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White Castle is one of America’s oldest fast-food chains and the original home of the slider. Founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson, White Castle built a cult following around its small, square burgers cooked on a bed of onions, plus crinkle-cut fries and late-night hours.
This 2026 update focuses on the numbers readers search for most—how many White Castle restaurants exist today, how many people work there, and how the chain is expanding—using clearly sourced, date-labeled figures.
Answer Box (2026): How many White Castle restaurants are there?
- 340 restaurants (“Castles”) as of Dec 31, 2024 (company CSR report).
- 335 restaurants (company press release, Aug 2025).
- White Castle also describes its footprint more broadly as nearly 350 restaurants with almost 10,000 team members (careers site wording).
Key White Castle Metrics (Latest Available)
| Metric | Value | Year / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1921 | Wichita, Kansas |
| Founders | Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson | 1921 |
| Restaurants (“Castles”) | 340 | As of Dec 31, 2024 (CSR report) |
| Team members | 9,089 | As of Dec 31, 2024 (CSR report) |
| Restaurants (company press release benchmark) | 335 | Aug 2025 (owns and operates) |
| Restaurants (careers site wording) | Nearly 350 | Careers site (general description) |
| Team members (careers site wording) | Almost 10,000 | Careers site (general description) |
| Estimated U.S. sales (Technomic estimate) | $651M | 2024 (U.S. system sales estimate) |
| Estimated U.S. units (Technomic estimate) | 340 | 2024 (U.S. units estimate) |
White Castle Restaurant Count (2026 Update)
White Castle is privately owned and does not publish a single, standardized “unit count” table every year the way public restaurant companies do. Instead, the most reliable approach is to use date-stamped company disclosures and treat broader “nearly” wording as directional.
- Dec 31, 2024: White Castle’s CSR report lists 340 Castles and 9,089 team members.
- Aug 2025: A White Castle press release said the company owns and operates 335 restaurants.
Small differences between sources are common because they can reflect different dates, definitions, or whether a statement is rounded for general audiences.
Employees: How Many People Work at White Castle?
The most precise recent figure comes from the CSR report: 9,089 team members as of December 31, 2024. White Castle’s careers site uses broader wording and describes the company as having almost 10,000 team members, which aligns directionally with the CSR figure.
Expansion News: White Castle’s First Texas Location
For decades, White Castle expanded cautiously, with most restaurants in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast. In August 2025, White Castle announced it plans to open its first Texas restaurant in The Colony (Dallas area), with an opening targeted for 2026.
What White Castle Is Known For
- Sliders: small burgers cooked on a bed of onions
- Crinkle-cut fries and classic sides
- Chicken Rings and limited-time menu items
- Retail grocery presence: frozen sliders and related products (often referenced in company descriptions)
FAQ
How many White Castle restaurants are there in 2026?
The latest precise company-published count lists 340 Castles as of December 31, 2024. A later company press release (Aug 2025) cited 335 restaurants. White Castle also describes its footprint more broadly as nearly 350 restaurants on its careers site.
How many employees does White Castle have?
White Castle’s CSR report lists 9,089 team members as of December 31, 2024. Its careers site summarizes this as almost 10,000 team members.
Is White Castle opening in Texas?
Yes. White Castle announced plans to open its first Texas restaurant in The Colony with an opening planned for 2026.
Why do different sources show different restaurant counts?
Because White Castle is privately held and numbers are often shared in different contexts—CSR reporting, recruiting pages, and press releases—with different dates and sometimes rounded language (“nearly”).
How much does White Castle sell per year?
Because White Castle is private, you’ll often see third-party estimates. One Technomic Top 500 listing estimates White Castle’s 2024 U.S. system sales at $651M with 340 U.S. units. Treat these as estimates, not audited company filings.
Sources
