Food & Beverage

Orlando slider-cravers 'storm the (White) Castle'

White Castle's return to Florida is met by miles of cars filled with Slider-hungry fans Monday. (Provided)

May 4, 2021

The city of Orlando turned out in droves for the opening of the largest free-standing White Castle restaurant on the planet this week in Florida Gulf Coast city. Lines of traffic for the slider-deprived stretched for miles as the brand returned to the Sunshine State for the first time since the 1960s, when it operated four stores in the Miami area, a news release said.

Inside the world's largest White Castle that opened in Orlando Monday. (Photo provided)

Located in southwest Orlando, at Unicorp's $1 billion The Village at O-Town West mixed-use development, the White Castle had its team of 140 team members and managers ready and waiting for the square burger-loving crowd visiting the century-old brand born anew on Monday.

VIPs joining the grand opening festivities included White Castle President and CEO Lisa Ingram — a fourth-generation member of the family that owns the chain — along with other third- and fourth-generation family members and company leaders, White Castle Hall of Famers, local elected officials, development partners, invited guests, and the dining public.

"You could say our Orlando Castle has been 100 years in the making," said Ingram in the release. "We have been humbled and honored by the warm welcome we have received to date from the Central Florida community. Our vision at White Castle is to 'feed the souls of craver generations everywhere' and our mission is to 'create memorable moments every day. We can't wait to meet our new neighbors, whether long-time Cravers or new to the Castle."

The Orlando Castle begins regular operating hours today of 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days per week. At some point in the future, White Castle will operate 24 hours per day, the brand said.