"I want that feeling. The feeling that comes over a man when he gets exactly what he desires. I need that feeling", said Harold. "Are you saying what I think you're saying", said Kumar. "We gotta go to White Castle."
And so I did!
At the crossroads of Packard and Carpenter road in Ypsilanti, MI, there stands a small, white, brick, castle shaped building. Founded in 1921, White Castle is home to the all original, soft and tasty, White Castle burger. White Castle was the first fast food hamburger chain as well as the first fast food chain to sell over 1 billion burgers. Considering how successful of a fast food restaurant White Castle is, you may be surprised how frequently people leave the restaurant because of their "fast" service. This is because the service at this Ypsi White Castle is anything but fast.
Whether going through the drive-thru or walking into the restaurant, speed does not seem to be a concern of the staff there. As I went through the drive-thru, the employees made me wait 5 minutes before allowing me to proceed with my order. As I waited, cars behind me drove away because of how long they were taking. Once I was allowed to proceed with my order, a lady with a weird southern-like accent attempted to communicate with me through her slurred speech. I placed my order: 4 original sliders, fries and a drink. As I pulled up to the window, I waited another 5 minutes for them to hand me my food.
Going inside is even worse. As I walked into the restaurant, I stood in line behind 3 people. As I waited, two people left waiting for the employees to take the first guy's order. Once I finally go to the front, it had already been 10 minutes. I ordered the same thing I got before, but with cheese. One of the employees was wearing her cap pointing straight toward the ceiling.
I sat down in one of the corners of the restaurant. The restaurant was lit bright, but not too bright or too dim, just neutral. It was pretty quiet and had a good temperature. The furniture was in relatively good shape... except for the bottoms of some things. The bottoms of the chairs and tables were either rusted or stained black. Some of the legs of the chairs looked very bad. The walls are decorated with old black and white photos of the original restaurant and company.
After waiting 20 minutes, I finally got my simple order of 4 sliders, fried and a drink... except I didn't get a drink. After asking a few times, they gave me a cup. Waiting for the employees of White Castle is like old people making love--boring, disgusting, and very, very slow.
I sat back down to eat my meal. The original 2 inch by 2 inch burger has two soft buns with a square all beef patty on the inside with pickles and onions. This slider can be served with catsup, mustard, and/or cheese. The combination of these ingredients combine to make a soft yet delicious slider with a little sweet and salty taste. They smell unlike most burgers with an onion like smell. This slider comes with a small fry. The fries are soft, yet crunchy, and wavy with a pinch of salt, but are a little dry. The meal also comes with a small drink.
There are also other meals, such as the double. They are like the original, however they have cheese and have 3 buns and 2 all beef patties. They have the same pickles and onions and come with fried and a drink. You can also get ones with jalapeños or chicken sliders--same size, 2 inch by 2 inch, but with chicken. There are 2 all white meat lightly breaded fried rings of chicken put together with cheese between two buns. This is served with the same amount of fries and a small drink.
Having a relatively nice eating area and some amazing sliders makes the wait almost worth it. They are also pretty cheap, with most of their meals within the 5-10 dollar range, unless you want the suitcase--a huge order of 30 sliders of your choice (I can only imagine how long that would take considering they made my order at the rate of 1 burger every 5 minutes.) You can also buy single sliders.
Whether you're wanting something to eat for lunch, trying to get a late night snack, or craving those, "tender little White Castle burgers with those little, itty-bitty grilled onions that just explode in your mouth like flavor crystals every time you bite into one" after watching Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, White Castle is the place to go... just not this one. read more