He is widely considered the father of fast food recognized as its creator by industry media as early as 1957, before most modern fast-food brands were even born. 7 / 34. But the meat industry nationwide had fallen on hard times as Ingram and Anderson looked to grow White Castle. "There was a real assembly-line fervor that was raging across America [in the 1920s]," author and fast-food expert Adam Chandler told Smithsonian Magazine in a 2019 interview. There's a reason that it's called White Castle and not green or blue Castle. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Anderson is credited with being the inventor of the hamburger California had its own version of White Castle with the slider joint Coastal Castle. By contrast McDonalds has around 37,800 global locations and Burger King around 13,000. Fourth-generation White Castle CEO Lisa Ingram shares her career path and favorite secret menu item with host MaryLee Melendez. How Rich Is The White Castle CEO And What's The Average Pay Of Its Employees. In a sea of fast food competitors, White Castle stands out of the pack. In 1961, White Castle became the first fast-food restaurant to sell 1 billion hamburgers. This level of focus on cleanliness and appearance has carried over to the modern day White Castle as well. The store offered a special in the early days selling five hamburgers for 10 cents. 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. The price has certainly changed since 1921 and over the years so did the cooking process. His son - Lisa's dad, Bill (E.W. The only other time White Castle units close is on Christmas. Yet, the company is largely responsible for giving birth to the idea of the fast food chain and helping to popularize the hamburger. Even with its history, the building hasn't always been a hot real estate commodity and it sat vacant for 15 years after being used as a real estate office and then a National Guard Recruitment office. She is Chief Executive Officer of White Castle System, Inc., a restaurant chain with approximately 360 locations and a manufacturing business that sells products to retailers in all 50 states, since 2015. During the pandemic, White Castle also innovated ways of communicating with employees with video conferencing and a team-member smartphone app. White Castle is entering its centennial year by transitioning its board chair from former White Castle President and CEO Bill Ingram to his daughter, the company's current president and CEO, Lisa Ingram, according to a news release. In 1934 he moved the company headquarters to Columbus, Ohio. Box 1498 Columbus, Ohio 43216 - 1498 U.S.A (614) 228 - 5781 Fax: (614) 464 - 0596. On May 15, 2019, the burger chain celebrated the holiday by offering its Cravers a free slider. And Lisa Ingram, White Castles CEO, president and chairwoman of the board, is leading the 360-unit Columbus, Ohio-based quick-service brand known for its sliders into its second century with an emphasis on its culture. It took an even more head-scratching turn when Cruz said that he was "a big fan of eating White Castle burgers." Some of his teammates scoffed down four or five cheeseburger sliders at a time. White Castle is located mostly in the East Coast, Midwest and Florida, though it has expanded out west to Scottsdale, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Forbes, Ingram's net worth is now $4.2 billion, up from $3.9 billion last year. For those who have truly taken their love of burgers to the next level specifically White Castle sliders the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame awaits. 'I'd be really worried what that would do to the whole brand.'. Today our family-owned business sells the same humble . 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 mobile app showed that an impressive 21 percent of the chain's business happens during that late night six-hour block. The original Craver, Billy Ingram, founded White Castle in 1921 and created an American icon that is still family-owned today. He "parlayed a 5-cent hamburger into a $36 million chain.". The Beastie Boys. Bee around 1900, before moving to Wichita to pursue his career in real estate and insurance. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images). Till this day the White Castle Logo had been the same since 2001. American businessman Dave Rife has an estimated net worth of $100 million in 2012. Yet, price changes were inevitable. He's considered the father of fast food. Our founder, Billy IngramBilly was an entrepreneurial kind of personstruck up a great friendship with restaurateur Walt Anderson. The Colorado native founded the world's first burger chain, White Castle, in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. From tacos to Caribbean fare and of course, plain old burgers, we have numerous choices with both national and regional fast food chains. Two much bigger burger rivals pay their crew members $9.11 to $9.83 an hour, according to Indeed's Wendy's webpageand Indeed's McDonald's figures. The company was formally incorporated in 1924, and that same year the two men opened their first restaurant outside of Wichita. Because the burgers . The patties of today also have small holes punched into them thanks to a suggestion from employee Earl Howell in 1954. The Ingrams 'worship the past,' says David Gerard Hogan, professor of history at Heidelberg University and author of Selling 'Em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food. We dont have the budget of big network buys, but we know our customers well. "Billy" Ingram, founded White Castle in 1921, making it the world's first quick-service burger concept. Couple find note in chimney that reveals their 290,000 house was 100 times cheaper 50 years ago. