Announcement Highlights
- For the first time in several years, White Castle is rolling out a new, permanent menu item — a slider inspired by the very first hamburger White Castle made when it opened its doors in 1921.
- Called the 1921 Slider, the new burger marks 101 years of slider innovations.
- The 1921 Slider is a thick, 100% beef patty, seared and seasoned to perfection, then topped with cheddar cheese, grilled caramelized onions, a slice of Roma tomato, lettuce and pickles.
- Inspired by White Castle’s first slider, it promises to bring Cravers back in time to the hamburger that launched an industry!
- White Castle is also offering for a limited time a new drink option – Coca Cola’s crème soda – to complement the new 1921 Slider.
- Consumers can get the crème soda at White Castle before anywhere else.
- White Castle has been serving Coca-Cola since it first opened 101 years ago, when the soft drink, sliders, coffee and apple pie were the only items on the menu.
Press Release
White Castle’s New 1921 Slider, Now Available at All Castles, Marks 101 Years of Slider Innovations and Brings Menu Full Circle
White Castle Also First to Offer New Soft Drink from Coca-Cola, Its Partner Since 1921
COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the first time in several years, White Castle is rolling out a new, permanent menu item — a slider inspired by the very first hamburger White Castle made when it opened its doors in 1921.
Called The 1921 Slider®, the new burger marks 101 years of slider innovations.
“The 1921 Slider brings our menu full circle to the hamburger that started it all,” said Lynn Blashford, chief marketing officer for White Castle. “It’s been so popular in our limited release that we can’t wait for Cravers in all of our restaurant markets to enjoy this fresh take on our 101-year-old slider recipe.”
The 1921 Slider is a thick, 100% beef patty, seared and seasoned to perfection, then topped with cheddar cheese, grilled caramelized onions, a slice of Roma tomato, lettuce and pickles. Inspired by White Castle’s first slider, it promises to bring Cravers back in time to the hamburger that launched an industry!
White Castle tested The 1921 Slider in Cincinnati last spring, using customer feedback to guide the eventual build of the slider. The response to The 1921 Slider was so positive that White Castle began introducing it in a few other markets, including St. Louis, Nashville and Louisville. As of yesterday, White Castle is making the tasty slider available at White Castle restaurants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, New Jersey and Florida. Restaurants in New York will begin offering The 1921 Slider in June.
In 1921, White Castle founder Billy Ingram had the idea of making a hamburger by pressing a beef meatball into a flat, circular patty, and later even invented an industrial spatula to more easily press the meatball on the grill. That’s how the iconic White Castle slider came to be.
The family-owned White Castle, well-known as the country’s first fast-food hamburger chain, continued to innovate throughout the years, making changes that positioned White Castle as a pioneering leader and its slider as one of America’s favorite sandwiches.
“My great-grandfather came up with many brilliant ideas as he launched White Castle in 1921 and in the decades to follow,” said Lisa Ingram, the CEO of White Castle and a fourth-generation Ingram family member. “Thanks to him, innovation has been part of our DNA from the very beginning, and he would be so pleased to see that our team members’ drive to innovate is as strong as ever.”
White Castle’s slider innovations over the past 101 years include:
1921 White Castle opened and served the very first hamburger “slider.”
1927 White Castle invented the concept of carryout and promoted it with the tagline, “Selling ‘em by the Sack.”
1931 White Castle began selling sliders in individual carton packaging.
1935 White Castle opened its first bakery to produce buns for its sliders (White Castle bakeries still produce slider buns today).
1954 White Castle added five holes to the slider patty to increase cooking speed.
1954 White Castle formed slider patties into squares to maximize griddle space.
1961 White Castle sold its 1 billionth slider.
1962 White Castle introduced cheese sliders as a standard menu item.
1987 White Castle launched its retail food division, making regular and cheese sliders available in the freezer aisles of U.S. grocery stores.
1990 White Castle created its popular Thanksgiving stuffing recipe featuring 10 Original Sliders.
1997 White Castle introduced jalapeño cheese sliders for those craving a spicy slider.
2001 White Castle added the Crave Case, which holds 30 sliders, as a packaging option.
2015 White Castle introduced a veggie slider for plant-based eaters.
2018 White Castle debuted the Impossible Slider, becoming the first quick-service restaurant to introduce an Impossible burger.
2022 White Castle added The 1921 Slider in all of its markets.
“We’re excited to give our customers this additional menu option that harkens back to our beginning,” Blashford said. “Although we’ve made a lot of updates over 10 decades, the all-new 1921 Slider comes as close as ever to that very first slider with a few new twists.”
White Castle also introduces new soft drink option from Coca-Cola
The 1921 Slider is just one new item on the menu. Yesterday, White Castle also began offering a new drink option — Coca-Cola® Crème Soda — to complement the new 1921 Slider. Consumers can get the crème soda at White Castle before anywhere else. White Castle has been serving Coca-Cola since it first opened 101 years ago, when the soft drink, sliders, coffee and apple pie were the only items on the menu.
Members of White Castle’s customer loyalty program, Craver Nation, can access a special buy-one-get-one-free offer for The 1921 Slider through the White Castle app. The offer is good for new and existing Craver Nation members and will be available April 18 through May 30 systemwide (except New York and New Jersey).
Media Assets
About White Castle®
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders as a family-owned business for 101 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider® in 1921. Today, White Castle owns and operates more than 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time magazine’s “Most Influential Burger of All Time,” is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted Sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the “10 Most Innovative Dining Companies.” White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and also for its faithful fans (“Cravers”), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.