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Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Story | A Century of the Crave: White Castle's Recipe for Retaining Loyal Fans for 105 Years

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White Castle’s loyal fan base has kept America’s “first fast-food hamburger chain” in business for nearly 105 years. What makes this brand still appeal to consumers and continue to expand, especially when other chains struggle to keep the doors open?  

 Loyalty 360 spoke with Jamie Richardson, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at White Castle, on the brand’s longevity and its loyalty program, known as Craver Nation Rewards. 

SPEAKER_00:

Good afternoon, good morning. It's Thursday. Welcome back to our Leaders in Customer Loyalty podcast series. This is the Brand Stories Edition. It's great to have you with us every Thursday. Staying relevant in the restaurant industry, whether it's QSR, fast casual, or more formal dining, can be a challenge for brands that have been around for 5, 10, and even 15 years. But when you have a brand that's been around for 104 years, with a truly unique style, one that caters to those who crave its product, the challenge is even greater. Traditionally viewed as a late night favorite for the college crowd, this brand has recently evolved, focusing on building deeper emotional connections with its diverse customer set. Whitecastle has developed one of the most innovative and distinctive customer loyalty programs in the industry, complete with gamified elements and tiered rewards for its passionate cravers. Now entering season two of the Craver Nation Rewards program, the brand continues to push boundaries in customer loyalty and brand engagement. Joining us today is Jamie Richardson. He's the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at Whitecastle. He's going to discuss the passion of their customers, their reverence of the marketing and branding approach, and the dedication of their employees in creating meaningful connections. Jamie, thank you very much for taking the time to join us today. How are you? I'm doing great. Thank you. Great, perfect. For those who may not be familiar, can you tell us a little bit about White Castle, you know, how it was formed, what you guys do?

SPEAKER_01:

We are America's first fast food hamburger chain. So we're about to celebrate our 105th birthday, and we satisfy cravings, and our vision is to feed the souls of craver generations everywhere. So we have restaurants uh in 14 states. We're still family-owned after all that time, into a fourth generation of family leadership and doing all we can to satisfy cravings wherever we go.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. When you look at the success of White Castle, you know, what has driven the brand's longevity and ability to stay relevant for, you know, uh north of a century?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's about at the end of the day, um, taste. You know, we have that one-of-a kind steam grilled taste of 100% beef, uh steam grilled on a bed of onions, served on a bakery fresh bung with one perfect pickle and presents. So in addition to our restaurants, we have a grocery store presence that's an all 50 state. So you can buy white castles in the freezer aisle and heat them up in your microwave at home. But and I think the people, um, we have tremendous loyalty. We've been named for the fifth year in a row and certified as a great place to work, which is unheard of in our business. So we're we're real excited about that and thankful for so many who do so much.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. So when you look at that uh kind of your role, uh, you know, can you tell us a little more about what you do uh and maybe previous roles or opportunities that led to this position in marketing and PR?

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. Uh I'm a little bit of a rookie at White Castle, so I've only been here 27 years. Um, but uh along the way, I've had the chance to do all kinds of different things. Um these days I'm part of a team that shares our story with more people all the time. And we know it's a competitive world out there. We know uh all of our consumers have lots of different choices. So we do everything we can to be compelling about messages that matter and inviting people to savor the flavor of that one-of-a-kind taste and um keeps us pretty busy. We get to have a lot of fun. And as part of our brand personality, candidly, we don't take ourselves too seriously. So if anyone uh tuned in wants to join us for Valentine's Day, get your reservation early. They sell out fast. So it's a night of fine dining when White Castle becomes Love Castle. It's never too early to start planning.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. Um you mentioned uh restaurant choice. There's a great deal of choice uh in the restaurant space, QSR, Fast Casual, uh, and many people like myself, they go to two or three different restaurants, right? Uh actually that's five or six, but kind of getting someone to uh kind of give you that chance that and then kind of getting into their consideration set and then getting them to choose your long uh going forward is kind of a challenge, especially in economic uh environments like we find today. You know, how how do you guys do that? How do you uh become the choice for uh kind of a growing uh legion of fans?

