Opening of world's largest White Castle draws long lines in Orlando

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Tuesday, May 4, 2021
White Castle opening in Orlando draws long lines
The cravers came out in large numbers for the grand opening of White Castle's largest location in Orlando, Florida on Monday.

ORLANDO, Florida -- A craver is what someone is called who is a White Castle fanatic.

And the cravers came out in large numbers in Orlando, Florida for the grand opening of the burger chain's largest free-standing location on Monday.

Cameras showed car after car lined up to be one of the first customers to order in the drive-thru.

One craver named Fred arrived 12 hours before the doors opened and slept in his car - all for the fast-food restaurant's world-famous sliders. As he walked into the burger shop, he said waiting in line all that time was worth it.

Another craver, Harry Blackledge, started a Facebook page 11 years ago to get a White Castle in central Florida. The page, with 11,000 followers, achieved its mission with the largest White Castle in the world.

"I just decided I wanted a White Castle here," Blackledge said.

White Castle employees were trying to keep up with of all the cravers. Due to the expected high demand, White Castle put a limit of 60 sliders per order.

Officials say a shop can cook 400 sliders in 4 and a half minutes.

The 4,567-square-foot restaurant, near Disney World, created 140 positions for the Orlando community.

"There's nothing like it. There's nothing that can imitate it. You've got to be here if you never had one," Blackledge said.

White Castle is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.