Feeding Souls Everywhere: How White Castle Satisfies Cravers in Grocery Aisles and Beyond

The session titled "Feeding Souls Everywhere: How White Castle Satisfies Cravers in Grocery Aisles and Beyond" at the Groceryshop 2024, featured Lisa Ingram, President and CEO of White Castle, and Joe Laszlo, Head of Content for U.S. Groceryshop.

The discussion centered on White Castle’s dual identity as both a restaurant and a CPG brand, exploring how the company has leveraged innovation, marketing strategies, and loyalty programs to engage consumers across different channels.

Key Themes and Takeaways

White Castle’s Expansion into Retail

• White Castle began its journey into retail over 37 years ago when Lisa Ingram’s father, then president of the company, noticed that many customers were buying large quantities of sliders at restaurants and freezing them to enjoy at home. This insight led to White Castle expanding its product line into grocery stores.
• Today, White Castle’s retail products are available in all 50 states, covering grocery, mass, convenience, dollar, and vending channels. This contrasts with their 330 restaurant locations in just 14 states, making retail a key growth engine for the brand.
• Ingram emphasized that the goal remains to provide Cravers (the affectionate term for White Castle customers) with access to sliders "whenever and wherever they want them," with a focus on innovation and expanding the product line.

Customer Overlap and Demographics

• There is considerable overlap between restaurant and retail customers, especially in markets where White Castle restaurants are present. However, in non-restaurant markets, 65% of retail customers have never visited a White Castle restaurant but still crave the brand's products.
• White Castle’s retail product demographic includes families, young adults, and younger couples, with 30% of customers being families and 36% being young adults. The brand is also gaining traction with younger demographics, including Gen Z.