White Castle Moves Up to 16th on the "2024 Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail" List

Being included on the list for the third consecutive year reinforces White Castle’s reputation as an extraordinary employer in the QSR and CPG industries

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — White Castle, the founder of The Original Slider^® and the first fast-food chain to introduce its popular restaurant menu items as retail products in grocery stores nationwide, was selected by Great Place To Work^®and Fortune magazine to the 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail^™ list. This is White Castle’s third consecutive year on the prestigious list — this year rising to 16^th out of 20 companies.

Earning a spot on the Best Workplaces in Retail list is a highly competitive process. Selection is based on analysis of survey responses from over 123,000 employees at Great Place To Work Certified^™ companies in the retail industry. Honorees were selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status or other demographic identifiers.

“Earning a spot on this list — for the third consecutive year — is a real point of pride for our entire organization,” said John Kelley, chief people officer at White Castle. “Creating an environment where our 10,000-plus team members feel welcomed, valued and challenged is our priority. We’re so grateful to have such dedicated and hardworking team members, and we share this honor with each and every one of them.”

Great Place To Work^®, the global authority on workplace culture, uses proprietary methodology to determine its Best Workplaces lists. It evaluates and certifies thousands of organizations in America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study, based on over 1.3 million survey responses and data from companies representing more than 8.2 million employees this year alone.

White Castle, a family-owned business since 1921, earned the Great Place To Work^® distinction earlier this year — the fourth time in four years. The prestigious award is based entirely on what the company’s team members say about their experience working at White Castle. White Castle’s nearly 10,000 team members work across almost 340 restaurants, multiple retail manufacturing facilities, a network of regional offices and the company’s home office in Columbus, Ohio. This year, 81% of team members said White Castle is a great place to work — 24 percentage points higher than the average U.S. company.

About White Castle^®

White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders since 1921. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the family-owned business owns and operates about 340 restaurants as well as a retail division providing its famous fare in freezer aisles of retail stores nationwide. As part of its commitment to offering the highest quality products, White Castle owns and operates its own Slider Provider meat plants, bakeries and frozen-Slider retail plants. White Castle has earned numerous accolades over the years including Time magazine’s “Most Influential Burger of All Time” (2014, The Original Slider^®) and Thrillist‘s “Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger” (2019, Impossible^™ Slider). In 2021, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the “10 Most Innovative Dining Companies.” White Castle is known for the legendary engagement of its team members and has received the Great Place to Work^® Certification^™ for an extraordinary four consecutive years spanning 2021–2024. White Castle is beloved by its passionate fans (Cravers), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app makes it easy for Cravers to sign up for the Craver Nation^® loyalty program, access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. For more information on White Castle and how to Follow Your Crave, visit whitecastle.com.

About the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail^™ List

Great Place To Work selected the 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail List by analyzing confidential survey responses from more than 1.3 million employees, representing the experiences of 8.2 million workers in the U.S. in 2023 and 2024. Of those, 123,000 responses came from employees at Great Place To Work Certified companies in the retail industry and this ranking is based on that feedback. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place To Work Trust Index^™ Survey. Companies with 10 to 999 employees were considered for the small and medium category. More than 1,000 employees competed in the large category. Read the full methodology.

To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place To Work^®As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Its proprietary platform and Great Place To Work Model help companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified and receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces^™ List. Follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, or visit greatplacetowork.com and sign up for the newsletter to learn more.

About Fortune

Fortune upholds a legacy of award-winning writing and trusted reporting for executives who want to make business better. Independently owned, with a global perspective and digital agility, Fortune tells the stories of a new generation of innovators, builders, and risk takers. Online and in print, Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks and holds companies accountable. Fortune creates communities by convening true thought leaders and iconoclasts, those who shape industry, commerce, and society through powerful and prestigious lists, events, and conferences, such as the iconic Fortune 500, the CEO Initiative, and Most Powerful Women. For more information, visit fortune.com.