Billy Ingram invested $700 in a Wichita, Kansas, burger joint in 1921 and helped inspire a global food phenomenon. 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 first White Castle location. 414 is Martha Ingram, whose family controls Ingram Industries. Billy Ingram was followed as the head of the company by his son Edgar.W. 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To throw a little bit of movie trivia at you, White Castle's starring role nearly didn't happen because the movie's screenwriters initially had the two friends searching for a Krispy Kreme doughnuts location to satisfy their munchies. The company likes to keep its fast food empire within the family and doesn't sell its business locations. "W e first opened our doors in Wichita, Kansas, in March of 1921. The first White Castle restaurant in Ohio was built in Cincinnati in 1927. White Castle places great stock in cultivating some of its workers. Local burger cook Walter Anderson (left) and entrepreneur Billy Ingram founded White Castle in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. Plane rip-off: Travellers warned over 'bargain' flight fares offered by online travel agents, as hefty fees Do YOU know how much a flooded home costs to repair - and is it covered on your insurance? The group is named after Britain's Thomas Newcomen, the inventor of the steam engine.) Heres what Jamie Richardson, vice president of Marketing, based in its home office in Columbus, Ohio, said about its growth. Civic engagement was also highlighted in 2020 when White Castle closed all of its 24-hour restaurants between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Election Day in November to give team members time to vote in the presidential contest. Many years before the movie, Super Size Me (2004), Ingram persuaded biochemist Jesse McClendon to conduct a scientific experiment. Legal Statement. Ingram has seen all aspects of foodservice. "White Castles rise to cult status was nothing short of miraculous." 'But they said my ID will still work at the door.'. 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. 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. I'm a Feng Shui expert and these are the three things I will never allow in a bedroom. Frozen sliders are in grocery stores across the country along with White Castle mustard and coffee. White Castle did $847 million in sales in 2021. Reply. Walt Anderson was a short-order cook who opened his own hamburger stand in 1916, in a converted streetcar at the corner of Douglas and Mead Streets in Wichita. The company was founded in 1921 by the late E.W. Richardson: So much of our investment these days is in growing sales of consumer packaged goods. Columbus CEO reported that 98.6 percent of all of White Castle's 450 employees in general management or higher roles worked their way up from behind a White Castle restaurant counter. Huh? Oh, and if you're wondering where this holiday came from, because it sounds way too much like a marketing gimmick to be any sort of legit holiday, well, you're totally right. "We try to make sure we don't complicate the operation of individual restaurants,said Ingram's grandson, Bill Ingram. Ingram Jr. Bill is the grandson of White Castle founder Billy Ingram, son of the company's second CEO E.W. "In 1916, Anderson developed a different method of preparing a hamburger sandwich by flattening a ball of ground meat and cooking it with onions on a hot griddle for a short period of time," writes the Kansas Business Hall of fame. This American is credited with creating the country's first fast-food joint here's his fascinating story, delicious, savory and mouth-filling flavors. Title page for Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," 1906. White Castle also pays into employees' 401(k) retirement plans, offers tuition reimbursement to employees in school, and provides financial and other forms of support for workers who are facing difficulties. There, he became active in the Rotary Club and met local businessman and burger-shop owner Walter Anderson. 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. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. Ingram, 65, grandson of White Castle's founder, E.W. "Ingram, Edgar Waldo (1880-1966), founder of the White Castle hamburger chain and the originator of American fast food" published on by Oxford University Press. Nope. All rights reserved. People looked at hamburgers as being greasy health hazards on par with eating arsenic. When daughter Lisa wanted to try out smaller 'express' locations with limited menus where customers could quickly get a bunch of sliders, it didn't work, by the company tried it anyway. I have his phone number. Billy became really intrigued by this idea of the hamburger sandwich. The sliders are available in the frozen-food aisle of supermarkets in all 50 states. The 1940s ended bleakly for White Castle. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, HEALTH NOTES: More workers hit the bottle to beat stress. It was back in 1921 when Billy Ingram took out a $700 loan and, with friend Walt Anderson, opened a shack in Wichita, Kansas. White Castle. (Yes, it was a real insult to the hamburger.). Rather than wait for his local White Castle to install bigger booths, or dare take an even more extreme approach and lose a few pounds, Kessman sued White Castleunder the Americans with Disabilities Act for not providing him with six more inches of "gut space," according to Forbes. Title page for Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," 1906. 