By Gina Horan
White Castle Opens in Clermont, Donates $5K to Boys & Girls Clubs
The “crave” officially arrived this morning as White Castle opened its newest Castle in Clermont with a ribbon cutting, fanfare and first-day Craver festivities. The restaurant is the brand’s second freestanding location in Florida.
Located in the Plaza Collina development at SR 50 and Plaza Collina Blvd., the 3,220-square-foot restaurant features indoor seating for 42 and outdoor seating for 14, plus two drive-through lanes where team members deliver orders directly to cars.
By midmorning, hundreds of fans had cycled through for sliders, swag and selfies.
VIPs at the ceremony included White Castle CEO Lisa Ingram, a fourth-generation family member, who was wearing a shirt that read “SLIDER QUEEN.” She talked about her great-great-grandfather and the founding in 1921.
“You could say our Clermont Castle has been more than 100 years in the making,” Lisa says. “We are humbled by the enthusiasm of our fans and honored to be part of this incredible community. At White Castle, our mission is to create memorable moments every day, and today is certainly one of them.”
Also on hand were COO Jeff Carper, company leaders, development partners like Stansell Construction, invited guests, local CFD and CPD and elected officials including Mayor Tim Murry.
“Today is a significant milestone for Clermont as we proudly welcome the opening of the second White Castle in the state,” Mayor Murry says. “This grand opening provides another beloved dining option while fostering growth and creating 75 new jobs for Clermont residents.”
During the ceremony, White Castle presented a $5,000 check to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and its South Lake County branch.
Seasoned team members Aaron Johnson and Jamel Figueroa, both with four years at the company, helped cut the ribbon and will lead the Clermont team as general manager and assistant GM. The family-owned chain, founded in 1921 and based in Columbus, Ohio, has been certified by Great Place to Work for the fifth straight year.
Hall of Fame Cravers Jeff Sedlitz and Harry Blackledge proudly wore their blue blazers and had their fan stories imprinted on the back of the slider boxes to commemorate the occasion.
“I’ve had a lifelong commitment with this insanity for almost 57 years,” Jeff says. He got his first slider in the Bronx, New York, and hasn’t stopped searching for them in every city. “I’ll plan trips to see my sister in Orlando just to visit this White Castle.” He says he always has them in his freezer, but there is nothing like fresh from the grill. Jeff has been a Hall of Fame Craver since 2022.
Jeff and all the other Cravers will be able to enjoy their sliders and other menu items at the Clermont Castle daily from 7am to 3am, with plans to move to 24-hour service in the near future.
Gina moved to central Florida in August of 2021 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and spent 10 years as a fashion editor, columnist and food writer for The Knight Ridder Newspaper group. She was also a photo stylist and covered concerts, fashion shows and festivals all over Northern California. In 2000, she joined KSAN radio as a morning show co-host and produced the news and sports content there for 4 years. She also covered travel, events and the restaurant scene for KRON-Bay TV. She is a veteran bartender and has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. Her passions include travel, road trips, history books, baseball, tasting menus and most of all, landing in a new city with no map or guidebook. Gina lives in Oxford with her mom, cats and baby hamster.
