White Castle maintains steady business, serves 300 to 400 during peak hours

By BEN BURR

DeKalb’s White Castle is open and operating at full throttle.

The only White Castle in the city, the restaurant has been serving between 300 and 400 customers an hour at peak hours, according to Kelvin McClinton, the district supervisor and overseer of six White Castles.

The restaurant, which has hired 31 local employees, has brought help from other area White Castles to assist the new trainees with the seemingly constant stream of slyder-seeking customers.

McClinton said the 20-some extra employees will remain until the local employees can handle things on their own, which he anticipated would be around late December.

Sales have been consistent since opening day, according to McClinton, with White Castle hamburgers and cheeseburgers maintaining first place in order popularity. He said the Crave Case, a cardboard carton of 30 hamburgers, sells by the hundreds daily.

Students expressed mixed feelings toward the new White Castle.

“I’m not a fan of White Castle,” said Kycarah Van Haelst, sophomore accountancy major. “I think their burgers are too greasy.”

Van Haelst was surprised to see the restaurant open in DeKalb.

Luke Otto, a senior communication major, had a similar opinion.

“I think there’s enough late-night places like McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King,” Otto said. “We should have more places like Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday.”

However, there are students pleased by the restaurants opening. Adam Cox, a senior drawing major was dining there the day after Thanksgiving.

Satisfaction with the new White Castle is evident not only by the location’s abundant business, but also in Cox’s emphatic testimony, “Little bite-sized burgers: yum!”