The History of White Castle Restaurants

Way back in the 1900's, America hadn't acquired a taste for hamburgers yet. Until a businessman named Bill Ingram met restaurateur Walter Anderson, that is. Anderson sold grilled mini-hamburger sandwiches for a nickel a piece at his Wichita, Kansas store. Ingram knew a winner when he saw one, so he financed the expansion of Anderson's restaurants eastward across the United States. Bill Ingram finally bought Anderson out, and the rest, as they say, is the history of White Castle Restaurants.

While producing their delicious signature hamburgers was the core of the business, the White Castle Restaurants built their success on having clean, sanitary restaurants and friendly staff. The original White Castles were food stands that could be put up, taken down, and moved to different locations.

When White Castle Restaurants were founded in 1921, they became the first fast-food hamburger chain in the United States. If you're surprised by that fact, take into consideration that Ray Kroc didn't found McDonald's until1940; Frank and Donald Thomas started Burger Chef in 1954; and Dave Thomas started his famous Wendy's restaurants in 1969.

White Castle went on to become the first fast-food restaurant to sell one million hamburgers, the first to sell one billion hamburgers, and, the first fast-food chain to sell hamburgers made out of frozen beef.

Today, the company headquarters are located in Columbus, Ohio. It's interesting to note that you can find a White Castle restaurant in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. However, if the residents of Wichita, Kansas get hungry for a small, square White Castle hamburger topped with fried onions and a pickle slice, they have to cross state lines. There are no longer any White Castle fast-food restaurants in Kansas.