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas, yet you won't find a single White Castle there. Elaine Miseta and White Castle's second president E. W. Ingram, Jr. The one . He is most proud of keeping the business in the family for a fourth generation and the launch of its frozen-food division. The shame and despair of being physically attacked by your own child. As McDonald's and other burger franchises dominate the American landscape, White Castle with approximately 375 locations in 14 states, remains a modest . This business is controlled by descendants of Billy Ingram. Revenue was up a modest 1.8% in 2018. Journalist Upton Sinclair had published "The Jungle," his scathing novel of the meatpacking industry, in 1906. 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. White Castle offers benefits to go with those wages. Ingram then went to work perfecting ways to turn out Andersons burgers as quickly as possible in a sparking, sanitary space to reassure a wary public. Most of his fortune is amassed from serving as the Assistant Vice President for White Castle System, Inc. Dave Rife started working for White Castle System, Inc. at a young age. after 99 years, located in Bloomington, Minnesota. (White Castle made $738.3 million in 2019, according to The Business Journals.) a White Castle wholly owned subsidiary originally founded as a way to prefabricate the chain's stores, specializes in manufacturing stainless steel fixtures and equipment not only for White Castle but for a . Billy Ingram moved White Castle to Columbus in 1934 after buying out Anderson's share of the business, and the chain enjoyed a growth spurt shortly thereafter. "Castle to indicate permanence and stability. The group is named after Britain's Thomas Newcomen, the inventor of the steam engine.) The ground beef balls were then squashed and flipped over before a bun and pickle were added. It remains privately held today, and its restaurants, all in the U.S., are all company owned; none is franchised. For having nearly a century of business under its belt, White Castle could certainly be one of the largest fast food chains in the United States, if not the world. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "There was something authentic in the way the script described how people feel about our distinctive taste and the lengths they'll go to.". Billy Ingram died in Columbus on May 20, 1966, after battling a short illness. As a member of the family that owns the multi-million-dollar White Castle chain, Ingram probably has a significant share of the company's net worth. But we also offer new products such as the Impossible slider. 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He worked briefly as a reporter covering the livestock industry for the Omaha (Neb.) How does it affect White Castle? ", The fourth White Castle, with the now familiar castle motif, in Wichita. Published: 19:52 GMT, 20 December 2015 | Updated: 22:56 GMT, 20 December 2015. White Castle employees are most likely to be members of the republican party. Ingram is the great-granddaughter of White Castle founder Billy Ingram, per Forbes, and Columbus Business First noted that she is one of 10 fourth-generation family members in leadership positions with the company. 99%. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER, Millions of American teenagers who had never heard of the regional brand were turned onto the magic of White Castle by the Beastie Boys in their celebrated 1986 debut album "Licensed to Ill.". Edgar Ingram (anb.org). Columbus, Ohio Area. It's not so much that the company wants to keep its restaurants out of reach of aspiring business owners, but more about supply. Boy who 'accidentally dropped a copy of the Quran at Wakefield school' receives death threats: Teenager is Nightmare! Despite its relatively modest size, White Castle is holding its own. White Castle still offers a value meal as it did when it first started. Billy Ingram invested $700 in a Wichita, Kansas, burger joint in 1921 and helped inspire a global food phenomenon. We like to say any time is crave time. It means we want to invite people to come by when theyre most hungry. 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. 