White Castle will soon have more dedicated fans in its Cravers Hall of Fame. The company plans to induct 13 finalists who entered in a contest earlier this year.
Since the Cravers Hall of Fame was launched in 2001, more than 6,629 people have applied for induction, but only 67 have been inducted. This year alone saw 1,350 submitted entries — the highest number of entries ever. A panel of judges choose the best stories based on brand loyalty, creative presentation, originality and magnitude of the crave.
"Our Cravers are some of the most loyal people out there. I'm ecstatic that we've had a record number of Cravers Hall of Fame entries submitted this year," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of corporate relations. "Each year we find Craver stories that are more outrageous and memorable than the previous year. While our fans and customers are definitely unique, they are the best."
The final 13 best entries were chosen, and the winners will be inducted on Nov. 16 during a special ceremony in the company's hometown of Columbus, Ohio. A private dinner at the Ohio Historical Society will follow.
In addition, White Castle has added a "Cravers in Extremis" distinguished category this year to the Cravers Hall of Fame. The company will induct a public figure, celebrity or pop icon who has publicly shown their love of White Castle. The first "Cravers in Extremis" will be Alex Weresow, a Los Angeles television producer who has worked on ABC's "WifeSwap" and MTV's "Made" and "True Life" series.
The 2010 Cravers Hall of Fame inductees are:
- Perri Hunley, West Liberty, Ky., "Family Traditions"
- Eric Hambacher, Las Vegas, Nev., "Flight of the Slider"
- Nevil Cook, Bumpass, Va., "Precious Cargo"
- Angela Contreras de Wise, Kingwood, Texas, "Inter-Slider Relations"
- Dale Bemis, Oak Lawn, Ill., "Must Love Pickles"
- Victor Gradowski, Bronx, N.Y., "The Great Slider Streak"
- Roy and Mary Holdren, Bloomington, Minn., "The Sweet Sound of Sliders"
- Kristi Carpenter and Faith Stombaugh, Belle Plaine, Iowa, "A Cravercation Come True"
- Mike Ichniowski, Fort Smith, Ark., "A Slider Sonnet"
- Lester Talcott, Crystal Lake, Ill., "A Craveable Career"
