White Castle, the 105-year-old, family-owned fast-food chain known for its small square burgers sold by the sackful, will soon have two fewer locations in the Las Vegas Valley.
The stores, at Casino Royale on the Strip and 535 Marks St. in Henderson, are closing around the end of the month, Jamie Richardson, chief marketing officer of White Castle, told Neon. The other White Castles in Vegas — on Paradise Road and at the Fremont Street Experience — will remain open, as will the shop in Jean, south of Vegas, Richardson said.
A ‘happy’ partnership
The five White Castles had been licensed by Terrible Herbst, the gas station and convenience store chain based in the valley. Terrible Herbst, the first licensee in White Castle history, offered the stores to the company; White Castle chose to purchase the locations that will remain open.
“They decided they have a lot of other business interests and were no longer interested in continuing to run the White Castle locations,” Richardson said of Terrible Herbst. “For us, being family-owned, it feels like the right feel and fit for us to continue with the three locations.
“We’ve been really happy with our partnership,” he added.
The secret? Five holes
The Paradise Road, downtown and Jean White Castles will close for a few days around the end of March or early April, Richard said, as they transition from being licensee stores to corporate stores. The employees of the two closing stores will be offered employment with White Castle, he said. When these stores reopen, all 340 or so White Castle locations will be owned and operated by the company.
White Castle burgers are famously built from patties with five holes arranged like a five-spot domino. The patties are steam-grilled atop a bed of onions spread across a flat top. The holes allow steam to pass through the patties, promoting even cooking (without turning the patties over) and endowing the meat with onion flavor.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at [email protected]. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.