SPEAKER_01:

I I think the biggest part of it is asking our consumers good questions and listening intently to what they tell us and then acting accordingly. So a lot of that comes down to um getting the right messages to the right people at the right time. And a big part of that is being true to who you are, because uh these days folks can uh tell pretty quickly if if any brand out there is even the least bit phony. So we're we're thankful that we get to be very authentic. Um, being family-owned, we don't have to worry if uh if Wall Street asks us to do something, we don't really care. We just want to listen to our customers and our team members and let that be our guide and constantly come to uh those audiences with creative new things that capture their attention. So um it's more than having a conversation, it should be enriching and something that feeds the soul.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. And so when you look at uh your role and the kind of the challenges, uh changes, uh kind of the whole economic uh scenario, headwinds we're seeing right now, you know, what keeps you up at night? What are some of the biggest challenges and or opportunities that you see in in kind of the QSR restaurant space?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, we're in a world in a business situation and climate where there's plenty of room for anxiety. Um we're channeling that into enthusiasm for what's next. Um we think new tools like AI, uh we think of AI as accelerated innovation. How can it help us do the things we're good at faster and better to take greater care of our customers? So for us, the focus and emphasis is on as a smaller regional brand, how do we make each dollar count? How do we do it in a thoughtful way and measure it so we know what works and what doesn't? And then how do we repeat the things that are working and build on that? So it all starts with consumer insight. So um, for us, it's really knowing that customer. We have at White Castle what we call the crave continuum. So on one side, you've got the crave cautious, they don't even think of us, so we're not gonna spend our time with them quite yet. The other end of that spectrum, you've got the crave committed, and you also have the crave casual and the crave curious that right there are aware of us, they don't reject us, but we have to be relevant to them if we hope to grow the business.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. Uh and I mean, obviously, known for your slider, kind of a late night fair for many college uh uh kind of students, uh, you know, the very engaged, very loyal uh audience there. So when you look at uh kind of the the QSR business, you know, how has it changed over the past decade? You know, and and and what are you seeing in regard to kind of how customers are changing with the brand?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm glad you said Nightcastle because I've got my uh I'm it's late night because I got my Nightcastle shirt on here. So, but uh I think the biggest changes have been around how people enjoy and actually physically get food. So delivery has taken off. So third-party delivery partners are increasingly important. Um, you know, when the weekend comes around, um, people aren't traveling out as much. Their late night might be at home with delivery coming in versus hitting the late night drive-thru. So um I think being aware of how people are managing their dollars and how they're managing their time, that's the unlock to really understand where to put emphasis and effort. So for us, um the biggest changes that have happened have been post-pandemic. Um, what does that look like? Um, the range of choices people have is immense, but being able to be connected and with things like our loyalty program, have an ongoing conversation that's real and authentic and mutually beneficial, uh, we believe that helps make all the difference in the world.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. You definitely have kind of a unique flair, uh, some vibrance there, kind of rev irreverence as well, almost, right? Uh is that uniqueness, does that come through in kind of the food offering that in in the store, right? Because obviously you seem to be very committed to being different, being unique, being passionate. You know, how how does that set you apart from you know others in the space?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I guess uh if everyone else is doing it, that gives us pause to ask why should we be doing the same thing? We think there's something important that's nourishing about being different. So for us, it does come down to some fundamental um cornerstones for the business, the physical property of product. So we don't take ourselves too seriously because we're selling a two-inch square uh slider, you know, and uh that we uh create, we do our own meat patties and our own meat plants. By the way, for anyone out there we're looking for new names for the meat plants, they're even more appetizing. So send them our way. Uh, but we have our own bakeries that are making every bum we serve sliders on. So um that commitment to quality that being in a family-owned business represents is part of the fun. It's also recognizing that we're there for people when they need us the most, whether that's after a late shift, whether that's a morning cup of coffee, whatever it might be, but we're there to feed hungers of every kind.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. You know, the Craver Nation Reward Program is uh your customer loyalty program. I know it's been around since 2024. Uh, you seem to be having great success with the program, growing the active member base significantly. You know, you doubled the loyalty transaction. Can you tell us a little bit about the program? You know, how it was funded, founded, why it was founded, and then you know what that means to your brand.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and really fun uh fun note. We actually have had some formal loyalty program in place since 2012. So it's given us the chance to really evolve. But 2024, we rolled out a brand new look, feel, and a different level of engagement with the program. And so that's been the next chapter in our journey on loyalty, and we're really thankful we did. So um, for us, it's about um building friendship and fandom and being available. And so that availability comes through a lot of different ways, but fitting, given that we're White Castle, we have quests that are consumer focused that as you achieve different quests, you earn different rewards and different discounts and different experiences. So we might have a late night crave where if you visit the castle after 8 p.m., you're gonna be rewarded for that, and that will show up in your app the next time you open it up. So um, for us, it's around understanding how people are using the app. Um, a lot of people use it for mobile ordering um increasingly. I mean, the mobile order growth we've had this year has been beyond words. It's been tremendous. And so being able to do that helps the restaurants because the order's right there in front of them. They've got uh the time they need to prepare it. Customers love it because it's friction-free and they can get what they want when they crave it. So um it is around building out that experience and having it be unique to White Castle. We're not trying to copy anybody else. We're just trying to create something that works for our fans and friends, and we want to build that base of fans and friends as time goes on.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. So obviously, having the program in place since 2012 gives you, you know, uh significant opportunity to develop, keep it unique, keep it ahead of the competitive set. You know, how how do you keep the program fresh? How do you keep it irreverent? How do you keep it uh you know in align with with your diverse audience?

