It only took 105 years, but Texas’ first White Castle is now under construction in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Executives of the fast-food burger chain, including two great-grandchildren of the man who founded the company in 1921, flung dirt on June 2, 2026, marking the groundbreaking of the much-anticipated restaurant in The Colony.
Chief Marketing Officer Jamie Richardson tossed onions in the air, “christening” the dirt with folksy flair. The flying veggies were a nod to the restaurant’s square-shaped sliders served with steam-grilled onions.
Chief Marketing Officer Jamie Richardson sprinkles the ground with onions during a groundbreaking ceremony for a White Castle in The Colony on June 2, 2026. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
White Castle was founded in Wichita, Kan. Its slider shops have grown throughout the Midwest and Northeast to 336 restaurants in 14 states in just over a century. The family-owned company was “selective” and “thoughtful,” Richardson said, about planting roots in North Texas.
“This is a destination for us,” Richardson said. “We don’t franchise. We don’t open dozens of restaurants a year.”
White Castle Chief People Officer John Kelley and Corporate Relations Manager Erin Shannon, whose great-grandfather started the company in 1921, pose for a photo after a groundbreaking ceremony for White Castle in The Colony. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
White Castle’s real estate choice, to move into Texas by way of D-FW first, matches a national trend that’s years in the making. National companies like Salt and Straw ice cream, PopUp Bagels and Maman bakery are using North Texas as a testing ground before expanding across the Lone Star State. Restaurants like In-N-Out Burger and Dave’s Hot Chicken have also put down roots in North Texas.
Grandscape, specifically, drew the White Castle team to Texas, Richardson said.
“The more we learned about it, the more we could visualize us being there.”
Brian Wade, City of The Colony Council member, eats a White Castle Slider at the groundbreaking on June 2, 2026. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
The development on State Highway 121, which draws customers from Frisco, Plano, McKinney and more, cost more than $1.5 billion. It’s anchored by Nebraska Furniture Mart and sports mega-store Scheels, and it has become the biggest restaurant village in North Texas. Portillo’s from Chicago opened its first-in-Texas restaurant here, and Windmills Brewery from India picked Grandscape as its first location in the United States.
Texas’ first White Castle is expected to open in fall 2026. Consumers can expect the film-famous brand — featured in 2004’s silly Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle — to expand across Dallas-Fort Worth. Details on when or where aren’t yet available.
Texas’ first White Castle is expected to open at 4520 Destination Drive, The Colony, in fall 2026.
Guests reach for White Castle Sliders after a groundbreaking ceremony for a White Castle in The Colony, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
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