White Castle fast food restaurants is testing something new. Not a new sandwich or a new method of deep frying, but rather some beverage selections not usually sold in fast food restaurants: Beer and wine.
No, that six pack of imperial stout you just finished hasn’t affected your vision. You did, indeed, read that correctly. White Castle is considering selling beer and wine at its fast- food restaurants.
White Castle, the iconic fast- food joint loved by some and loathed by others, is looking for ways to improve sales at its restaurant locations. In order to meet the demands of consumers and hopefully boost profits in the process, White Castle is considering adding beer and wine to the menu. It is testing the concept at its Lafayette, Ind., store location as a potential enhancement to its restaurants. It is testing some new restaurant concepts as well, such as Blaze Modern BBQ, Laughing Noodle, and Deckers. The company feels it needs to branch out into new areas in order to compete with the fast- casual restaurant chains and to meet customer demands and changing needs.
As far fetched as a Double Slider with a Bud Light might sound, it really is not that radical of a concept. After all, other fast food restaurants such as Burger King have experimented with adult beverages and fast- casual chains like Chipotle, Smashburger, Freebirds, and others already offer malt beverages and wine or wine- based drinks with their meals. Many of these establishments have enjoyed success, so why can’t White Castle do the same?
According to White Castle Vice President of Corporate Relations, Jamie Richardson, the idea of washing down an order of onion chips with a bottle of Miller Lite has been received positively in Layfayette and the overall response to serving beer and wine with a White Castle meal has been “better than expected.” But Richardson also cautions that nothing is final. White Castle will not consider expanding the concept further unless sales at the Layfayette location justify a change on a larger scale.
At the Lafayette location, White Castle is offering a variety of wines for $4.50 a glass and bottles of domestic beer for $3. The prices aren’t bad and are certainly reasonable for any restaurant. Still, it is difficult for many to get past the White Castle/Beer and Wine concept in general. Many consider White Castle burgers something to eat after drinking beer; not before drinking, and certainly not with a beer, but after drinking beer. White Castle cravings usually take place after a game of beer pong, not at the same time one pops the cap on a bottle of porter.
Whether or not the decision to require a beer/wine selling license to future White Castle franchise owners becomes reality remains to be seen. In the meantime, I think I will keep my White Castle consumption and my beer drinking as separate indulgences. The thought of an order of fish nibblers washed down with a Coors Light does something to my psyche, not to mention my stomach.
