Bad news: Florida still isn’t getting an In-N-Out Burger. Good news: We are getting an expansion of a different cult-favorite burger chain.
Florida is getting the Crave with at least two more White Castle locations, one coming to Daytona Beach in 2026 and another opening in Kissimmee, the company said in an email.
That makes four all together, after the chain’s initial return to the Sunshine State for the first time in 53 years.
“This commitment marks the next exciting step in our Florida expansion,” said Jamie T. Richardson, Vice President of White Castle. “Our Orlando and Clermont Castles have been embraced with open arms, and we can’t wait to bring our beloved sliders to Daytona Beach.
“Known as ‘The World’s Most Famous Beach’ and part of Florida’s Fun Coast, Daytona’s vibrant, growing community is a perfect match for our fun-loving, customer-centric brand. We’re eager to meet the crave and become part of the fabric of this community.”
The Daytona Beach location, planned for LPGA Blvd, will be designed in White Castle’s modern “neighborhood” prototype style, the company said in an email, with plans for indoor and outdoor seating and two drive-thru lanes. “The new Castle will create more than 70 jobs for local residents,” the company said.
In 2021, the world’s largest White Castle opened in Orlando, the first location in the state since 1968, and a second location opened in Clermont in August this year. There have been reports of an even larger location proposed near Universal’s Epic Universe, but a spokesperson for White Castle said in an email the company did not have any confirmed plans “at this time.”
What is White Castle?
Floridians are familiar with the square burgers at Krystal, but northerners know that White Castle, home of “The Original Slider,” beat them by 11 years to become what is believed to be the world’s first hamburger chain.
It was founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas when businessman Edgar Waldo “Billy” A. Ingram partnered with cook and diner chain owner Walter Anderson to start a new chain selling Anderson’s popular little square hamburgers for five cents each. The steel and porcelain restaurants were small, efficient, and conspicuously clean to fight the bad rap that ground beef had received after poor sanitation was revealed at meat-packing warehouses more than a decade earlier.
Ingram essentially invented the fast-food concept, creating a business to build the structures and operating White Castle’s own meat plants and bakeries. By 1927, White Castle was selling burgers by the sack, which the company claims marked the invention of restaurant “carry-out.”
Originally cooked over shredded onions, a White Castle operator in Cincinnati came up with poking five holes in each patty to make them cook faster and they still make them that way today.
Cheeseburgers weren’t added to the menu until 1961. That’s the same year they became the first fast food hamburger chain to sell over 1 billion burgers, well before McDonald’s hit that mark. By 1987, frozen Sliders were available in grocery stores.
What can I get at White Castle?
Sliders are still king, but they have added other options such as a Bacon and Cheddar Chicken Slider, a Panko-breaded Fish Slider, an Impossible Slider without meat, a Chicken and Waffle Slider, and more. In June, White Castle added Crispy Chicken and Crispy Chicken Deluxe Sliders. There are also breakfast sliders, including one between two Belgian waffles.
Sliders are available in the traditional sack of 10, a Clutch of 20, a Case of 30 or the Crave Crate of 100.
Sides include french fries, loaded fries, onion chips and onion rings, mozzarella cheese sticks, Fish Nibblers, Chicken Rings, Cheddar Blast Chicken Rings and Hash Brown Nibblers and you can top it all off with strawberry cheesecake, fudge-dipped brownies or Gooey Buttercake — all on sticks.
Why are there so few White Castle locations?
They don’t franchise. The Ingram family — now in its fourth generation — still runs the Columbus, Ohio-based business.
There are 341 locations across the country, according to the company.
What are Cravers?
Despite the few locations (or possibly because of their rarity), fans, also known as Cravers, can get passionate about the little restaurants. Dozens of couples have gotten married there and many Cravers book reservations for Valentine’s Day (with table service) weeks in advance.
White Castle has made appearances in the movies “Saturday Night Live” and (of course) “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” The Beastie Boys have mentioned White Castle in several songs, and 80s band The Smithereens released “White Castle Blues.”
In 2001, White Castle established its Craver Hall of Fame to honor the most devoted fans, with new “classes” added every year and multiple honorary inductees such as Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee and rocker Alice Cooper.
When will the Daytona Beach White Castle open?
The planned Daytona Beach White Castle, at 1944 LPGA Boulevard, between the Circle K and Dunkin’, is scheduled to open in summer 2026, the company said.
No date has been announced for the planned Kissimmee location, which will be at O-Town West, but the company said it will open before the Daytona Beach Castle.
Where can I find a White Castle near me in Florida?
So far there are two in Florida.
You cna search for more across the U.S. at whitecastle.com/locations/.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: White Castle bringing the Crave with 2 new Florida locations. Here’s where and when
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
