White Castle will welcome a record 57 inductees into the company’s 25 Year Club on October 3 at the New Albany Country Club in New Albany, Ohio. The inductees will be recognized for all their hard work and dedication as White Castle team members in service to the company for 25 years.
In a time and industry where high turnover is considered a price of entry, White Castle is very proud of the dedication and resiliency of these employees as well as those inducted before them. White Castle continues to be a leader in the restaurant industry where employees are concerned. Health benefits and year-end bonuses based upon longevity with the company have been enjoyed by White Castle team members since 1924.
The 25 Year Club has been a part of White Castle longer than most other chains have been around. The first group of honorees was inducted in 1946, including company founder Billy Ingram. His son, Edgar, joined the club in 1959. Grandson and current CEO Bill Ingram followed suit in 1997. Beyond just the blood relatives of the company founder, the White Castle family has welcomed 959 members to the club. The club includes 338 members still on the active payroll.
This year’s class, which began their employment at White Castle in 1977, is represented by team members from 10 of the company’s 11 operating areas (Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, New York and St. Louis), the home office and one of its bakeries. The honorees are welcomed from across the Midwest and East Coast to Columbus, the site of the White Castle home office since 1934, and given special treatment.
They are treated to dinner with the Ingram family who own White Castle, tours of the home office facilities, and hotel accommodations. The experience is capped off with a banquet Thursday evening when Bill Ingram will present each with a gold watch. The ceremony is attended by local incumbent members of the club as well as White Castle’s upper management from each operating area and division who are in Columbus for the company’s annual planning and review meeting.