Cravers Find Fame in the Hallowed Halls of White Castle

Nine to be Inducted into White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame Today

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle will induct 9 new members
at its ninth annual Cravers Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the White
Castle home office, 555 West Goodale Street, Columbus, OH, 43215, Thursday,
November 12, 2009, at 2:00 p.m.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030828/WHITECASTLELOGO)

Coming from as close as Indiana and as far away as California, the nine new
members were chosen from an entry pool of over 500 this year. Since 2001, a
total of 67 Hall of Fame members have been chosen from 6,629 entries, making
this an elite group. They join the likes of John Cho and Kal Penn of "Harold
and Kumar Go To White Castle"; former pastor of the Greek Orthodox Catholic
Church in Columbus, OH, Father John Stavropoulos; members of the band The
Smithereens; and Steven Luch and his pot bellied pig, Nips, from Detroit, MI.

White Castle president and CEO Bill Ingram will preside over the festivities
where commemorative plaques will be presented to each new member at the 2:00
p.m. ceremony at the Home Office. Winners also receive an array of White
Castle gifts specially packaged in a "Crave Crate", a box designed to hold 100
of The Original Slider® signature hamburger sandwiches. A gala evening
banquet will be held at The Ohio Historical Society where there is a permanent
White Castle exhibit honoring its history as a long-time business enterprise
in the state. Winners are brought to the White Castle home office at the
company's expense.

The 2009 winners are Thomas Teslicka from Acworth, GA; Chris Breseman from St.
Louis, MO; The Castro Family from Hanford, CA; Dick Gardner from Cottage
Grove, MN; Steven Pliskow from Wellington, FL; Jim Kreml from Elk River, MN;
Willy Veliky from Flemington, NJ; Steven Brown from Columbus, IN; and Logan
Ward from Germantown, TN.

Their stories follow in their entirety.

A Country Kid's Crave
This story started way back in the war year 1943. Our family was transferred
to St. Paul, Minnesota when our dad was in an essential industry for the
American Railroad industry. With a wife, four sons, a railcar full of
possessions, dad embarked on a finding a new home, job and totally different
city living versus North Dakota small prairie town living. Because the train
brought all of us to St. Paul at five a.m. in the morning, breakfast was a
White Castle nearby, which had great coffee, rolls, baked bean crocks and
great little hamburgers.

The sight of four hungry kids, weary from overnight travel must have been
remarkable to the staff at the Castle 25 (then the old mini-Castle) downtown,
it is now gone. The fours boys were mesmerized at the two grills of thirty
hamburgers steaming away behind the glass. That Castle had six or eight
stools, a stand-up perimeter window counter and the usual take-out station.
The price of one slider was a mere twelve cents. Just watching the operator
smoothing out the bed of onions, placing the thirty meat patties on the now
bubbling bed of aromatic goodness, topped with the buns...made the boys'
anticipation almost unbearable. Finally, it all came out on nice heavy China
plates, steaming hot, making Minnesota's newest citizens a banquet on a budget
that is talked about even to this day.

Now, at seventy-four years of age, I cannot drive by a White Castle. The
sixty-something price is no barrier at this stage of our lives, the coffee is
still the best on the planet and the people who are your storefront greeters,
make every trip like another trip back home, back in 1943. Ironically, I grew
up to be a Railway Express delivery truck driver in St. Paul in 1955. Yes, two
of my stops were the first White Castle of my memory, and the University
Avenue at Lexington store. Because the hamburger buns were baked in St. Louis
back then, every morning I would get my truck fully loaded with the large
master cartons of fresh baked Castle buns.

The bosses would load up my truck, slap a handful of waybills in my hand and
tell me "get those buns out to the White Castles...fast!" I did what I was
told. On very cold mornings, I would back up closely to the delivery kitchen
doors, rush the bun boxes inside then relish a most welcome hot coffee and
often a handful of hot sliders or a breakfast Danish. Nothing has changed.
The "old timers" that recall my visits, now mostly retired or gone, would
remind me often of those great homey visits. To this day, I feel more like an
employee or family member than a customer. I carry a small bank in my Toyota
to this day, often bailing out the shift managers at Castle 25 when change
gets scarce.

