White Castle One of the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ 2022

Recognition comes ahead of annual celebration
of the 25-Year Club induction ceremony

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain and popular retail consumer packaged goods brand, is proud to earn recognition as one of the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ 2022. White Castle is the only restaurant brand among the 20 large employers to make the list, which highlights how employees rank their employers. The list was released yesterday by Great Place to Work.

The Best Workplaces in Retail designation is based on analysis of survey responses from over 72,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the retail industry. In that survey, 80% of White Castle's nearly 10,000 employees said White Castle is a great place to work. Only 57% of employees at other U.S. companies say their employer is a great place to work.

The 101-year-old, family-owned business has long been recognized as a leader in the food industry with incredible team member loyalty and engagement scores. More than 1 in 4 of the company's 10,000 team members have worked at White Castle for 10 years or more. And nearly all 450 of White Castle's regional directors, district supervisors, general managers, and operations leadership team members started their careers behind the counter at White Castle.

"Building relationships is key to our longevity and it begins with our dedicated team members," said John Kelley, chief people officer and fourth-generation family member. "We put in hard work to maintain the high-level service Cravers demand, but we do it in a respectful manner that promotes growth and loyalty among our people. This recognition reflects that standard."

The Best Workplaces in Retail list is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the companies on the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were considered only if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified organization. 

Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.

"These companies have adapted to the challenges of an ever-changing workplace by their commitment to inclusive, high-trust cultures where employees are treated as human beings first and foremost," says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "Congratulations to the Best Workplaces in Retail." 

Later this month on Sept. 22, White Castle will induct a brand-new class into its 25-Year Club. This year, 45 employees have reached that milestone. In 1946, the company's founder Billy Ingram became the first team member to reach 25 years of service. This year's inductees will bring the total 25-Year Club members to 2,206.

"Whether it's a first anniversary or the 25^th, there's always room to celebrate our team members' dedication to making White Castle a world-renown business," Kelley added. "We're entirely devoted to making certain every team member is treated as family."

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 more than 350 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 meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing 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, which earned the Great Place to Work^® Certification™ in 2021 and 2022, 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. 

Great Place to Work^® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, it has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Its employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything it does is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all.

SOURCE White Castle