White Castle To Give Away Free Original Sliders in Celebration of ‘National Slider Day’
White Castle customers are honored on National Slider Day with a free burger.
White Castle is celebrating National Slider Day by honoring customers with free sandwiches and money-saving deals.
According to a press release, the original fast-food retailer will give away one Original Slider to customers on May 15 to celebrate this milestone. To redeem, customers must utilize a digital coupon available on White Castle’s website and social media channels or enter the code SLIDERDAY on the White Castle app to redeem the offer.
Back in 2015, White Castle decided it was time to give some serious love to the burger that started it all, the Original Slider. So, it created National Slider Day to celebrate this tiny-but-mighty icon of the fast-food industry.
“The introduction of the Slider in 1921 helped turn White Castle into a household name and launched the fast-food industry as we know it today,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. “We think a burger that has had so much influence in the food industry is worthy of its own special day, and what better way to celebrate than to thank our customers with a complimentary Slider?”
The brand’s Original Slider consists of 100% beef, steamed onions, and the brand’s soft, original bun. The beef patties are thin and square, with five holes, steam-grilled over onions, and served with a pickle.
The Original Slider was the only item on White Castle’s menu for 41 years. White Castle opened in 1921, and its first new menu item, the Cheese Slider, wasn’t introduced until 1962.
Today, all restaurants offer a variety of Sliders. All menu items are available throughout the day, and most White Castle restaurants are open 24/7.
Is White Castle’s Slider One of the Most Influential Fast Foods of All Time?
In 2014, TIME Magazine declared that White Castle’s Original Slider was the most influential burger of all time. The title was awarded after polling a panel of burger experts and historians.
The restaurant surpassed 16 other influential burgers on the list to take the No. 1 spot. The article noted the Slider’s success “paved the way for the great American burger obsession.”
“We have millions of Cravers from around the globe that have professed their undying love for the iconic Slider,” Richardson said in 2014. “We’re excited, and humbled, that the Original Slider has topped the list with the biggest impact in the history of the burger industry. Our famous legion of Cravers can now thump their chests, hold their heads high, and say they’ve been proven right by the world’s hamburger experts.” rstdf03sdx
The burger restaurant that would become one of the most beloved in the food industry started in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, when Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson opened a tiny hamburger stand. With just $700 and a five-stool counter, they launched White Castle.
At the time, burgers didn’t exactly have the best reputation, but White Castle changed that with spotless kitchens, consistent quality, and affordable 5-cent sliders. Its focus on quick service, uniformity, and flavor helped build a loyal following, and the Original Slider became an American classic.
Smithsonian Magazine quoted author Adam Chandler in 2019, who discussed that one of the key reasons for White Castle’s success lay in its reputation for consistency. The brand’s Original Sliders are made almost the same way today as they were when the first burger was crafted in 1921.
Chandler said, “It fit the tech fascinations of the ’20s. There was a real assembly-line fervor that was raging across America. White Castle adopted this model—they had food that was prepared quickly in a very highly mechanized, highly systematized way. Every inch of the grill was dedicated for either the bread or the beef in small, square patties.”
He added, “[White Castle] had these efficiencies built into it that really spoke to the fascinations of the era. And now it would sound weird, the idea that your experience there should be the same every single time and that every customer gets the exact same food over and over again. Something that’s very familiar is kind of seen as a negative now, but back then it absolutely was a cherished part of the experience.”
White Castle will offer customers free sliders only on National Slider Day. The chain is also currently running a special where six Original Sliders are selling for just $4. This offer, which launched May 9, brings the price of Original Sliders to just under 67 cents each, perfect for cost-conscious customers.