During the thirty years traveling with the Harmonicats (the Original Worldly
Famous trio that recorded a twenty-million hit recording "Peg O' My Heart") my
eyes would always search for a White Castle, especially when in the Eastern
half of the country. What an adventure! I treated some fans to hamburgers on
Long Island, NY to the west suburbs of Chicago-land. All were remarkable,
somewhat different, but all very well run and enjoyed by the Harmonicats and
their many fans and friends. I would often mention the Castle from the stage,
evoking lots of comments during and after the shows. I really became your
unofficial ambassador, and own the title to this day.

Under the strong guidance of "Super Woman" Heidi Kachel (general manager) the
tradition of hot food, great service and welcoming traditions continue. When
the original corner location was replaced with a new building, I took it on
myself to photograph virtually every brick that came down in demolishing the
old building, which was like Fort Knox, one contractor told me. Yes, I have a
photo of the first customers, a senior couple, enjoying their favorite treat.
The entire photo collection was put on a CD and given to the managers. Long
live the White Castle legends!

-Dick Gardner from Cottage Grove, MN

His Ultimate Crave

My first memories of White Castle date back to the late 1950's, when I was a
young boy. What a treat it was for my parents to drive us from Columbus,
Indiana to Indianapolis just for some Castles. I have fond memories of and
remember our family always looking forward to these trips. The special trips
north for Castles continued over the years as I had a family of my own. My
children seemed to enjoy them as much as I did. Eating them in the car on the
way home was fun for everyone. When I learned that a White Castles would be
built in Columbus, Indiana I was ecstatic. No more trips to Indianapolis as we
were going to have our own White Castle!

I have been frequenting White Castle number 23 two, sometimes three times per
day since its opening in 1983. Every day before and after work it's a stop for
coffee; I love White Castle coffee. On my days off work it may be a third trip
for some Sliders.

While on vacation, I find myself looking for White Castle restaurants so as
not to extend any withdrawal symptoms. I have adjusted my route frequently in
order to hit a White Castle on the road. I often reward my associates at my
work with a ten sack or a Crave Case for a special occasion or a job well
done. They are always pleased and appreciative. Occasionally I take a few
Castles and onion chips to my 93 year old mom. After all these years she still
has the Crave. For her it's the flavor of the Original Slider with no cheese
please.

Holidays bring me an ample supply of Craver gift cards from family and
friends. It's no surprise to my daughters when they ask me where I would like
to have my birthday lunch I respond "White Castle." I own a White Castle ball
cap and a Slyder Fest tee shirt as well as have collected all the coffee mugs
that have been available for purchase at the Columbus, Indiana Castle. On
several occasions I have tried the customer holiday recipes, even coming up
with my own recipes at home.

Over the years I have come to know the Columbus White Castle management and
team members on a first base basis. Many times as I enter I hear "Steve's here
start a fresh pot" or "We saw you pull in, we have already started a fresh pot
for you." Besides being a true Craver, it's the customer recognition that
brings me back as well as the quality and service. It is always fresh and hot!
White Castle affects my life every day. It's a priority. I love my White
Castle. It's what I Crave. Perhaps I should consider an application for
employment.

-Steven Brown from Columbus, IN

Home Away from Home

On a recent trip back to Chicago (which is where we are originally from) my
wife, kids and I stopped at the Merrillville, Indiana White Castle on I-65 to
pick up our usual Crave Case plus a few extra cheeseburgers and fries. It was
while we were standing in line for our order that I noticed the information
about the Cravers Hall of Fame so I figured "what the heck, I grew up with
White Castle I will give it a try...how hard could it be." Well, let me tell
you, this has not been an easy task, as I have found myself writing and
re-writing this story several times now and every time I would try to write my
story, it would bring back so many memories and emotions that it really became
hard to write. I never realized until I started writing this, just how much
White Castle has been a part of my life.

