JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (PIX11) — A Queens White Castle closed their doors Wednesday after nearly 90 years in business.
The Jackson Heights location, opened on Aug. 1, 1935, served up sliders for years before White Castle even developed their signature burger with holes in the patty. Jamie Richardson, a vice president at White Castle, said the decision to close was very difficult.
“It’s an amazing feat in the restaurant world when any location, any type of cuisine lasts 10 years or more,” Richardson said. “To have a run of more than 86 years from a fast food restaurant operating on the same corner is unheard of.”
The COVID pandemic played a role in the White Castle’s closure.
“As a family owned business that’s been around for just over 100 years, one of the things we’ve learned is that every Castle has different cost structures, challenges and opportunities,” Richardson said. “We reached a point with rising costs and increasing uncertainty as we continue to encounter the pandemic where we made the tough call to close this one location.”
A White Castle spokesperson said there are no plans to close any of their other Queens locations. They have restaurants in Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Ozone Park, Bayside, Jamaica and Queens Village.
All employees at the Jackson Heights location have been offered jobs at other White Castle restaurants.
