Ever since I was a kid, I heard a story about my paternal grandfather working at one of the first White Castle restaurants here in Indianapolis. We even have a photo to prove it, which you can see below.
White Castle was founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, and is considered to be the first fast food restaurant in the world. By 1927, they entered the Indianapolis market, with the three following locations.
- 639 N. Illinois Street
- 650 Ft. Wayne Avenue
- 302 Virginia Avenue
The fourth restaurant opened in 1928 at 1401 E. Washington Street, which happens to be the store where my grandfather worked. It was located at the southeast corner of Washington and Oriental. Construction permits were issued in early 1928, and a help wanted ad appeared in the June 3 edition of the Indianapolis Star, as shown below.
Unfortunately, I have no idea exactly when Grandpa worked at White Castle, but he turned 19 years old in 1928, and certainly fit the bill for being young.
Sadly, three of the four early White Castle buildings I’ve mentioned in this article have been torn down, including the one where Grandpa worked. The last one standing on Ft. Wayne Avenue ceased operations in 1979, and was threatened with demolition, but was saved. At the time of this writing, it appears to be a hair salon.
Bonus Material
While researching White Castle, I stumbled upon this this article in the 24 October 1928 edition of the Indianapolis News, showing that Walter L. Anderson, president of the White Castle System, arrived from Wichita, Kansas, at the Mars Hill airfield. (I haven’t confirmed, but I suspect that “Mars Hill field” refers to present-day Stout Field, which happens to be located in Mars Hill on the west side of Indianapolis.)
Can you imagine a time when so few people flew airplanes that ones name and business for being in town could be published in the local newspapers?
What’s your favorite food to get at White Castle? For me, it’s plain old cheeseburgers — a sack of four, please.
Sources & Further Reading
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Castle_(restaurant)
- The Indianapolis Star. (September 19, 1927). White Castle Ad – 1927 – Three Locations. Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-white-castle-ad/19203776/
- The Indianapolis Star. (June 3, 1928). White Castle Ad – 1928 – Help Wanted at 1401 E. Washington St. Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-white-castle-ad/19203907/
- The Indianapolis News. (April 25, 1979). Article – “No. 3 Faces Its Last Sack”. Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-article-no-3-f/120739284/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_White_Castle
- https://historicindianapolis.com/preservation-affirmed-white-castle-no-3/
- The Indianapolis News. (October 24, 1928). Arrivals, Departures at Indianapolis Airports. Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-arrivals-departur/19203964/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout_Army_Air_Field