We're sorry to squash dreams, but there's no White Castle in the works in Springfield, Missouri.
A picture that became quite popular on social media over the weekend built up hopes that a White Castle was being constructed on South Campbell Avenue. The picture, posted on Facebook May 12 by the parody account, The City of Republic, MO, showed a fake White Castle banner sign in front of an existing Dairy Queen store, located at 4150 S. Campbell Ave.
“We told you Springfield is getting a White Castle,” the anonymous account holder said in the post. “South Campbell. Take your mom there.”
White Castle representatives confirmed there was no Springfield store in the works for the fast-food chain.
White Castle does “not have current plans to open a location in Springfield, (Missouri), at this time,” Kerelle Sampson, senior account executive at Paul Werth Associates, an agency that represents America's first fast-food hamburger chain, said in an email to the Hauxeda.
“We're not sure where the sign came from.”
The photoshopped shot also included a not-so-hidden Sasquatch or Bigfoot next to the building. For anyone duped by the parody account, the “Now Open!” banner signs hanging in the photo are real.
Unfortunately for people craving sliders but fortunate for Blizzard lovers, instead of a White Castle opening, the signs highlight that the Dairy Queen is still open despite the facelift the building is undergoing. Dairy Queen is in the middle of construction to modify the atrium-type storefront, according to a City of Springfield building permit posted at the entrance of the restaurant.
If the hoax post fooled you, don't worry, you're not alone. Since May 12, the Dairy Queen store has received at least 30 calls with questions about a new White Castle going up in that location, said Faith Lund, assistant manager at the restaurant. A few customers have even stopped in with questions regarding the Facebook post and rumors surrounding it.
Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle launched in 1921, according to a company press release. The family-owned business, known for its small, square sliders, operates about 340 stores nationwide. The closest White Castle to Springfield is in Columbia, Missouri, about 132 miles away, according to the company website.
The parody account, The City of Republic, MO, labels itself as “The best real & fake news about southwest Missouri all in one place through an Orange & Black lense,” according to its Facebook page. The post regarding White Castle was shared 530 times and had 455 comments as of May 15.
Lund also squashed the rumors of a White Castle restaurant opening at the Dairy Queen location.
“It's just a Dairy Queen still,” Lund said by phone May 14. “They're just remodeling it.”
The assistant manager even posted a comment on the parody account's original post, including the funny-crying emoji.
“I currently work there and we are open for business but we are not a White Castle, sorry,” she said in the comment. “Funny but not true.”