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. After 100 years and four generations of family ownership, White Castle continues to remain an iconic symbol in the restaurant industry. Even bad breath was a no-no. The Colorado native founded the world's first burger chain, White Castle, in Wichita, Kansas, . The Ingram family tries not to talk about the business of sliders over Christmas dinner. Understandably, White Castle didn't exactly agree with Clifford. Millions of dollars. A whopping 35,000 reservations were expected for its Valentine's Day festivities at participating restaurants in 2015. The small white brick building was even listed as a historic landmark by the National Park Service in 2011. May . 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. Richardson: I think the growth will come in marketshare. 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. How many burger joints can say that? It was back in 1921 when Billy Ingram took out a $700 loan and, with friend Walt Anderson, opened a shack in Wichita, Kansas. Here you can find 12 years worth of articles on everything from how to avoid dodgy scams to writing an effective complaint letter. White Castle. White Castle created the Cravers Hall of Fame in 2001 to honor those who have displayed "a lifetime of devotion going to extreme lengths to satisfy cravings," company spokesman Jamie Richardson told Fox News Digital. The 1940s ended bleakly for White Castle. Elaine Miseta and retiring White Castle CEO Bill Ingram III pictured in 1982. For a relatively small brand, thats punching above our weight. Anderson died December 13, 1963, in Wichita, Kansas. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. While most burger chains proliferate by franchising, White Castle has avoided giving up control. White Castle places great stock in cultivating some of its workers. The company -- the first hamburger chain -- relishes its iconic status. Its distinctive white castle buildings adorned towns early in 1921, when it was founded by Billy Ingram. Walt Anderson. (White Castle made $738.3 million in 2019, according to The Business Journals.) ", The first White Castle location. You can still get a 10-sack of sliders for around $7, which can be shared by several people. White Castle Contact Info. World hot-dog eating champion and food legend Joey Chestnut is a White Castle enthusiast. Then we top it off with one perfect pickle. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images). It called Ingram "the man who parlayed a 5-cent hamburger into a $36 million chain.". Even its burger cooking process is a little strange. Perhaps even more groundbreaking than the fast food idea are White Castle's claims of popularizing the hamburger. 'If you franchise, while you can expand faster, you're giving up control of the operation,' says Lisa, who has an M.B.A. from Ohio State. Jun 2000 - Present22 years 9 months. In some ways, White Caslte is stuck in limbo. Their original Slider sold "By the Sack" was recently declared the "most influential burger of all time" by a major magazine. Americans are expected to spend about $333 billion on fast food in 2022. Lisa Ingram, CEO of White Castle, joins "Squawk on the Street" to discuss reopening restaurants and the company's new automated robot. "It was a long, late night in Vegas," he noted. Its classic white castle buildings adorned cities starting in 1921 when it was started by Billy Ingram. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Who does that appeal to? In 1921, Billy Ingram launched a family-owned business with $700 and an idea, selling five-cent, small, square hamburgers so easy to eat, they were dubbed Sliders and sold by the sack. . Photo . 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. Chestnut and fellow competitive eater Matt Stonie recently savaged an order of 100 White Castle sliders in Las Vegas. La direccin ha pasado posteriormente al hijo E.W. "Hamburger was not a food that self-respecting moms would feed their family," said Richardson. Richardson: To me the definition is being comfortable in our own skin. Richardson: I would beg to differ. About 90% of our Castles are open 24 hours. We dont have restaurants in 50 states. (Courtesy White Castle). The fast food chain was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. In 1921, partners Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram and Walter "Walt" Anderson opened the first White Castle restaurant in a 15x10-foot white cement-block building with five counter stools. Courtesy of White 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! A White Castle burger costs about 89 cents today a delicious steal sold by the sackload. (Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). One of the more bizarre moments in White Castle's history involves being pulled into some political mudslinging between Texas Senator Ted Cruz, 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, and Texas burger mainstay Whataburger. 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