White Castle broke ground on July 13 for the expansion of its retail food manufacturing facility in Vandalia, Ohio. The plant, now named “The House that Bill Built” in honor of former President and CEO Bill Ingram, supplies packaged Sliders sold in the freezer aisles of supermarkets and other grocery stores throughout the United States.
“Our retail division has been growing steadily over the past 10 years, and we saw huge growth last year as people cooked and ate at home more during the pandemic. Having more dedicated space to make more sandwiches will enable us to keep up with the increasing demand for our frozen Sliders.” said Lisa Ingram, president and chief executive officer of Columbus, Ohio-headquartered White Castle and daughter of Bill Ingram.
The company is investing $27 million in the project, which should be complete by June of 2022. The expansion will double the size of the plant to 150,000 square feet, and is expected to add 75 jobs to the current workforce of 160 once the new production lines are fully operational.
The city of Vandalia, JobsOhio, the Ohio Department of Development, Montgomery County and the Dayton/Montgomery County Port Authority have all played a part in making the expansion project possible.
Members of the Ingram family as well as government officials from Vandalia and the Dayton region, JobsOhio and White Castle leaders participated in the ground breaking ceremony that saluted Bill Ingram, who not only headed the popular quick service restaurant company from 1980 to 2015, but was responsible for creating and expanding the company’s retail division in 1987.
During the early years of his tenure as president and ceo, Ingram noticed how more and more customers were taking Sliders home from White Castle restaurants and freezing them for future meals. In response, he suggested White Castle sell Sliders as a frozen food product in grocery stores. Some industry experts scoffed at the idea, but true to his reputation as an innovator, Ingram forged ahead and White Castle became the first fast food restaurant chain to offer menu items for purchase at grocery stores for preparation later as ready meals at home.
“Dad wanted to make sure Sliders were available to everyone, even to people who didn’t live in a White Castle market,” said Lisa Ingram. “He played an essential role in getting us where we are today, and it’s so fitting that we honor him this way during our 100th year as a family-owned business.”
Over the years, White Castle has invested heavily in the supply chain that feeds both its restaurant and retail divisions. It owns and operates bakeries, meat processing facilities and frozen food manufacturing plants. The strategy helps ensure that the Sliders available at retail stores offer the same high quality and flavor as Sliders sold in restaurants. In addition to the Original Slider, the retail range includes Cheese Sliders, Jalapeño Cheese Sliders and Chicken Breast Sliders.