It all started back when I was about six years old when White Castle was a
very special and magical place for me, because it was where my grandfather
would take me for our special time together every Saturday morning. I would
wait on the stoop of our house for my grandfather to pick me up, and off we'd
go to the White Castle on Manheim Road and Grand Avenue in Franklin Park,
Illinois. That's where I grew up. At the Castle I would get my four
cheeseburgers on the white China plate and a chocolate shake. Sometimes my
grandfather would let me get six cheeseburgers. That was a treat. The time we
would spend together there was just magical and I still have a hard time even
today at 56 years old, going into a White Castle without seeing me and my
grandfather sitting there together.

My grandfather was everything to me, and that tradition continued until about
seven years ago when my grandfather was put into a nursing home, which by the
way was just down the street from the Franklin Park White Castle. So now it
was my turn to stop and pick up a sack of White Castles and go see my Pop. Of
course, when he'd see me he'd get a big smile on his face and say "Did you get
my sliders Tom?" and I'd say "yes Pop I got them." That was the last thing I
remember him saying to me, for he passed away shortly after that.

That same White Castle became like a second home to me all through my teen
years, and especially once I started driving. I went to High School in
Franklin Park at East Leyden High and White Castle was our hangout spot. I
took all my buddies there, heck I would even take my dates there. I especially
remember when our church youth group would head over for sliders after our
youth meetings, and we would line the back window of my 1969 mustang with as
many empty slider boxes we could. And man, that smell of White Castles would
be in my car all week long.

It was shortly after my grandfather passed away, that my father died. My mom
had the wake and funeral at the Franklin Park funeral home, which was right
across the street from White Castle. For those three days, I can't tell you
how many sliders my brothers and I put away. I still can't believe how much of
my youth was spent at that Castle in Franklin Park, Illinois. Shortly after my
dad's passing, when my wife and I got married and I finished college, I was
hired by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), as the mid-west facilities manager for
304 stores, where I worked out of both the Chicago and Louisville corporate
offices. I would find myself driving back and forth between Chicago and
Louisville sometimes twice a week. So, to help me with that drive I would stop
at the White Castle on I-65 just south of Indianapolis, where I would get my
four double cheeseburgers, six cheeseburgers and a chocolate shake...that
would be just enough to get me to my destination. That tradition continued
without variation for seven years.

Here I was working for KFC, but I had to have my White Castles. After leaving
KFC due to illness, I went to work for the Wheaton School District in Wheaton,
Illinois and worked with my best friend at the school district and again,
White Castle played a major part in my life. That White Castle became our home
away from home for Tom and me. We made it a tradition that every Friday about
six of us would head to the White Castle in Carol Stream, where I continued
with my tradition of four double cheeseburgers, six cheeseburgers and a
chocolate shake (gee, there seems to be a pattern here!). Tom and I shared
some good memories there until recently when unexpectedly, Tom passed away. He
was only six months older than me, and together we shared some great memories
and White Castle, again, was a big part of that. Both Tom and I loved to fish,
so we always made sure before leaving to go fishing, we would stop for a sack
(or two) regardless of what time it was.

About that same time, my wife was given a devastating double blow, as first
she lost her mother to Alzheimer's and then was diagnosed herself with breast
cancer. It was during those difficult times that we left the Chicago area and
moved to be with her sister in the Atlanta area, which was her mother's dying
wish. That brings us to the present. No one ever told us that there were no
White Castles in Georgia.

What would we now do without our White Castles? We were so desperate we went
online to find the nearest location. Well, it turns out that the nearest White
Castle is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which by the way is just a little over a
three-hour drive, one way. But you know what? When you've got to have one,
you've got to have one or should I say a sack. We of course (my wife, kids and
I) make that three-hour drive to get a Crave Case and a few extra
cheeseburgers, we then head back to the Atlanta area where we eat sliders all
week. I'm the envy of all the guys at work at lunch, I pull out my White
Castle sliders but I don't share! I enjoy the fact that I have been able to
share my love for White Castle with my kids and to hand that tradition down to
them. They also know better than to touch my double cheeseburgers because I
tell them "I don't care if they sit in the fridge for a week, no one touches
my double cheeseburgers."

