Popular fast food chain once had truly wild 'Hamburgers to Fly' service
An American fast-food business with more than 100 years in business used to pride itself on its ambitious ‘Hamburgers to Fly’ program - serving customers across the nation despite only existing in ten states.
Flashback to the 1980s: Happy Eater restaurants were a British roadside staple; McDonald’s was serving up its cult-favourite, the Kahuna Burger; Burger King launched its moreish Croissan'wich in the United States, and Wendy’s Kaiser bun began its domination.
White Castle, meanwhile, was standing head and shoulders above the rest in terms of innovation.
The Kansas-founded institution, hailed by many as the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain, popularised sliders and was once upon a time slinging burgers for just ten cents, as per Consumerist.
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In the 80s, the family-owned chain was running its wild ‘Hamburgers to Fly initiative, which sadly came to an end in 1987 after then-CEO E.W. Ingram III claimed it wasn’t making them ‘any more money’ than handing food over a counter.
Despite the initiative being an ‘awful lot of hassle’, the idea was pretty genius - especially if you lived in one of the 40 states where White Castle didn’t exist.
The idea of Hamburgers to Fly was that you could order a signature slider from anywhere in the US, including California, and have it delivered to your door within 24 hours.
The Takeout reported that the meaty morsel would land on customers’ doorsteps from their nearest White Castle in a container filled with dry ice to keep it as fresh as possible.
During the years that Hamburgers to Fly was in play, there were only ten states in which the chain restaurant operated, and most of them were in the Midwest and on the East Coast.
Unfortunately, the program came to an end in 1987, with White Castle deeming it an overall failure.
Almost four decades later, the company now sells its beef sliders in the frozen food aisle of Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and other major supermarket chains.
Sides, like Cheeseburger Castle Bites and Spicy Chicken Rings are also available in the freezer section.
In honour of National Slider Day, the iconic burger chain is handing out free food with no catch to hungry customers.
“National Slider Day is one of our favorite traditions because it gives us a chance to recognize the Original Slider — the little burger that not only made White Castle famous but also helped launch the fast-food industry,” said Jamie Richardson, chief marketing officer at White Castle.
“More than 100 years later, it’s still delivering the same one-of-a-kind taste our fans love. Giving away complimentary Original Sliders is a perfect way to show our deep gratitude for Cravers everywhere.”
The Original Slider, introduced 105 years ago at the White Castle location in Wichita, has previously been hailed by Time as ‘the most influential burger of all time’.
To get your hands on yours, make sure you download the digital coupon from the White Castle website or enter the code ‘SLIDERDAY’ on the WHite Castle app.
Ella Scott