Two Chicago-area men inducted into White Castle Hall of Fame

CHICAGO - There are many great honors that one can receive in life, but a pair of Chicago area men say they all pale in comparison to the honor they received Wednesday — being inducted into the White Castle Hall of Fame.

Nick Brow, of Schaumburg, said he’s thrilled to become a White Castle Hall of Fame Inductee.

"Absolutely, yeah. If someone said, ‘what’s the best thing that ever happened in your life?’ I’d probably say this."

It was indeed a special day for both Brow and Don Clelland, of Lombard.

"In my eyes, I think it goes Presidential Medal of Freedom, and then White Castle Hall of Fame. I think those are one-two in the hierarchy of life," Clelland said.

Both men are among 11 new members of the prestigious "Cravers Hall of Fame" at White Castle’s Columbus headquarters. 
Since 2001, the century-old slider chain has been inducting its most rabid fans who submit the tastiest White Castle stories.

Brow wrote about his craving during a snowstorm. 

"There’s was a really bad blizzard out. I was at my friend’s house. It was two in the morning and instead of going home, I was like ‘who wants to go to White Castle?’"

It took nearly an hour to get to the White Castle, which was a little more than a mile away. 

"The roads were unplowed. My windshield wipers were laboring," Brow recalled. And then the car window froze shut, forcing Brow to order outside. "I was freezing, and I was wet from the snow. A mile trip turned into an hour and a half to get the sliders. But it was worth it. Totally worth it and it got me in the Hall of Fame."

Clelland’s winning story involved love and sliders. 

"We saw that White Castle has Valentine’s Day, where they shut down the store, they take reservations, they put nice tablecloths on the tables."

Clelland and his girlfriend Monica enjoyed Valentine’s Day at White Castle so much that he proposed to her there. 

His friends hid in the bathroom with a vintage brown tux for the magic moment. 

"Did a quick change, came back out. Started playing the music and proposed to her at the White Castle," said Clelland.

Monica said yes and now they’re raising their boys on sliders. 

"I found the right woman that could appreciate both White Castle and the ridiculous humor of being proposed to at the White Castle," laughed Clelland.

Also being inducted was the old White Castle in Whiting, Ind., which was replaced after 88 years in 2023.

Both Don and Nick received crave cases, special White Castle jackets and a lifetime of memories to chew on.

"Sometimes that crave… It just hits," said Crow.