As I said in the beginning, I have written and re-written this story several
times and every time there would be something else I would remember and then a
flood of emotions would come over me. I never realized until I started writing
this, how White Castle has been a major part of my life and even if nothing
comes of my story, it has brought back incredible memories of those who are
now gone from my life, those who are still here and all the special times I've
had with family and friends growing up with White Castle.

Thank you White Castle for a lifetime of wonderful memories and great food!
I've found myself choking back a few tears several times while writing this,
but again it has helped me remember those who I have loved, those who are gone
and we all had one thing in common, we all loved White Castle!

-Thomas Teslicka from Acworth, Georgia

Midnight Run
My name is Jim Kreml and I am forty-five years old and have been a loyal White
Castle Craver my entire life. The name of my story is Midnight Run and it is
about me and my best friend Don. As a child growing up in Brooklyn Center,
Minnesota, my friend Don and I would sleep out in our tent just about every
weekend un the summer, and about 65% of the time as midnight drew we would
sneak out of our tent, get on our bikes and make the eighteen mile round trip
journey to the Brooklyn Park White Castle location. Back then the burgers were
a dime! Don and I would each get a sack full and ride back to our tent before
anyone even knew we were gone! The world was sure a different place back then,
a lot safer and a lot more innocent...I'm afraid to say we probably wouldn't
be able to make that "Midnight Run" today.

I am saddened to say that Don's mom passed away on July 24th, 2009 - she was
eighty-five years old. I got to spend some time with Don shortly after his
mom's passing and I took him to White Castle for lunch. We sat in the
restaurant, remembering her and all the times we snuck out of our tent to make
that Midnight Run. We laughed about how mad she would have been at us had she
caught us before we got back to our tent. We made that run for about six
years, from 6th grade to graduation and although our bikes turned into cars
that final year, it was a time in our lives that we will never forget. Being
with Don at that White Castle in that moment brought back some cherished
memories of a simpler time, when two boys could get on their bikes in the
middle of the night without worry and ride about eighteen miles to get Castles
and cheeseburgers.

You see to us, White Castle is more than just a place to eat; it truly is a
big part of our lives and even if it was just for a moment or two at lunch,
being together at our favorite place helped us cope, reflect, smile and laugh.
I'm sure Don would agree with me when I say "thank you for being a part of our
lives, the happy and the sad."

-Jim Kreml from Elk River, Minnesota.

Tale of the Manburger
I am Willy Veliky and I represent the embodiment of the White Castle spirit
and a lifetime of devotion to Sliders, especially double cheeseburgers. While
many can point to a Castle moment or individual experience, I have moments by
the sack. Sure, there were the early days when good parentage provided me
with regular visits to the original Castles at five points in Union and Elmora
Avenue in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Many a late night was capped off with a
Castle Chug (you get the idea) and a fish with cheese chaser. But it was only
after I came into my own that my cravings took flight. Maybe it the
cross-country trip where we went 200 miles off-course just to see the Castle
in St. Louis. Or when I bribed one of the employees at the Edison Castle to
sell me his hat - and remember this was back in the old days when the only way
to get authentic Castle gear was to work there.

Then there was the personal Valentine's Day celebration with tablecloth,
flowers and china - hey that was five years before the geniuses over there in
the marketing department got paid to think of it! But what ultimately sets me
apart from your average White Castle fanatic is the Tale of the Manburger.
Hearing that a new White Castle was opening in Greenbrook, NJ, I laid out my
plan. Yes, I was going to be there for opening day and sure I would be the
first one in line, but the culmination of my plan was my homemade Castle gear
that I was photographed by a local newspaper - the newspaper that gave me my
now legendary moniker. Well, I Willy Manburger Veliky, am now fifty and as
long as they keep building Castles - both the building and the burgers - I
will be happy to resurrect my starring role and give each and any of them
their opening props.

-Willy Veliky from Flemington, NJ.

