Food & Beverage

White Castle 100th bash mixes a slide-riding CEO, Alice Cooper, crass puppets for pure virtual fun

White Castle CEO Lisa Ingram makes her entrance into the 100th birthday bash for the brand via a playground slide, all-too-appropriate for the woman the company calls the "Slider Queen." (White Castle)

May 27, 2021

With everything from its CEO making an entrance via a sliding board, to celebrity Cravers, like Alice Cooper, singing its praises, White Castle not only proved it's a QSR centered on fun, but also that it's making its mark on the entire quick-service sector during a virtual 100th birthday bash last night.

The event — which was recorded in front of a small audience at White Castle's home office and streamed live on White Castle's social media platforms — featured the aforementioned appearances, as well as live music, a mixology lesson, a Craver Hall of Fame induction and stories from the owners of the chain, the Ingrams, a news release said.

Author, entertainer and loyal White Castle friend Jon Petz kicked off the fun-filled evening with welcoming remarks and a magic trick before turning the show over to Mr. Gandy, a famous New York City bartender and longtime White Castle fan. He showed guests how to make a special Birthday Bash mocktail, Sweet 'Sitrus' Slush, using vanilla ice cream and Fanta Craver Party Punch, which is a specialty mix available only from White Castle's Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.

"Turning 100 is a huge milestone, and we definitely wanted to observe the birthday with a festive event fitting of the occasion," Jamie Richardson, White Castle vice president said in the release. "The virtual Birthday Bash was a blast and allowed us to celebrate with thousands of Cravers from across the country."

White Castle President and CEO Lisa Ingram, and her dad Bill, who served as president of the business from 1978 to 2015, both spoke during the bash, relaying stories about the connections the brand has with its customers.

"Today at White Castle there are 10,000 team members, each of whom is holding up the values our great-grandfather started 100 years ago," said Lisa Ingram, a fourth-generation family member. "This is an exciting time for all of us at White Castle. Sure it's great turning 100 years, but we are keeping it fresh for the next 100, too."

Other highlights from the night include:

Video birthday wishes from celebrities like Kal Penn, who played Kumar in the cult classic "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" movie.
Fashion and White Castle uniform designer Telfar Clemens.
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
Rock star Alice Cooper.
Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw.
Actor/comedian Spice Adams.
TV host Adam Richman.
Induction of sometimes offensive, cigar-smoking puppet, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog into the Craver Hall of fame.
Release of Coca-Cola's limited edition, 8-ounce glass bottle to be sold at major retailers across across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee and Wisconsin this summer.
Performance of "White Castle Blues" from The Smithereens' lead guitarist, Jim Babjak.
Announcement of the brand's partnership with Puma to create the Puma x White Castle sneakers with artist Mache, available June 25 at the Puma NYC flagship store, PUMA.com and Foot Locker stores.

The Columbus, Ohio-based chain has more than 360 stores and an extensive retail network that distributes frozen versions of its sliders nationally.