What Happened to White Castle After Food Paradise? (Wichita, KS)
Food Paradise, Season 1 Wichita, Kansas
Current status
As of October 2026, White Castle has closed — confirmed via kcur.org, March 22, 2023.
What the source shows: KCUR reported that White Castle's first restaurant opened in Wichita in 1921 but the original building is no longer standing and no White Castle currently operates in Kansas. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 1, Episode 1
- Address 110 W 1st St, Wichita, KS 67202
- Website nuwayburgers.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Food Paradise?
"Hamburger Paradise" featured White Castle, the hamburger chain that, according to Wikipedia, was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and is widely credited as the first fast-food hamburger chain in the United States. According to Wikipedia, the company built its identity on small, square hamburgers sold cheaply, later nicknamed "sliders," and grew into a regional chain with roughly 345 locations concentrated in the Midwest and the New York metropolitan area. KCUR reported on 2023-03-22 that the original five-stool White Castle building, opened at 110 West First Street in Wichita, no longer stands, and that White Castle no longer operates any restaurant in Kansas. Kansas City Magazine similarly reported that the chain's birthplace disappeared from the state. According to the Historical Marker Database, a marker near First Presbyterian Church in Wichita now commemorates the site.
The episode
Also in Season 1
Season 1: 85 of 114 still open · 3 renamed, moved or under new owners
- Open
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Ep 1Bob's Big Boy
Open - Closed
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Ep 1Louis' Lunch
Open - Open
- Closed
-
Ep 1Ted's Restaurant
Open - Closed
Nearest open restaurants
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Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Elote Café (Elote Cafe & Catering)
Man v. Food
Open -
Man v. Food
Open -
Man v. Food
Open -
Food Paradise
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- kcur.org https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-03-22/white-castle-hamburger-wichita-kansas-sliders-fast-food-history-mcdonalds
- kansascitymag.com https://kansascitymag.com/kansas-was-the-birthplace-of-white-castle-heres-the-secret-reason-why-it-disappeared-1/
- hmdb.org https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=56391
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record fp-0002 · checked by Cal Marchetti.