The Castro Family Miracle
I would like to introduce you to my brother, Ssgt Theyer Castro who is the
youngest of nine siblings born and raised in Queens, New York. On July 6,
2009, Theyer, who was stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, was in a horrific car
accident. He was pinned in his SUV and had to be extracted with the jaws of
life. The car was totaled and he was rushed to the hospital by ambulance and
was given 72 hours to live due to his traumatic brain injury. He was in a
coma, unresponsive and placed on a ventilator.

Still in a coma after three weeks in Hattiesburg, he was finally airlifted
from Forrest General Hospital ICU in Mississippi to the VA Palo Alto
facilities ICU in California. At a family conference meeting with the doctors
on August 24, 2009 one doctor said, "He is still in a coma and is not showing
any signs of purposeful movement and on the Glasgow coma scale he is at a
one." This was very low. He went on to say "his ability to swallow is down to
once every six minutes, which is not enough to remove the feeding tube due to
his inability to swallow." Needless to say, the family was disappointed to
hear such discouraging news about our little brother. One of Theyer's sisters
Shumbey (who was on the conference call) was especially sad as she was at the
airport on her way to Palo Alto with her brother's favorite food in
tow...White Castle hamburgers. She was very anxious to see her brother. The
last time she saw him, he was in Hattiesburg on a ventilator fighting for his
life.

Around noon on August 25, Shumbey arrived and got the chance to see her
beloved brother Theyer and to bring him his favorite food in the world (and
believe me he has been all over the world, as he is in the Air Force and he
personally loves to travel and eat). She removed the Slider from its box and
placed it under his nose, the next thing she knew he inhaled and then exhaled.
Suddenly, his mouth started flexing, he started swallowing and moving his lips
as though he had just took a big bite of his favorite burger. Then
surprisingly after a few minutes he broke through his coma and said "Hello
everyone." His niece burst into tears and bolted for the door and began
hyperventilating. The doctor and a social worker who happened to be in the
hallway outside his room rushed in thinking something was wrong with Theyer.
His niece Sarina (Shumbey's daughter) could not speak as she was still in
shock. Theyer's mother told her to calm down and keep her composure because
she, like the doctors thought something terrible happened to Theyer. She
finally whispered, "Theyer spoke to me!" At this time the room was flooded
with doctors, nurses and social workers. They could not believe what happened,
because just the day before we were told that he is unresponsive and is in a
vegetative state.

When I received the call from my mother telling me the story about the White
Castle hamburger and how he broke through his coma because of his love for
them, I said I had to call the White Castle headquarters and thank them for
helping our family member come back to us.

On behalf of the entire Castro family, we thank you for your unwavering
commitment to providing those delicious burgers that a lot of America has
grown up with. Without those honored traditional recipes, who knows how long
it would have taken my brother to come back to us. So, we collectively say
keep doing what you are doing and don't change a thing.

-On behalf of the Castro family: Theyer Castro and his sister Gretchen
Straker.

The Continuous Crave
White Castle has been a huge part of my life for as long as I remember. My
story begins at the age of 5 until age 10 when I accompanied my father to work
every Saturday and we would have breakfast and lunch at the White Castle
across the street. It was my first introduction to the Original Slider and
began the love affair that continues till today.

Though my dad is no longer with us I can still remember how he enjoyed those
orange donuts. From age 11 until I was 16 (just old enough to ride the city
bus alone), I convinced my parents to let me take the 30 minute ride each way
to enjoy my Slyders at the closest White Castle to my home. Once I was able to
drive, I managed to eat at each and every White Castle in the New York
Metropolitan area. After I went away to college and medical school, I still
took the trek 2 hours each way to enjoy my Slyders at least twice a month.

Since then, I have moved to Florida but the crave continues. I still take the
time away from my busy medical practice to make frequent trips to New York to
satisfy the crave. I remember one of the trips to New York, I was almost late
to my dad's funeral because there was a line at White Castle and I had to
satisfy the craving before giving the eulogy.

One time, I was traveling from West Palm Beach to Buffalo via Cincinnati and
due to a delay, I missed my connecting flight. I had to rent a car and drive
through the night to get to Buffalo. I made sure that my trip took me through
Columbus, Ohio, the home of the Castle, where at 2 a.m. I was once again
enjoying my White Castle hamburgers. I have collected, over the years,
numerous vintage mugs and plates from the original restaurants. I would be
ecstatic to be a member of the Cravers Hall of Fame; honoring something I have
loved for all of my life.

