Although Americans are known for their big personalities and even bigger appetites, one of the country’s most iconic food inventions is surprisingly small: the slider, though often used to feed a crowd. As a miniature version of the hamburger, sliders can usually be eaten in about two bites, making them ideal for a quick snack or a full-blown feast, depending on how many you order. Thanks to its petite size, the slider’s bun-to-patty-to-toppings ratio is slightly different than a full-sized burger, giving each bite a powerful pop of flavor. While hamburgers are a well-known staple of American cuisine, the slider has carved out its own unique place in American food history. And when it comes to fast-food sliders, there are two clear contenders for the best in the game: White Castle and Krystal.
At first glance, White Castle and Krystal may seem to offer nearly identical sliders: steamy, square-shaped burgers topped off with onions, and served in a little cardboard box. But there are subtle differences between the two restaurants that could inform your stance in the White Castle versus Krystal taste debate. Which slider started it all? Are there any real differences between the two sliders? Do they come with mustard or ketchup? And above all, which chain has a location closest to you? Take a dive through the history and key differences that shaped these two giant American fast-food chains and their tiny burgers, too.
1. White Castle started it all
It might seem hard to believe today, but Americans weren’t always fans of the hamburger. In fact, around the turn of the 20th century, ground beef had a reputation for being unsafe and unsanitary, largely due to the disturbing depictions in Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel “The Jungle.” This best-selling book exposed the horrific conditions and practices in meatpacking factories in Chicago at the time, and it’s even credited for pushing the government to implement sanitary regulations for food packaging. In the meantime, ground beef needed a serious image overhaul, and White Castle was largely responsible for revitalizing it.
In 1921, Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson opened the very first White Castle in Wichita, Kansas, making history as the first fast-food burger chain in America, nearly two decades before McDonald’s even opened its doors! A key component of White Castle’s branding relied on rebuilding the public’s trust in ground beef. Stainless steel countertops, pristine white walls, and a window that showed workers grinding meat in the kitchen were all strategic parts of the restaurant’s design that were meant to show the safety and cleanliness of the restaurant. Even the name “White Castle” is meant to suggest a dazzling beacon of pureness.
The combination of its successful branding measures along with its five-cent burger proved to be a big hit in Wichita, and the rest, as they say, is history. While its menu offerings have changed dramatically over the years, many locations have retained that iconic castle-shaped building design.
2. Krystal came later
Krystal was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1932 — right in the thick of the Great Depression. During this time period, not many people had extra money to spare, let alone for dining out. Opening a restaurant during such a harsh economic period might seem like a risky move, but co-founders Rody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill held onto the belief that if they offered extremely cheap food at a spotlessly clean restaurant, customers would want to dine at their restaurant as a small escape from the hardships of daily life.
Their belief turned out to be correct. The very first Krystal customer ordered six burgers and a cup of coffee for just 35 cents, which equates to around $8 today. Today, a similar meal at Krystal — five sliders and a coffee — will set you back about $10. It’s not quite the Depression-era deal, but it’s still relatively affordable.
Krystal was quite clearly inspired by White Castle, which debuted a decade earlier, but over time, it shaped into its own distinctive regional brand. Similar to White Castle, the owners wanted a main part of the brand identity to emphasize the cleanliness of the restaurant — the name “Krystal” comes from “clean as a crystal.” The combination of cheap food and a welcoming atmosphere turned out to be a long-lasting recipe for Krystal’s success.
3. White Castle keeps its sliders simple and steamy
White Castle’s sliders may be tiny, but they’re a big part of modern food history. It even took the top spot in Time Magazine’s list of the most influential burgers of all time in 2014, crediting it as providing the foundation for the modern burger as we know it today. According to legend, Walter Andersen, the original cook and co-founder of White Castle, made the original White Castle burger by smashing a meatball flat and serving it on a bun. Food historian David Hogan notes that before Andersen’s creation, hamburgers were basically “a meatball on a slice of bread,” according to KCUR. Anderson’s approach transformed that simple concept into an iconic sandwich that we now recognize as a hamburger.