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. All of these perks might give employees a reason to stick around for a chance to work up to general management. Two years from today, what do you expect? Celebrating the love between you and your significant other at White Castle obviously isn't for everybody, but for couples with a sense of humor looking to keep it casual, the idea has been a big hit. According to Forbes, Ingram's net worth is now $4.2 billion, up from $3.9 billion last year. Mr Ingram, who is 65, is the grandson of White Castle's founder, E.W. Please only use it for a guidance and White Castle (restaurant)'s actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. His original slider hamburger cost just 5 cents 101 years ago. More recently, White Castle partnered with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation with a new relief fund, Change Is on the Menu, and donated money through a narration of Twas the Night Before Cravemas by Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss. COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of its 100 th birthday, White Castle held a virtual Birthday Bash last night for Craver fans everywhere. (Courtesy White Castle). How fitting! In 1961, White Castle became the first fast-food restaurant to sell 1 billion hamburgers. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images), "I chill at White Castle cause its the best," the trio rapped in "The New Style.". While most burger chains proliferate by franchising, White Castle has avoided giving up control. Even its burger cooking process is a little strange. the Ingram-White Castle Foundation will be awarding $100,000 in scholarships to team members and their dependents. The modern cooking process might not adhere to tradition, but rules were made to be broken and we're all getting our sliders a lot faster because of Howell's idea. The Ingram family tries not to talk about the business of sliders over Christmas dinner. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. "I can't even tell you the multiple on social," said Bartley. Bill Ingram's grandfather, E.W. By the time Ray Krok turned it in 1955 into the fast food chain we know today, White Castle was well on its way to selling burger No. 'Bill' Ingram III to the Columbus Dispatch. Since its inception, the Ingram-White Castle Foundation has provided $1.5 million in scholarship support to deserving team members and their dependents. The entry-level wages paid to White Castle employees compare favorably with those at other fast-food chains. Its known in company lore as White Castle No. For example, at a White Castle in Brooklyn, New York, its classic burger, really a slider, costs 85 each, its small French . "Its just really simple, delicious comfort food," competitive-eating champ Joey Chestnut told Fox News Digital this week. Roughly half of its 401 outlets were built before 1960; the average manager has put in 21 years. (Getty Images). Its classic white castle buildings adorned cities starting in 1921 when it was started by Billy Ingram. The tiny burgers, about 2 inches square, are still sizzled in onions today, the top bun steaming on top of the patty largely unchanged from the way Anderson cooked them years before. They were not shy about leaning into their age, running so many promotions that it was almost . World hot-dog eating champion and food legend Joey Chestnut is a White Castle enthusiast. Their original Slider sold "By the Sack" was recently declared the "most influential burger of all time" by a major magazine. The good thing is that anybody who feels they have a really good White Castle story or can prove their undying devotion is invited to apply, but "only a select few are committed enough to be among the elite," reads the company's website. From the beginning, White Castle innovator and founder Billy Ingram's mission was to help team members and provide opportunities for them to better themselves. The annual salaries of manager positions range from $22,909 to $60,122. Ahh, that explains it. Chestnut and fellow competitive eater Matt Stonie recently savaged an order of 100 White Castle sliders in Las Vegas. And since 2012s Hurricane Sandy, which devastated areas of the East Coast, White Castle has offered the Castle Shares Team Member Relief Program. Published: 19:52 GMT, 20 December 2015 | Updated: 22:56 GMT, 20 December 2015. The United States today is a fast food nation. 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. when he and Ingram set out with $700 to open White Castle in . "We've spent 65 years building up a reputation and we do not intend to have other people capitalize on it," Gail Turley, White Castle's director of advertising said. The ground beef balls were then squashed and flipped over before a bun and pickle were added. The company has not only received attention for their "fashionable" uniforms but has been one of the first fast food chains to show transparency by creating a website to display restaurant health scores online. Even bad breath was a no-no. In 1999, in honor of the foundation's 50th anniversary, Mary and E.W. 