-Steven Pliskow, MD from Wellington, Florida

The Crave is forever!
My name is Logan Ward and I have craved White Castle hamburgers as long as I
can remember. My story starts as a child of the sixties and seventies living
in Louisville. Back in the day, more mothers stayed home with their children
than they do these days. With that, moms would prepare dinner nearly every
night for the family. My mom stayed home and on the occasion when she did not
fix supper, we would go out to eat. I was five years old at the time and I'm
sure we had been out to eat many times before but I must not have remembered
the experience.

My first memory of eating out was with my dad taking the family to White
Castle. I had no idea what White Castle was about and did not know what to
expect. On the way in my dad's black 1958 Chevy, he told us that White Castle
had these little square hamburgers and told us stories of how he would go
there in high school and get 15 to 20 of these burgers. My dad told us that he
loved these little burgers so much and was sure that we would too. We went to
the seventh street location in Louisville. The building was gleaming white and
very clean looking. When we got our burgers, I thought how cool it was that
they came in those little boxes. I remember that the boxes reminded us to not
be a litter bug and I had to ask my dad was that meant. Upon taking the burger
out of the box, I remember how hot and steamy it was. My first bite was an
experience I will never forget. The onions, the mustard, the soft bun and of
course the square meat were a fantastic eating delight. I was hooked on the
very first bite.

I don't remember how many Sliders I had that night, but I do remember that I
fell in love with those little burgers. Funny how some of life's greatest
memories become burned in your mind forever. I had no idea at the time what
life changing experience this moment would become. The Crave had begun. For
the next ten years, every time we went out to eat I would always ask to go to
White Castle. From my mom and dad to all of my aunts, uncles and grandparents,
I always begged them to take me to White Castle when we were out. From taking
Sliders to the drive-in to eating them with my grandpa in his old '55 Ford, I
have so many great memories of going to the Castle. I even rode my bike to the
seventh street location on a couple of occasions. I guess it is alright to
tell my parents about it now. They would have grounded me for months if they
had known how far I rode my bike to White Castle. (A check on an online map
provider says it is a 4.9 mile journey).

In 1975, my dad was transferred to Chicago, we lived in Naperville. My Crave
slowed as the closest Castle was in somewhere south of Naperville. We never
got out there much. So needless to say, I was pretty upset. The only thing
that was able to ease my Crave was that we had to travel back to Louisville
every month or two for my sister to get her medical check-ups as she had a
condition since birth. She was doing fine, but my Crave continued. A year
later in 1976 my dad was transferred yet again to Memphis. Once more, one of
my main concerns was White Castle. Were there any in Memphis? Would my Crave
be stopped? As it turned out, there were not any locations in Memphis. There
was just some rip-off company thinking they knew how to cook a Slider. Yuck!
The closest Original Slider place for me was in Nashville. For a little while,
we still went back to Louisville for my sister and would stop in Nashville
along the way for the sole purpose of getting some Castles. But when the
doctor released her, our visits to Louisville stopped and so did my White
Castle visits. For about a year, my Castle visits were sparse. My dad would
bring some Sliders home when he went to Nashville, but I needed more.

In 1977, I got my '73 Mustang and had freedom at last! Gas was cheap and so
were my wages. According to my dad, I was supposed to stay in Memphis for
insurance reasons while driving. I still don't know if that is true, but now
with my car, I did not always stay around Memphis. About once every four to
six weeks, I would go to Nashville to get me some White Castles. I would eat
15 to 20 and then bring some home for later. Of course I had to hide them from
my parents. We didn't have a microwave, so I ate the ones I brought home cold.
They were still so good and with that, my Crave lived.