Over the course of its 100-year-plus history, White Castle has gotten its fast-food cooking process down to a science, making it as efficient as possible. The process starts with rehydrated onions on a hot grill — some claim that the rehydrated onions are what gives White Castle sliders their distinctive taste. Next, up to 40 burger patties are laid on top of the steaming onions. The shape of the patty — a 2-by-2-inch square — was intended to maximize the entire space of the grill, and there are five holes punched through each burger to allow the steam to pass through it evenly. Lastly, the buns are placed on top to soak up all that flavor. This steam-grilling method gives the sliders that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Assembled with pickles on top, the result is a juicy yet quite simple slider — no condiments or cheese by default.
4. Krystal’s burgers come with mustard
On the surface, Krystal’s sliders appear to be quite similar to White Castle: They’re small and square, served in similar paper boxes that make them easy to eat on the go. They are also prepared in a similar manner to White Castle’s tried-and-true method: First, the cooks steam the onions, then the burger patty is added to cook on top, and finally, the buns are added last to steam as everything cooks together. But despite these similarities, there are a few key differences that set Krystal apart. For starters, Krystal sliders don’t have the five signature holes punched through the patty like White Castle’s do, which could affect the steaminess and textures slightly.
Unlike White Castle, which keeps things simple with just onions and a pickle, Krystal tops each slider with a squirt of yellow mustard in addition to the onions and pickles. The tangy taste of mustard creates a nice contrast to the savory taste of meat and onions. It’s a small difference — and you could always just add your own mustard to a White Castle slider — but for fans and critics taste-testing the two brands, that splash of mustard in a Krystal makes all the difference.
5. White Castle’s menu offers plenty of slider options
Despite the fact that White Castle keeps its original sliders quite simple, its full menu is anything but boring. It began experimenting with its menu during WWII to deal with the beef shortage, offering foods like french fries. Over the years, the chain has significantly expanded its menu offerings, transforming the humble slider into a meal with endless options for customization. In addition to the classic beef patty with onions and a pickle, White Castle lets you swap out essentially any parts of the slider for your very own creation. You could add cheese and bacon, or you could swap out the beef for alternative patty options like chicken, fish, and even plant-based Impossible patties. For the more adventurous, you can swap out the bun — for instance, you could get a slider served on Belgian waffles or toast slices.
Both White Castle and Krystal offer breakfast menus, but White Castle keeps things fairly traditional for the first meal of the day. Breakfast sliders and sandwiches are the mainstay offerings, although there are frequent seasonal additions to the menu, too. On the side, White Castle offers chicken rings, Fish Nibblers, loaded fries, and hash browns — all of which would make great deep-fried additions to a main course of sliders.
Then, there’s the question of how many sliders you can eat. The original combo deal includes four sliders, some fries, and a drink. But let’s be honest — you could probably eat more than four, right? A sack comes with 10 sliders, a case comes with 30, and a crate comes with a whopping 100 sliders. It’s up to you how many sliders you can stomach, figuratively or literally.
6. Krystal’s menu has more combos and Southern classics
While the actual sliders at White Castle and Krystal are only slightly distinguishable, their menu options venture out into very different directions. Krystal keeps its burger sliders pretty simple, with cheese and bacon as the only possible additions, but it offers a wider variety of equally bite-sized items. Mini corn dogs, aptly named Pups, mini chicken sandwiches called Chiks, and spicy chicken wings are all fun alternatives to the standard beef slider.
A major advantage that Krystal has over White Castle is its breakfast options. Like White Castle, it offers a solid lineup of breakfast sandwiches, but it also leans into Southern comfort food with items like sausage gravy biscuits, chili, and full breakfast plates with eggs, bacon, and tater tots. Plus, it also serve sliders and breakfast sandwiches on maple waffles in place of buns — a delicious savory-sweet pairing.