SPEAKER_01:

Never ever get comfortable. The second you get comfortable, you've lost. You gotta challenge yourself. You gotta say, what are we missing? What's next? You gotta stay a quarter step ahead, even if that means sometimes you step out on the street a little too early. Um, because you're gonna learn from that too. Um but so for us it's around challenging ourselves to imagine what our customers want, and then that helps us ask the right questions. Then when we get the answers to the questions, we can compare that to the theory we had and understand really what we need to be doing and where we needed to be headed. The second you get complacent, you've lost.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, absolutely. Uh I definitely think that again, the unique uniqueness just in this interview, the passion, kind of the kind of the reverence you have is great to have as well and great to hear. Uh so the program, uh, you know, why was the program originally started? Uh, you know, what are some of the objectives or goals of the program? You talked about payment in the app uh being a big piece now, but when you started the program or the first iteration in 2012, what were some of the goals or objectives of the program?

SPEAKER_01:

I I think uh I think it was the knowledge. I'll start with the big picture. The knowledge that we have a tremendous base of dedicated fans. I mean, since 2001, we've had a White Castle Kravers Hall of Fame. Um, I'm gonna apologize to uh any of our audience because there's some construction going on here at the home office. So that is not big ideas rattling around in my head if you hear some background noise, but we'll power through it. Um, what I what I can share is that those goals were really to understand better who our customer is, what's appealing to them, and how we can get them offers in a more convenient way. Um and so we've achieved those goals. And then as we build out, that's about how do we enrich that experience, how do we make that experience um compelling and something that people come back for. Um, but the original goals were pretty straight ahead, just to better understand our customer and to give them a way to share with us what's on their minds.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. You obviously have a loyal base of cravers. You kind of kind of rattled off the different levels of cravers and the cravings, I guess, that obviously span different generations. But engaging the younger audience is a challenge many brands are having, especially in the restaurant, QSR, Fast Casual Space. You know, for legacy brands it can be somewhat of a challenge. You know, you know, how are you engaging the younger generation? What what are the offers or opportunities or uh even the customer experiences that you're designing for them?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think what we found is the way to engage with the younger audience isn't to chase them down the street because they're gonna run away. The way to engage with the younger audience is to meet them where they are. And so that's what we've been doing for generations. Uh, certainly part of that is the fact that we're there for our cravers, uh, morning, noon, and night. And the whole idea that when the sun goes down, something really magical happens at White Castle. When the sun goes down, White Castle becomes nightcastle. And so for us, that's where people are having fun. That's where great memories are made. Our mission is to create memorable moments every day. That works for our customers who've been with us for 40, 50 years. It works especially great for our customers who are just getting their license to crave. They're graduating for, I won't name competitors' names, they're graduating from kids' meals into their own choice of place to go. And we think we're a pretty uh wonderful destination for them to uh to enjoy uh a great meal and great times with friends.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, excellent. I know you had uh kind of some unique initiatives, uh limited menu items you have, digital engagements that you use to engage with the younger audience. Can you tell us a little about the Craver Nation Rewards Season Two? What was that was about and how that came to be?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, if we were a network, I'll tell you what, we'd be the talk of the town. And we think we are anyway in Loyalty Land because season two is launched and it's bigger, better than ever. Uh, it's revamped from season one. Um, and this is just an idea of what are the quests going to be and how are we gonna make this compelling for all of our Craver Nation members? So we've got all kinds of different things in there from breakfast quests to uh combo quests to late night uh night castle quests. And um, along the way, um we're able to feature different menu items. So um, you know, we have some fun things coming up that we can't talk about yet, but um, those are gonna be prominently featured. And if you remember Kraver Nation, guess what? You're gonna find out first. You're gonna be ahead of the curb because you're part of the team. And so we're gonna take you behind the castle walls to share what's going on and how you can be part of it. So we think that this is a unique opportunity. This is a group of people who've raised their hand and said, we want to belong to Kraver Nation. Well, citizenship in Kraver Nation should mean something, and it does. It means you're gonna know first and you're gonna get the best deals and have the best time if you uh if you want to spend time with us, we're gonna make it worth your while.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. Uh I know you have some gamified elements, uh, tiered progression in uh the season two. You know, what does gamification mean to you and and how are you using it to kind of drive and transform the the engagement paradigm for all your customers?