I now live in Germantown, Tennessee which is a suburb of Memphis. There are
still no White Castles here and the closest one is on White Bridge in
Nashville. I have had many dreams over the years that White Castle came to
Memphis, but then I wake up cravenly disappointed. Frozen Castles help fill
the Crave gap, but nothing beats hot, steamy, fresh hot off the grill Sliders.
It is 196.1 miles from my house to the Castle in Nashville but I go there
about every month to six weeks. The great thing now is that my two brothers
live in the Nashville area and they bring me forty to fifty Castles every time
they come home to visit. A few weeks ago, my little brother needed to borrow
some computer equipment from me. I told him it was going to cost him. He said
he knew it would and asked me how many Castles I wanted him to bring. I also
have my friends and business associates bring me sliders when the come to
Memphis from Nashville. It is so ingrained with my friends that I don't even
have to ask them any more.

I have been to New York and had Castles with ketchup and St. Louis and had
them with the horseradish mustard. I even stop at that old seventh street
location in Louisville whenever I can get back there. I have been to over
fifty locations everywhere between New York and St. Louis and I love them all,
but nothing beats Castles with Dusseldorf mustard from Louisville and
Nashville. For me, no trip north is complete without multiple jaunts to the
Castle. Most folks don't understand my Crave. They don't realize there is a
difference between White Castles and the so-called competitors. Some, I have
been able to sway while others I have not. Poor lost souls...

For over 45 years now, many things have changed but White Castles still taste
out of this world. My Crave is as intense as ever and I am always trying to
find new avenues in which to feed and satisfy it. White Castle is a huge part
of me and my life. In fact, Castles are me...the Crave is forever!

- Logan Ward from Germantown, TN.

Wishing For Sliders in Kuwait
I have craved White Castle ever since taking my first delicious bite of one
after moving back to the USA from Germany as a little kid (my dad was in the
Army) in November, 1989. I had every occasion I could think of as White
Castle, from Birthdays to even Christmas dinner sometimes. I made up excuses
to eat at White Castle as a little kid. I remember my prom date looking at me
like I was nuts when we pulled into White Castle for those little tasty
Sliders before and after prom.

Later in life I entered the US Air Force and moved to a place with no White
Castles. I was devastated that I couldn't eat my tasty Sliders whenever I
wanted (usually every day). I had my parents mail me Sliders overnight just so
I could have some (YES they were OK and not spoiled). When I would go back
home, my first stop across the Ohio bridge into Louisville would be White
Castle, and I would always order ten Sliders (no cheese), ten with cheese,
some fries and a Coke. I would show up to my parents house with a stomach full
of Sliders and the happiest person on earth. Then, of course dinner would be
ready and I already ate mine so mom would be a little mad, but oh well I had
my Sliders!

My first deployment was over to Kuwait for thirty days and I didn't know how
I'd survive thirty days without a Slider...Mom would overnight them to me at
least once a week when I was stateside, but mailing them to Kuwait was
impossible. I survived, barely. I staggered into the White Castle when I got
back stateside and chowed down for a good two hours on Sliders. The employees
must have thought I was nuts, but there I was, in full BDU's eating away and
happier than ever.

While in service, I was shot and ended up in a coma for about a month and a
half. My first request when I woke up was for White Castle. Of course they
weren't allowed in my diet quite yet. But when they were, there I was in the
hospital eating away Sliders, fries and a Coke. I am now out of the US Air
Force because of my gunshot wound, and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, right
next door to a White Castle. I make it a daily occurrence to eat at least five
Sliders and I am the fittest and happiest I have ever been. I wouldn't know
what to do without them now that they are so much a part of my life. I look
for other places to live and then think of the distance between me and my
Sliders and decide that I am just fine where I am (even though it is a little
bit of a dumpy apartment). Thank you White Castle!

-Chris Breseman from St. Louis, MO.

Founded in 1921 as the nation's first fast food hamburger chain, White Castle
remains a family owned, privately held enterprise. Today with 421 restaurants
around the country, company emphasis remains on philanthropic efforts with the
potential to "make a difference in the lives of others."

SOURCE White Castle System, Inc.

Debbie Cline - Communications Supervisor, White Castle System, Inc.,
+1-614-559-2577 (office), +1-614-638-5956 (cell)