White Castle Surpasses 28 Billion Burgers Sold Since Founding in 1921; Milestone Kicks Off National Hamburger Month

White Castle to Celebrate Historic Sales and Retail Division's 35^th Birthday in May with Promotions and Activities Designed to Thank and Honor Customers and Team Members

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- May is National Hamburger Month, and White Castle has a lot to celebrate. Besides being the first fast-food hamburger chain in the U.S. and the pioneer of the smaller-sized burger that ultimately became known as The Original Slider, the 101-year-old family-owned business has recently reached a significant milestone: all-time sales of its burgers — The Original Slider and Cheese Slider — have surpassed 28 billion. That includes 22 billion sliders sold in restaurants and another 6 billion sold through the company's retail division.

"This is a memorable moment for White Castle, and what better time to celebrate than National Hamburger Month," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "We played an essential part in the introduction of the hamburger over 100 years ago. It's rewarding to see our numbers climb, reinforcing our role in the enduring popularity of the hamburger."

White Castle celebrates its version of the hamburger – the slider – all year long. But it has some special promotions and activities scheduled throughout National Hamburger Month designed to thank and honor its customers and its team members.

For the first time since 2019, White Castle will continue its long tradition of having team members from the home office work in Castles and at the company's food manufacturing plants. More than 250 team members are expected to spend a day in May either steam-grilling sliders and greeting customers or helping out on the production lines to make and package the sliders sold in retail outlets across the U.S.

"Our team members look forward to this day each year because it gives us all a chance to make some memorable moments with our colleagues and our customers," Richardson said. "It's all part of how we fulfill our vision to feed the souls of Craver generations everywhere."

White Castle will also celebrate National Hamburger Month by inducting its 2021 class into the Cravers Hall of Fame. On May 19, 10 people from across the country will join this exclusive club, which White Castle created in 2001 as a way to recognize its most loyal and passionate fans, affectionately known as Cravers. They were selected from more than 250 entries, which all described the very personal ways in which White Castle has touched their lives and created lasting memories. The induction ceremony will take place at White Castle's Columbus, Ohio, headquarters.

White Castle's very own "National Slider Day" takes place on May 15, right in the middle of National Hamburger Month. On this day dedicated to the burger that launched the fast-food industry, White Castle will offer a free Cheese Slider (no purchase necessary) to anyone with a digital coupon, which will be sent to email subscribers and posted on White Castle's social media channels.

White Castle launched its retail division in 1987, becoming the first fast-food restaurant to offer its famous fare at grocery, club and convenience stores for preparation at home. Now celebrating its 35^th birthday during National Hamburger Month, the retail side of the business has turned White Castle into a successful consumer packaged goods company as well as a fast-food icon.

"You can't talk about the history of the hamburger without mentioning White Castle," Richardson said. "This month, we salute the hamburger and White Castle's role in making it available to the masses. Long Live Sliders!"

About White Castle^®

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders as a family-owned business for 101 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider^® in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time," is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted Sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible^™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger." White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and also for its faithful fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to 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