It all starts with some square beef patties on a steaming bed of onions. Add some fries to that, and we’re talking lunch or a late-night snack.

White Castle has been doing it like this for more than a century. It’s the creator of the slider — or mini burger — which, before it’s cooked, has five holes in it. 

Why? It’s an invention by the founders to make for the perfect-tasting burger. 

What You Need To Know

White Castle first opened in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas

The first New York City White Castle opened in 1930 on Fordham Road in the Bronx

There are 20 White Castle locations in the five boroughs

“What it does, it allows the steam to go through,” said Richard Small, district manager for White Castle in the five boroughs. “Once the steam goes through, it actually cooks evenly. So there is no flipping. So basically, as is, that’s how it’s cooked.”

It’s all done the same as in 1921, when White Castle was founded in Wichita, Kansas by Billy Ingram. The company now has more than 330 restaurants in 13 markets, including in New York City, where there are 20.

The original location in Wichita, Kansas. (Courtesy of White Castle)

The first opened in 1930 on Fordham Road in the Bronx. NY1 visited one in Queens, on Queens Bouelvard in Elmhurst. General manager Elsa Lema has been with the company for a quarter-century.

She explained that a system of timers ensures those sliders and chicken sandwiches are always warm and fresh when folks order them.

“When they come, they order, we cook at the time. I know they have to wait a little bit more, but everything is fresh and tasty,” she said of the technology used at White Castle, which also helps managers order the right amount of food and avoid waste.

NY1 sat down for some sliders with Small, who started with the company 35 years ago to make some extra cash in high school in the Bronx, and never left.

The first New York City White Castle outpost, in the Bronx. (Courtesy of White Castle)

He now oversees the restaurants in the five boroughs, which have long been late-night havens for New Yorkers.

“We are basically the king of the late night, because they know us, as open all night. So we are claiming that spot, and we are keeping that spot,” Small said with pride.

Most of the White Castles in town are open around the clock. So what brings loyal customers back? NY1 asked Barbara Ward and daughter Alexandra. Ward has been coming to White Castle since she was a child.

She remembers the Elmhurst location near the Queens Center Mall, visiting as a child when the mall wasn’t even there. There was instead an old amusement park called Fairyland. 

(Courtesy of White Castle)

“I think it’s the onions. I don’t know, but it’s like — well, I always take out the pickles, ’cause I’m not a pickle person,” Ward said. “And it’s just the right size.”

“And like, the burger gets onion-infused,” her daughter added. 

Small, for his part, says it’s “all of those things.”

“We do things unique,” he said. “And its been working for us since 1921.”