Staffing

White Castle closing 4 hours on Election Day, pays employees PTO

Photo: iStock

October 27, 2020

White Castle said today it will close its stores from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Election Day next Tuesday, Nov. 3, to give team members time to vote in the 2020 presidential election, a news release said. Employees who are scheduled to work during this time in the restaurants, at the home office and at the company's manufacturing plants will be paid for the four-hour break.

"White Castle is a family-owned business that has been around for nearly 100 years, so this is our 25th presidential election," Lisa Ingram, president and CEO, said in the news release. "We have decided to start a new tradition. Starting this year and going forward, White Castle will give team members time to exercise their right to vote in presidential elections. We believe voting is a right of responsible citizenship, and we want all our team members to have that opportunity."

The brand is known for being open morning, noon and night every day of the year except Christmas.

"The introduction of this new tradition underscores just how important we think it is that everybody has time to vote," Ingram said.

White Castle owns and operates more than 360 restaurants, mostly in the Midwest and is based in Columbus, Ohio.