White Castle in Berwyn on 66

This is the Oldest Original Site of the White Castle chain on Route 66. The building dates back to 1939, and has been modernized over the years.

The first White Castle opened here on January 14, 1939, Route 66 was only thirteen years-old. White Castle was the first hamburger chain to standardize their marketing, from their buns and burgers to their buildings. It was the creation of Walter Anderson and E.W. "Billy" Ingram. They opened the chain in 1921 and by the early 1930s had one-hundred restaurants. They imposed strict standards and their premises were clean and spotless, reassuring customers that they were eating good quality food.

McDonald's Ray Kroc wrote about this very restaurant in his autobiography, Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald, as follows: "...They used a sort of tiny ice-cream scoop to make a patty about one-inch square, and they sold their burgers by the bagful..." 1. Below is a "Then and Now" set of pictures of this classic landmark.