ORLANDO, Fla. – The world’s largest free-standing White Castle gave a sneak peek behind the castle walls as preparations are underway for its grand opening.
Dozens of workers have been completing training at the 4,567-square foot restaurant located on the corner of Daryl Carter Parkway and Palm Parkway.
“We have two weeks of intense team member training that’s been happening from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day,” Vice President of Operations Mike Guinan said. “There’s four different shifts that rotate in and out for training.”
White Castle officials said the location brings 140 jobs to Central Florida, which were filled in a matter of weeks.
[PHOTO GALLERY: Behind the scenes at Orlando’s White Castle]
“We’re able to offer 130 jobs to team members and then we have 13 managers that we’ve hired in,” Guinan said. “We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve been able to fill all our positions within the company we had, and we’ll continue to hire.”
This new location marks White Castle’s to the Sunshine State for the first time since the 1960s.
For its grand opening, White Castle will have health and safety measures in place consistent with Orange County’s COVID-19 guidelines, officials said. Masks will be required for all employees and customers, along with social distancing and ongoing cleaning.
White Castle’s grand opening is on Monday. The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. and will reopen Tuesday with regular operating hours which are 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day.