COLUMBUS, Ohio — For Jamie Richardson, vice president of marketing and public relations, it’s the double jalapeno cheese slider every time. 

What You Need To Know

  • White Castle is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and has more than 300 regional restaurants

  • Founded in 1921, White Castle is one of the country’s first fast-food chains
  • Artificial Intelligence powers the latest drive-through technology and automated fry arm

Lately, he talks to Julia, White Castle’s new AI-driven ordering system, when he gets the craving. Richardson said it was feedback from customers that inspired the new technology.

“All of us have experienced at one point or another, an imperfect drive-through experience, and just trying to make that easier and better," he said.

“Her” name is Julia, inspired by Julia Joyce, an original White Castle host in the 1930s. The goal is accuracy, with employees freed up to check and pack each order. It’s early days, but Richardson said there are plans to introduce Julia to 100 more locations in 2024.

In other innovations, Flippy is White Castle’s new line cook; an automated fryer arm able to assist with all things fried, from chicken rings to mozzarella sticks to fries. Reading an order and being able to load and flip the baskets saves time and increases productivity. Since installation, Flippy hasn’t missed a day’s work, according to Richardson.

With every innovation, there is risk and not every big idea pans out. Richardson said that in the early 2000s the company launched several new restaurant concepts, none of which are open today. But it’s not all downsides.

“Here’s the big win: from that process, we learned how to work together on menu development," he said. "Prior to that, it was pretty fragmented.”

Richardson said that the failure led to a much more streamlined, research-driven process for new ideas.

“Everything looks good on the chalkboard," he said. "Getting it into the real world is really important.”