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. or redistributed. The chain currently has just under 400 locations. Net worth score. White Castle CMO, Kim Bartley hasn't released any official sales numbers, but said the test market more than doubled its goals thanks largely to social media buzz. He "parlayed a 5-cent hamburger into a $36 million chain." Started in 1921, by Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram, a Wichita real estate and insurance agent and Walt Anderson, who created a tiny, square hamburger. His birth date and place are unknown in the media. "It was like a love letter to White Castle," said Richardson, White Castle's then-director of marketing. Lisa Ingram, CEO of White Castle, joins "Squawk on the Street" to discuss reopening restaurants and the company's new automated robot. And to this day, its still a family-run business since Billys great-granddaughter Lisa Ingram serves as White Castles president and CEO. Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more. Long before there was a McDonalds, Burger King or Wendys, customers feasted on the burgers prepared by White Castle. . Who does that appeal to? The small white brick building was even listed as a historic landmark by the National Park Service in 2011. Richardson: Our niche is distinctive food you cant get anywhere else. During the past nine decades, the fast-food chain has also continued to be managed by the very same family that founded it. White Castle founder Billy Ingram at the grill. White Castle is the country's oldest fast-food chain. 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. 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. While they can't claim that they invented the burger that's a debate that still rages on they did sway Americans' opinion of the sandwich. "I am not only in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but Im also in the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame," Cooper boasted to Fox News Digital. As White Castle celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2021, the Ingram-White Castle . They are now married. The Ingram-White Castle Foundation has given $1.5 . According to The New York Post, the lawsuit was eventually dropped once White Castle provided proper gut space with new seating. White Castle continued to expand and innovate. Courtesy of White Castle. Private Company Incorporated: 1924 as the White Castle System of Eating Houses Corporation Employees: 9,700 Sales: $307 million SICs: 5812 Eating Places; 3444 Sheet Metal Work White Castle Systems, Inc. operates the ninth largest hamburger chain in the United States, with . Late comic book legend Stan Lee (1922-2018) a writer, editor, publisher and producer was a member of the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame. Box 1498 Columbus, Ohio 43216 - 1498 U.S.A (614) 228 - 5781 Fax: (614) 464 - 0596. The patties of today also have small holes punched into them thanks to a suggestion from employee Earl Howell in 1954. Workers scheduled during that time in the restaurants, at the home office and at the companys manufacturing plants were paid for the four-hour break. 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. Photo: @mrzbreeze / Instagram The company -- the first hamburger chain -- relishes its iconic status. The old White Castle logo when Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson first opened their very first White Castle in 1921. It doesn't incorporate the food it serves into its name, it isn't named after the founder, and there is no dollar menu. The sliders are available in the frozen-food aisle of supermarkets in all 50 states. (Courtesy Alice Cooper). Fail to change and you risk getting left behind. "It was a long, late night in Vegas," he noted. The price has certainly changed since 1921 and over the years so did the cooking process. On average, employees at White Castle stay with the company for 3.0 years. The tiny square burgers are steam grilled on a bed of onions and served on a square bun with a slice of pickle. Catering To Cravers For 90 Years (familybusinessmagazine.com). With their ironclad commitment to the integrity of White Castle food, it's safe to assume the burgers of today are identical to what Ingram and Anderson were serving up in 1921, right? White Castle turned 100 years old last week. He's considered the father of fast food. 4 the first shop the partners opened together. Today more than ever, the next generation of customers is asking for authenticity and thats something we can claim with a clear conscience. Its revenue in 2018 rose 1.6%. About 90% of our Castles are open 24 hours. Ingram, in her LinkedIn profile, said, Our 10,000 team members are second to none and continue to deliver memorable moments to our internal and external customers on a daily basis. White Castle Building No. Number 8860726. Ingram makes $188,280 a year in her second job as an independent director for M/I Homes, a public homebuilding company, according toWallmine. THESE RESTAURATEURS BRAVELY OPENED NEW EATERIES AMID COVID PANDEMIC: DETERMINED' TO SUCCEED. Boy who 'accidentally dropped a copy of the Quran at Wakefield school' receives death threats: Teenager is Nightmare! Ingram pioneered many of the processes, equipment and even marketing techniques that make fast food possible today: delicious, savory and mouth-filling flavors served quickly and affordably with the same taste profile offered by many different locations. It took an even more head-scratching turn when Cruz said that he was "a big fan of eating White Castle burgers." 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