White Castle, the quick-service slider restaurant concept, plans to expand its presence in Arizona to a third location in Goodyear by the end of 2024, the company said Wednesday.
The Columbus, Ohio-based chain, first entered Arizona with a restaurant in Scottsdale in October 2019, and it opened a second in Tempe this past November.
“The response of cravers everywhere in the Valley of the Sun has been amazing through our first two openings in Arizona,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle, in a statement.
A spokesperson said the Goodyear restaurant will be a blend of tradition and new technology. It will feature classic menu items, including the steamed burger on a bed of onions and slider bun, as well as “Julia,” the new artificial-intelligence-assisted menu board in the drive-thru. The Goodyear location is expected to open late this year.
The company said the 3,220-square-foot White Castle will be at 1420 N. Bullard Ave., near the intersection of McDowell Road just north of Interstate 10 in Goodyear.
It will feature 52 dining room seats, a covered patio with 14 outdoor seats, and a double drive-thru. State-of-the-art technology will include digital interior menu boards and the new AI-assisted menu board in the drive-thru. The AI drive-thru technology at White Castle is called “Julia,” named for Julia Joyce, a host at White Castle in the 1930s.
White Castle’s first location in Scottsdale opened in October 2019. The second Castle location in Arizona opened Nov. 28 in Tempe.
White Castle, founded in 1921, was named a “Brand Icon” by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2022. White Castle has about 350 restaurants systemwide.
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