Apparently white castle is rolling out burger flipping bots. Unclear how much they do besides flipping burgers but they're clearly investing in that future.
From the video, it actually seems as though White Castle burgers are even more optimized for process automation as their preparation doesn't even require flipping (TIL).
And the White Castle is easier to automate than other burgers. Small, sure but also limited toppings - no choices, no sauce. (McDonald's is surprisingly complex by comparison)
Ah, older articles were talking about it doing burgers too at white castle. This one only mentions the fries but doesn't mention burgers. Looks like maybe they transitioned to fry station only?
Factory produced white castle burgers have been in supermarket freezers for years (and aren't much worse than the 'fresh' ones, which are themselves firmly in the realm of junk food.) Machines making food is nothing new, but it seems a lot of people are keen on 'inventing' it. Remember the pizza company that wanted to use robots to make delivery pizzas? And the results were worse than frozen Red Baron pizzas that have been around since the 70s.
> I knew it would keep getting better and beef wouldn’t.
> White Castle initially tested its Impossible Slider in just a few locations in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago in April 2018. It was such a hit that the company quickly expanded the program to all 380 outlets. “People are coming back for it again and again,” White Castle’s vice president, Jamie Richardson, said with a touch of astonishment.
> Resulting foot traffic was so strong that Burger King decided to serve the Impossible Whopper in all 7,200 restaurants, marking the moment when alt meat stopped being alt.
It reminds me of the joke, "I don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than you."
Unfortunately I don't live in an area with White Castle. I've tried an Impossible burger at a more "premium" burger place, Wahlburgers. I've also tried one at a local mom and pop that tested them for a week. I am excited to potentially have some healthier discount/fast food options in my area. I can't wait until BK rolls out here, I will be one of the first in line.
I like White Castle impossible burgers . But, I actually liked the veggie burgers that Burger King already had . I expect Impossible ones being a step up.
White Castle has had Impossible Burgers available for about a year now. Just interesting to see the trend emerging from what I would consider the "bottom-most" market segment. I suppose they had the most to gain from drawing in a meat-averse audience.
Whatever your feelings on this particular product, it seems that the perhaps-inevitable decline of the traditional meat industry is going to take place on many fronts (clean meats, plant hemes, alternative proteins, locavore provider networks, increased availability of traditional vegetarian cuisines).
So to give a more serious answer: White Castle burgers are very much in the style of the original burgers that became popular in the US in the 20s or so. These were sold at sporting events, fairs, etc, and were similar in concept to a hot dog: cheap fast hot meaty snack. They were typically cooked on griddles, and seasoned only with some grilled onion, served on whatever local sliced bun was available in quantity from a baker. The grease and such would build up over the day to where in later hours it was more shallow frying, particularly for the onions.
Anyhow, they're not everyone's cup of tea, and if you're expecting a miniature version of a $12 premium burger no, this ain't that. They're bare bones, and not for someone who dislikes the combo of beef and onion. But within that they're pretty tasty and satisfying.
This is a wheat and potato proteins based burger, where they add leghemoglobin grown in yeast, to give some of that bloody, irony taste. And coconut oil for fat.
If you're in New York City area or New Jersey, or Chicago area, your nearest White Castle probably has the "impossible slider" for $1.99.
He would have to have his mind blown beyond belief. He was born in 1880. https://www.whitecastle.com/about-us/our-history
Gotta say those are some good burgers, regardless of the biometrics case.
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