White Castle System Inc. is experimenting with three new restaurant concepts -- covering barbeque, sandwiches and noodles -- that are co-located within existing units.
White Castle did not returns calls about the new concepts, but an area manager said the company had opened the restaurants softly starting in June, with grand openings four weeks later.
Area manager Shawna Jones, speaking from a restaurant in Lafayette, Ind., said White Castle planned to test the new concepts for a year before deciding if and how to expand them.
One of the concepts, Blaze Modern BBQ, is co-located at the Lafayette restaurant and had its grand opening last weekend, Jones said. It offers seven types of meat — brisket, pulled chicken, Chinese char siu pork, pulled pork carnitas, smoked turkey, andouille sausage and sloppy joes — along with barbecue baked beans, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, potato salad, coleslaw, Brunswick stew, cornbread and jalapeño corn bread.
A platter of meat with two sides and cornbread is being offered for $6.99, except for a brisket platter, which is $7.49. Combos of a sandwich and a side are $5.79, or $6.79 for brisket. The menu also includes a Caesar salad and a barbecue chicken salad with barbecue-ranch dressing for $5.99.
Six sauces are available, including Blaze BQ, Smokin’ Tomato Blaze, Sweet Asian Blaze, Blazin’ Mustard, Blazin’ Chili and Blazin’ Salsa Verde.
The unit also is selling caramel apple pie and chocolate cream pie for $1.79 per slice or $8.99 for a whole pie. Three teas flavored with Monin syrup are on the menu for $2.29 for a 16-ounce cup. They come in peach, wild berry and passion fruit flavor. Each one also contains real fruit, Davis said.
The full menu, photos and other information can be found at http://blazebbq.com/.
A pressed-club-sandwich concept called Deckers opened June 6 in Lebanon, Tenn., a call to that restaurant confirmed.
The concept offers a choice of 10 double-deck sandwiches: American, Italian, turkey pesto, French onion beef, chicken Cordon Bleu, Western Chicken, tuna melt, veggie, four-cheese, and peanut butter & jelly. They range in price from $3.99 for PB&J to $6.49 for turkey pesto.
In addition, the chain is offering pressed dessert sandwiches made with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, spicy chocolate, chocolate hazelnut or chocolate hazelnut and banana for $3.99 each.
Iced tea, for $2.99 comes in mojito mint, peach or wild berry lemon.
Kids’ sandwiches, served with applesauce and “a surprise,” according to the menu at http://deckerssandwiches.com, are priced at $2.99 to $3.99.
Salads range from $2.49 to $6.99 and are offered with ranch, golden Italian or light French dressing.
Details about the third test concept, which is being co-located with a White Castle in Springfield, Ohio, are unclear. Jones said it would be an Americanized Asian-noodle concept, and The Springfield News Sun reported that White Castle Management Co. filed in April to register a trademark for the name Laughing Noodle.
Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle operates more than 400 restaurants in 11 states.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
