DETROIT — A Valentine’s Day dinner at White Castle with candles, attentive wait staff and white tablecloths was a precious experience for Crystal Gray and her mother, Cornelia Murphy.
This year, Gray will bring with her a photo of her mother, who died last spring at age 80, and place it on the table she still keeps at one of the fast-food chain’s restaurants in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale.
“It wouldn’t be the same without her,” Gray said. “I wanted something to make me feel better about not physically being able to attend.”
For 35 years, White Castle has invited lovers, lovers and soon-to-be-in-love for an intimate meal at its restaurants. This year, 325 White Castles with a dining room in the United States will participate in the promotion, according to Jamie Richardson, chief marketing officer for the Columbus, Ohio-based restaurant chain.
“One day, the White Castle became the Castle of Love,” Richardson said. “It’s something our customers look forward to. Many of them are repeat visitors on Valentine’s Day.”
The promotion began in 1991 and was offered only at White Castles in St. Louis and Minneapolis. Richardson said the goal was to provide “some kind of fun and quirky and see if anyone wants to go out to a fancy Valentine’s Day dinner at White Castle.”
Each participating restaurant is given a budget for decorations which can include red balloons, garlands and flowers. Reservations are required and they open in early January. About 32,000 people celebrated Valentine’s Day dinner at the White Castle in 2025. Richardson says they are targeting more than 35,000 this year.
“Some people show up in limousines,” he added. “We’ll have people dress up like their wedding. We’ve had over 200 weddings at White Castle over the years.”
There’s something about a thin slice of steamed grilled beef slathered in mustard and ketchup with diced onions, cheese, and a slice of pickle on a dinner roll that many can’t resist. Crinkle-cut French fries and soft drinks usually fill orders. Onion chips and chicken rings are also very popular.
“It’s all the atmosphere, all the love, all the great memories for a fraction of the price,” Richardson said. “For a couple, if they’re really splurging, it’ll be about $20, or $25 if you’re getting the candy on a stick.”
Anne Tubbs, supervisor of nine “castles” in the Detroit and central Michigan areas, said customers tell her the affordability helps but people keep coming because of tradition and memories.
“A couple have announced their pregnancy,” Tubbs said. “We’ve had people come in with their kids just to make those moments happen, and others have gotten involved.”
Amy Richardson, 41, from Lincoln Park near Detroit, makes sure she, her three children and her significant other also dress the part, wearing something pink or red and sometimes matching matching ones.
She said she has spent Valentine’s Day at the White Castle every year since 2012.
“I had just gotten into a new relationship and had a 3-year-old daughter,” she said of the first time. “We wanted to make it a kid-friendly place. We all packed up and went out on our date.”
Since then, the couple has added two younger children and spent about $30 on Valentine’s Day meals for a family of five.
“We usually get sliders, chicken rings and mozzarella cheese sticks,” Amy Richardson added. “It’s more of a nostalgia thing. It may be fancy, but it’s not a fancy restaurant where people frown when you bring a toddler or kids in.”
Waffle House, another national restaurant chain, will also celebrate its 18th anniversary by offering a special Valentine’s Day dinner. This was the first year reservations were taken online, and many of the 218 participating Waffle House locations were booked by the end of last week, according to spokesperson Kelly Brunner.
Gray has made Valentine’s Day at White Castle a tradition, having done it about 10 times. Gray will be among 14 cheerleaders inducted in May into White Castle’s “Craver’s Hall of Fame.” They were selected after submitting their White Castle stories.
This year, her two young daughters will also share the day in honor of her mother’s memory.
“I like the simplicity of it all — sitting there and spending time with each other,” she said. “Sometimes we can do too much, and it gets to the point where you can’t really enjoy it — spending too much money.”