White Castle inducted 13 loyal fans into its Cravers Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony last night. The 13 inductees, from cities across the country, were chosen from hundreds of entries that all showed just how far some people will go to satisfy their White Castle Crave.
Adam Richman, renowned TV host, actor, author and culinarian, was also inducted as a "Craver in Extremis." Richman, a long-time fan of White Castle, earlier this year hosted an episode of The History Channel's Modern Marvels that featured White Castle.
"Year after year, we are amazed at the stories people share about their strong and unique connections with White Castle," said Lisa Ingram, president and CEO at White Castle and a fourth-generation family member. "It's so gratifying to know that we've played such a significant and memorable part in the lives of so many people."
The 13 members of the 2020 class were selected last fall, but the induction ceremony was postponed from earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony is usually held in February during White Castle's annual leadership conference in Columbus, Ohio, but this year's ceremony was held virtually and featured acceptance speeches, appearances by White Castle leadership and family members, and a few original skits that only the iconic brand could produce.
"Historically, we have inducted our Craver Hall of Famers in person during a special ceremony that's held in front of hundreds of our general managers, regional directors, and district supervisors as well as our leadership and operations teams for both the restaurant and retail divisions," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "However, this year we are excited to live stream the event so that Craver generations everywhere can be a part of this special ceremony."
In addition to getting recognition at the ceremony, the 2020 inductees will also receive a commemorative plaque and an extra special tribute: Their stories will be featured on the restaurant's iconic Slider box packaging, the new designs for which will be rolled out in early 2022.
To determine the Hall of Fame's most worthy Cravers, the judges set criteria based on brand loyalty, creative presentation, originality and magnitude of the Crave. In 2002, White Castle added the "Craver in Extremis" category to recognize public figures, celebrities and pop icons, which now includes Adam Richman as well as Richard Dreyfuss, Alice Cooper, Telfar Clemens, Kal Penn and John Cho, and the late Stan Lee, who all have publicly expressed their love of White Castle.
Since the Hall of Fame's start in 2001, a total of 262 inductees have been honored with this distinguished award. Nominations for the next class of Cravers Hall of Famers can be submitted now through White Castle's website.