SPEAKER_01:

I I love that you use the word transform because so much of what we encounter in any either in-app experience across all kinds of categories is candidly a lot more transactional than it is transformational. But for us, we want this to be something that's nourishing and good. So um, you know, I'm thankful because for season two, I just made my, I just got uh where I wanted to be, which is legend status. I'm gonna build on that. But um along the way, you can go from champion to adventure to legend and uh with all privileges appertaining and earn those different badges. And um, it's something that's kind of fun and uh it's a small emotional reward in the grand scheme of things. We think it matters. Uh, if you're gonna feed the soil, you don't do it um with an accounting spreadsheet, you do it with real experience and encouraging people to think differently.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. Uh we we talked a little about some of the economic headwinds. Uh we see it, you know, we have a member community, we meet with them every week, uh, all brands, you know, uh from banks like PNC to Sephora to tons of restaurants, you know. But uh how do you look at the economic headwinds? Many people who have loyalty programs, you know, the people who are involved with the loyalty program are kind of showing great signs. So they're engaging with the program, they're uh transacting a little bit more. Uh so it's overall, you know, there may be some challenges, uh, but the the customer loyalty program seems to be performing quite well. Is that something that you're seeing uh within your audience?

SPEAKER_01:

We are definitely. And so we're able to keep an eye on uh frequency and understand that if if our goal is to be more top of mind, then we hope to increase the the number of visits. Um we don't want it to just stay steady. And and then we're also able to see what offers are compelling and uh what kind of response do we get there. And we learn, and you know, to be very transparent. Um, this is an audience who's in the space every day. Um, of course, some things work really great, other things don't work as well as we thought they might, but that's how you get learning and get better. So for us, that's been um part of the fun.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, experiential loyalty, experiential uh opportunities is very important holistically for brand engagement, for the brand mission, right? Just uh but brands struggle with that, you know, making sure the surprise and delight or kind of the spirit experiential offerings that are put forth, you know, to make sure they're on point. And when you look at kind of the experiences that you're developing, uh, you know, how how can they drive emotional loyalty, kind of a deeper connection with the brand and and you know, uh how do you manage?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, uh we're really fortunate because we're able to make it work in real life because we have tremendous team members and Santa Cliche, I mean, the average time a general manager has been with White Castle is 21 years. That's absolutely unheard of in our industry. Our turnover compared to other QSRs is 37% lower year to date. So there's a lot of things we feel that we're we're really fortunate to have as core strengths, and the biggest part of that are the people behind the counter at the castle genuinely care and they understand we're here to create memorable moments. And so, with that in mind, they're empowered um to interact, they're empowered to understand the importance of the loyalty program and to make sure people are getting their points and also having a great experience. So for us, it gives us great freedom to to roam, it gives us room to roam and have some fun and uh learn along the way. And um, like I said. You know, we have a lot of hits, we have occasional misses, but you learn from everything and then you internalize it and get stronger.

SPEAKER_00:

When you look at uh the kind of the marketing calendar, you have uh, you know, events tied to cultural moments. You talked about some things doing on Valentine's Day, uh, National Cheesebury Day, Halloween, you know, how does this uh again kind of a reverent attitude towards holiday kind of drive that unique message you have with uh within White Castle?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think it just says uh we've got a limited amount of time that we get to interact. Let's make the most of it. And so it's a carpe cravum kind of mentality. Um, you know, if if uh if there's something there, uh we don't do it in a way that's disrespectful. We're just here to to uh create good times wherever we go. So whether that's the night before Thanksgiving or the day after the Super Bowl or whatever it might be, um, we want to be part of those moments and want to find ways that we invite people into that. So, I mean, if you've never tried it, White Castle Turkey Stuffing is the gourmet get this holiday season. So it is one of a kind and it's a family staple at our house. But uh I know we'll have some information about that in the app in terms of uh how to enjoy and savor the flavor. But I just think it's uh what I would call the emotional rewarding aspect of the art of the unexpected. All of us are busy all the time. And when something comes your way that gives you a smile, that gives you a moment of relief from the ennui of present day, that's a win. And the more that we do, we feel we're really fulfilling the reason we're here.

