COLUMBUS, Ohio — America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, White Castle, is offering to help a public organization preserve a 1930s diner built after the early Castle restaurants.
What You Need To Know
- The diner is not affiliated with White Castle
- White Castle will invest to transport the 90-year-old building
- The Castle-themed diner is located near Wichita, Kansas
The owners are offering to give away the 20-by-20-foot building for free, on one condition that the new owners are able to safely relocate the 90-year-old diner to its final location.
“As the ones to start it all 102 years ago, our family business would like to do our part to preserve this history and source of good memories,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle and fourth-generation family member.
The small diner has raised commotion on social media. The structure is currently near Wichita, Kansas, which has brought up attention if this was an early White Castle restaurant by having the similarities and that White Castle was founded in Wichita.
The family of White Castle’s founder, Billy Ingram, confirmed this Castle-themed diner is not affiliated with White Castle.
“We can confirm that this was not a White Castle,” added Richardson. “Nevertheless, we have great reverence for all that the fast-food industry has done to serve up hot, tasty and affordable food across generations, and this building is a part of that important history.”
White Castle is asking historical organizations interested to retain the diner to contact White Castle’s home office at its historic preservation hotline at 614-559-2687. White Castle will invest to transport the building to its final location, when chosen by the current owners from a joint proposal.
