmas Eve with friends, neighbors and White Castle. The tradition of eating White Castle on his birthday started about 80 years ago, when his father, a firefighter for the city of Louisville, would take Stuart to the nearby White Castle before heading to the movie theater. On the way home, they'd always stop at White Castle again to pick up a dozen more Sliders: six for his mom and sister and six for his grandparents who lived across the street. He would take the Sliders to his grandparents, then he'd come back home to find presents under the tree that Santa had left while he was gone. Stuart and his dad followed that tradition until he left to serve in the U.S. Air Force. His wife carried on the tradition, always making sure that Stuart had White Castle Sliders on his Christmas Eve birthday. When there were no White Castles nearby, his wife made her own version with onion soup and a slice of pickle. And whenever Stuart was able to make it back home to Louisville for Christmas, he and his dad shared White Castle for his birthday.

4.    Don Clelland, Lombard, Illinois

The first year that Don and his wife were dating, he took her to White Castle for Valentine's Day. She liked it, and he knew then that they were meant to be together. After celebrating Valentine's Day at White Castle three times, he thought it was the perfect place to propose. Don was careful to keep the surprise intact, so he casually suggested they stop at White Castle on the way to pumpkin picking. His friends had already brought his 70's era brown tux, the ring, and a music speaker to the Castle and hid them in the bathroom. At the end of the meal, Don excused himself to "pull a Clark Kent" before returning to the table in formal attire to pop the question with their song, "My Girl," playing in the background. She said yes, and they're still happily married after 10 years, two kids and 13 Love Castle celebrations.

5.    Rick Kessler, Silver Spring, Maryland

"My dad, Rick Kessler, is one of the biggest White Castle fans of all time." That's how Matt Kessler started the Cravers Hall of Fame nomination for his dad. Matt grew up hearing stories from his dad about White Castle, like the one time his dad bought more than 200 Sliders for himself and his friends as they traveled from New Jersey to Florida. Matt also said his dad filled their house with White Castle memorabilia, like coffee mugs, candles and T-shirts as well as a painting of a White Castle restaurant at night. His dad even has a piece of tile and concrete from the demolished White Castle in Verona, New Jersey, on display in his living room. To state the obvious, White Castle is a huge part of Rick Kessler's life. "He's truly a super fan," says Matt.

6 & 7. Joe Dubay, Blaine, Minnesota, and Chris Parr, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Long-time friends and White Castle fans Joe Dubay and Chris Parr are both accomplished cross-country skiers. In 2023, they entered the American Birkebeiner, the largest ski race in North America. They decided to stretch the rules a bit and participate in the race as a pair using specially made tandem skis. The two documented their amusing adventure — from the training that began months before to the jubilance of crossing the finish line — on video that Chris later turned into light-hearted mockumentary (Part 1 and Part 2). White Castle Sliders played a big role in their journey: They not only ate them before and after many training sessions, but toward the end of the grueling race, Chris pulled out a Slider that he had been hiding in his ski suit and shared it with Joe, who said that "single and still steamy Slider gave us the will to continue our journey and inspire a future of White Castle-fueled adventures together." After they finished the race, the two friends celebrated at White Castle.

8. Paula Engelking, St. Louis Park, Minnesota

It's a rare woman who would rather receive Sliders than flowers, but Paula Engelking's now husband, Jeff, won her over on their first date 30 years ago by surprising her with a six-pack of frozen Sliders. Paula, a White Castle fan since childhood, thought to herself: "This guy gets me." Over the next few months, the couple bonded over their love of movies, Bruce Springsteen, David Letterman and, of course, White Castle. They celebrated their first Valentine's Day together at White Castle, a tradition they continued even after their son and daughter came along. In fact, this year will mark the 29^th Valentine's Day visit for Paula and Jeff, who was inducted into the Cravers Hall of Fame two years ago after sharing the same love story from his perspective.

9.    Kevin Smole, Clarksville, Maryland

Kevin is part of a rich Craver legacy. You see, his wife, son and father-in-law were inducted into the Cravers Hall of Fame in 2021. Kevin was elated for them. They had their moment, and he knew that his was to come. Kevin and his wife, Barbi, first met when they were students at The Ohio State University in 1998. Barbi and her father, Dick, who together had a special connection to White Castle, once invited Kevin to join them for Sliders. Soon, Kevin was a regular with Barbi and her father. During subsequent meetings at White Castle, Dick often talked about the role of White Castle in his family's life. Sliders were quickly becoming central to Kevin and Barbi's life together as well. "We craved not only a good Slider, but we craved our time together and making amazing memories," Kevin said. Today, 25 years later, Kevin is just as much a Craver as his family before him!

10.  Angela An, Columbus, Ohio ("Craver in Extremis")

Local TV celebrity Angela An was inducted as a "Craver in Extremis." White Castle created this title in 2002 to recognize public figures, celebrities and pop icons who have publicly expressed their love of White Castle. Angela, an anchor with Columbus' CBS affiliate, WBNS Channel 10, frequently shares with her viewers some of the fun news from White Castle — things like new menu items, the holiday gift guide and White Castle's 100^th anniversary. She has made the Slider Stuffing and Stuffin' Muffin recipes for her family and co-workers. She purchased a Crave Case for her station's Thanksgiving party. And she's been helpful in arranging excellent coverage of White Castle's annual Valentine's Day dinner tradition. Angela has shown time and time again that her White Castle Crave is real!

11.  White Castle Town Crier ("Craver in Extremis")

Hear ye, hear ye! You may have seen the White Castle Town Crier make an appearance at the groundbreaking for the Orlando White Castle, in a social media video about National Fast Food Day, or even at a past Cravers Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This time-traveling orator has rung his bell at some of the most memorable moments in recent White Castle history. In recognition of his timeless contributions to the Crave, the White Castle Town Crier now has a permanent home in Castle lore!

About White Castle^®

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders since 1921. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the family-owned business owns and operates about 340 restaurants as well as a retail division providing its famous fare in freezer aisles of retail stores nationwide. As part of its commitment to offering the highest quality products, White Castle owns and operates its own Slider Provider meat plants, bakeries and frozen-Slider retail plants. White Castle has earned numerous accolades over the years including Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time" (2014, The Original Slider^®) and Thrillist's "Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger" (2019, Impossible^™ Slider). In 2021, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle received the Great Place to Work^® Certification™ in 2021, 2022 and 2023 — the only fast-food restaurant to earn this distinction three years in a row — and is known for the legendary engagement of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for the business for at least 10 years. White Castle is beloved by its passionate fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app makes it easy for Cravers to sign up for the Craver Nation^® loyalty program, 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