White Castle sliding into Phoenix area with first Arizona location

PHOENIX — White Castle — the renowned maker of smallish, squarish hamburgers — is coming to Arizona.

The Ohio-based slider pioneers announced plans Friday to open the first company-owned store west of the Mississippi in Scottsdale next year.

The restaurant will be located in The Block at Pima Center, a new retail development at Loop 101 and Via de Ventura near Talking Stick Resort.

“For years, cravers in Arizona have been asking us to feed their souls by bringing our delicious sliders to the state, and we’re happy to announce that we’re going to make this dream a reality,” Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle, said in a news release.

The release said the new location will bring 50 to 75 jobs to the area.

White Castle, founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921, operates in 13 states with nearly 400 locations, most of which are open 24 hours a day.

Its menu features breakfast and a variety of sliders — including ham, chicken, fish and black bean — but it’s the burgers that have developed a cult following.

Lookin’ like a snack. pic.twitter.com/COtgD0eBdV

— White Castle (@WhiteCastle) February 27, 2018

The Original Slider is a simple 2-by-2-inch steam-grilled beef patty served with onions and pickle on a bun.

In 2014, Time magazine called the item “the most influential burger of all time.”

Customers often purchase the morsels — which can be gobbled with few bites, or less — by the sack, rather than individually.

Frozen versions of the burgers have been available at grocery stores nationally for years.

The closest White Castle for Arizonans has been in Las Vegas. The Strip location isn’t owned by the company, however.

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