What really stands out at Krystal is the sheer number of combos and specials. Take the Pick 5 deal, for instance. It lets you pick five items from a handful of its classic items for around $6, though the price can fluctuate depending on location. Likewise, its “Sackful” deals allow you to buy one or two dozen sliders at a time. And who could forget the beloved Hangover Krystal, fittingly introduced on January 1st, a.k.a. National Hangover Day? This limited-time offer featured an original slider piled with cheese, bacon, and a fried egg on top. Krystal clearly has you covered with late-night and rough-morning food options.
7. White Castle’s impact shaped a cult-classic movie
White Castle has been very influential in fast food history, from pioneering the idea of fast-food burgers to branding. Even the term “slider” can be traced back to White Castle, although the exact origin of the name depends on which urban legend you believe.
According to food historian George Motz, there are two prevailing theories as to how the slider got its name. One suggests that the burgers got their name because they’re so small and greasy that they just slide down once consumed. The other theory comes from the early days of White Castle when cooks would literally slide the plates across the counter to waiting customers.
White Castle’s cultural impact was cemented for a new generation with the release of the stoner comedy “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” in 2004. The movie follows two friends on a quest to satiate their munchies with delicious White Castle sliders, resulting in hijinks and hilarity along the way. The film not only introduced White Castle to a wider audience outside its locations in the Northeast U.S., but it also transformed White Castle from a regional fast food joint into an iconic spot for late-night cravings.
8. Krystal is a part of Southern culture
While Krystal may not have the same national name recognition as White Castle, it’s a different story in the South. For generations of Southerners, Krystal has been a go-to spot for a bite to eat after an action-packed night out, especially to cure a hangover. Krystal serves up greasy, salty comfort food that’ll help you bounce back to health.
The late-night and early-morning atmosphere was a cornerstone of the Krystal brand from the beginning of the restaurant’s history. The very first order in 1932 wasn’t just for sliders — it also included a cup of coffee. Whether you’re dining in the morning, at noon, or at midnight, Krystal is probably open for business. While it depends on the location, many of its locations are open for dining in, takeout, and delivery 24 hours a day.
Even Elvis Presley was a huge fan of Krystal’s sliders. After Presley’s first radio broadcast in 1954, he and DJ “Daddy-O” Dewey Phillips picked up 100 Krystal burgers and handed them out to fans who showed up to celebrate. If that’s not proof of Krystal’s beloved legacy in the South, then we don’t know what is!
9. You can find White Castle in the Northern U.S. and in supermarkets
White Castle certainly has national name recognition, whether through “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle” or otherwise, but it is still a regionally based fast food chain at the end of the day. Most of White Castle’s roughly 350 locations are located in the Midwest and Northeast, predominantly in states like Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and New York. There are a few outliers, including locations in Las Vegas and Phoenix, but for the most part, you’ll find White Castles spread across the northern half of the U.S.
However, even if there’s no White Castle nearby, you can still get a taste of the original sliders at home. White Castle was one of the first fast food brands to offer a signature restaurant item in grocery stores, and today, its frozen sliders are available in freezer aisles nationwide. Sold in packs of two, six, and more, the microwavable versions don’t taste quite the same as the ones you get in a restaurant, but they are a surprisingly faithful replication. While slightly less steamy, they still have those pillowy buns and savory-sweet taste.
10. You can only find Krystal in the South
Krystal is truly a Southern gem — you won’t find it anywhere but in the southeastern United States. There are almost 300 locations in total, with the highest concentration in states like Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. It’s especially beloved in cities like Jacksonville and its home base in Chattanooga, where it first opened its doors in 1932.
While Krystal has slightly expanded its reach over the years to Arkansas, it’s still a strictly Southern restaurant after 90 years in business. Whether you grew up with the Krystal sliders or Pups, or you’re stopping by on a road trip, Krystal is a regional treat worth seeking out, preferably after a late night or in the early morning. And if you just so happen to be in either Tennessee or Florida — the two states with both White Castle and Krystal locations — try them out at the same time and see which one you like best.
