White Castle will close all of its restaurants between 7 and 11 a.m. on November 3 to give team members time to vote in the 2020 presidential election. White Castle 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,” says Lisa Ingram, president and CEO. “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 storied 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 is famous for its team member loyalty, with engagement scores 40 percent higher than the industry average. More than 1 in 4 team members has worked at White Castle for 10 years or more, and the average tenure of a general manager is 21 years.
Today, White Castle owns and operates more than 360 restaurants.