SPEAKER_00:

Excellent. And looking forward to looking ahead, uh, you know, what's next for White Castle? What future innovations or you know, expansion or line items that you may add to the Craver Nation Rewards program and uh the what's coming next? What's what are you guys looking at?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, uh the to paraphrase, growth is good, and we've got lots of growth just around the corner. So retail division's going crazy with growth, and we're adding a new restaurant that we're gonna open, one in uh in Kissimmee, Florida, one in Daytona Beach, Florida, one in Texas. Uh beyond that, for Craver Nation, we just see uh everything in season two getting bigger, bolder, um, more in tune with what people are telling us they crave, uh, including a lot more interactions we have planned for that. So um, we have a big announcement coming on fast food day on November 16th. So uh stay tuned. But uh, you know, uh good things around the corner.

SPEAKER_00:

Fast food day is November 16th. I think they have a day for everything.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, they uh they definitely have one for that, you know, and believe you me, it's marked on our calendar.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, when you look at the program holistically, you know, what are one or two or three things that you may uh be most proud of when it comes to the Corey Renation Rewards program?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's to see what our team has done. So um Aaron Lehman and Hannah Selah just lead the charge in terms of working with our ISIT team, working with restaurant operations. And the thing I think we would be proudest of is how the team members in the castle have embraced it and use it as the tool it was designed to be to help us create and foster even greater engagement right at the restaurant level with each of our customers. So it's been fulfilling. And the fact I close with this as far as the thing we might be most proud of is how it very, very vividly brings to life our vision of feeding the souls of Craver generations everywhere.

SPEAKER_00:

Excellent. You know, what can loyalty 360 do to help you and your program going forward?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think um, you know, when we think about it, it's about community and there's unity in community. And how do we get to best practices? How do we think about what's next? How do we think about uh continuing to connect and break through? And I think the biggest competitor we have in this space, even if we're in the same category, candidly, the biggest competitor we have isn't uh one another, it's boredom. And how do we remain relevant and to our consumers in a way that's compelling and good? And that's on all of us to take it up to the next level. Excellent.

SPEAKER_00:

Now we have uh our quick fire, rapid fire questions. We like to keep into a short word uh or phrase, or I get in trouble with Hannah and the content team. Uh the first question we have for you is you know, what loyalty programs do you belong to?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, many. Um, all of our competitors, because I like to see what they're up to.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Um what brand other than the one you work in, uh Whitecastle, are you most loyal to and why?

SPEAKER_01:

That's a great question. Um probably uh, well, Kroger candidly, because you know you can't you can't leave home without it. There you go.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh what profession other than the one you were currently in would you like to try?

SPEAKER_01:

Working on a poet's career. It's been a long road.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Uh what do you enjoy that you often don't get the time to do?

SPEAKER_01:

Listen to vinyl records.

SPEAKER_00:

What book uh that uh do you like to recommend uh to colleagues?

SPEAKER_01:

Anything by Colin McCann, especially uh a paragon. He's a brilliant Irish author, and uh everything he does is poetical and good and uh it's just amazing. He he has the gift. There you go.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh who inspired you to be the person that you are today?

SPEAKER_01:

My grandmother.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. And then and what do you typically think at the end of the day?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh let's go do this again.

SPEAKER_00:

And uh how would you like to be remembered by your friends and family? As someone who is kind, caring, and made a difference. Jamie again, thank you very much for taking the time to join us today. It was a pleasure speaking with you, getting to know you a little bit, learning more about White Castle's customer loyalty program, its focus on creating unique experiences, and more importantly, the deep customer-centric approach that defines your brand. Also, I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to tune in today. Make sure you join us back every Thursday for a new episode of our Leaders in Customer Loyalty series, the Brand Stories Podcast. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and across our social media channels listed below. Also, we'd love to hear from you and feature your brand on the podcast. If your organization has a strong focus on customer loyalty, send us a message below and we'll be excited to share your story. Until next Thursday, have a wonderful day.