Apparently, Valentine's Day At White Castle Is A Thing

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 10, 2017 3:36PM

Valentine's Day: A time of overpriced prix fixe menus, hard-to-get reservations, being rushed through your dinner to make room for the next couple, and many other dining indignities. This is why I avoid dining on the holiday of love. However, this might make me change my mind: You can make reservations for Valentine's Day dinner at White Castle.

I'm not sure how I missed such an important cultural touchstone, but this is a thing: across the country, White Castle locations actually take reservations for couples celebrating the happy day. According to White Castle, there is really for-real table service, tablecloths and a pre-set menu that includes something called "shrimp nibblers."

We were tipped off to this phenomenon (that we should have already known about) by a photo going around Reddit which showed a White Castle sign in Chicago inviting people to call for reservations. It seemed like a joke—right?—so we got in touch with them. This location, it turns out, is at the intersection of Addison and Elston streets, and is participating in the promotion.

This happens in cities across America, including New York, Detroit, St. Louis and more. According to Time Magazine, this is actually a long tradition that goes back at least 25 years, with a verified White Castle V-Day dinner in 1991.

Some snobs may snark, but honestly, this sounds like a fun, low-key way to celebrate that won't break the bank. Remember, Valentine's Day (if you celebrate it) is all about however you want to experience love. And i can think of worse ways to experience love than White Castle. Especially with your sweetie.