White Castle broke ground Tuesday on its second restaurant in Arizona. The new castle, which will open in the first half of 2023, will be located at 8755 South Jewel Street in south Tempe, just outside of Phoenix.
White Castle officials from the company’s home office in Columbus, Ohio, and team members from the Phoenix region, along with Tempe Mayor Corey Woods and locally based Cravers Hall of Fame members, took part in the groundbreaking ceremony. The Cravers Hall of Fame inductees kicked off the event with a fun processional. White Castle’s own Town Crier added to the festivities by christening the ground with an overflowing ladle of chopped onions — a groundbreaking tradition — in recognition of their role in flavoring White Castle’s iconic Sliders.
“We can’t wait to open our second Arizona Castle next year and serve up hot-and-tasty food to even more White Castle Cravers,” says Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. “Our fans in the Valley of the Sun have warmly and enthusiastically embraced White Castle’s Scottsdale location. We know they’re going to love having another Castle right here in Tempe to satisfy their Crave.”
The new Tempe castle will be approximately 3,000 square feet with a 50-seat dining room and a hospitality door for drive-thru service. The exterior will feature an 880-square-foot patio with 50 seats and the distinctive White Castle tower. The restaurant will create about 60 full- and part-time jobs, including eight at the supervisory level. White Castle expects to begin hiring in early 2023. The Tempe Castle will feature the full White Castle menu of hot-and-tasty Sliders and sides to satisfy the crave of White Castle fans morning, noon and night.
White Castle opened its Scottsdale Castle to much fanfare in October 2019. More than three years later, the excitement continues, as the restaurant remains one of the chain’s top performers. It even features an “Alice Cooper Corner” booth in honor of the local resident and White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame member.
In May 2021, White Castle opened a Castle in Orlando. The opening of that Castle — the largest free-standing White Castle in the world — marked the return of the beloved brand to Florida since operating four restaurants in Miami in the 1960s. Last month, White Castle opened its inaugural “Crave & Go” location in Orlando. The first of its kind in the White Castle system, Crave & Go is a stand-alone store meant specifically for pickup orders made through the official White Castle app or through White Castle’s delivery partners.
