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After 85 years in business, the iconic White Castle at 89-03 57th Avenue in Elmhurst officially closed on June 24, bringing one of New York City's longest-running fast-food restaurants to a close. The standalone restaurant, known for decades of late-night burger runs, first opened in 1939, around the same time the nearby New York World's Fair welcomed millions of visitors to Queens.
A banner hanging outside the restaurant now reads, "This location is closed. It was our pleasure to serve you," directing customers to the chain's Sunnyside and Brooklyn locations instead.
According to White Castle, the family-owned company decided to sell the property as area real estate values continued to climb. The site is expected to be redeveloped into an apartment building, though no plans have been publicly filed yet.
"As the value increases, it makes business sense for us to listen closely to a prospective buyer," White Castle chief marketing officer Jamie Richardson said in a statement to local media. He added that employees from the Elmhurst restaurant will be offered positions at other White Castle locations and that proceeds from the sale will be reinvested into the company's broader business.
Founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921, White Castle is often considered America's first fast-food hamburger chain. The Elmhurst restaurant was among the company's earliest New York outposts, but it wasn't the city's first: that distinction still belongs to White Castle's Fordham Road location in the Bronx, which opened in 1930 and remains in operation.
The loss of the Elmhurst restaurant is another reminder of how quickly New York's streetscape can change. In a city where even beloved institutions aren't immune to rising land values, an 85-year run is remarkable—and for generations of New Yorkers, this little white castle was much more than a place to grab a sack of sliders.