UPDATE 5-21-2026: An official ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for 10 am Tuesday, June 2.

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A fast-food burger chain is coming to Texas for the first time: White Castle, the Ohio-based chain known for its small, slider-size burgers, will open a location in the Dallas area at the Grandscape at The Colony, near the intersection of Destination Drive and Grandscape Boulevard.

The new location is predicted to open in summer 2026.

The opening was announced at an August 21 event at the Grandscape in The Colony attended by White Castle’s leadership team.

“White Castle has been creating memorable moments with our iconic hot and tasty Sliders for more than a century, and today, we are reaching a new milestone as we prepare to bring that Crave to Texas for the very first time,” said Lisa Ingram, CEO and a member of the founding family’s fourth generation. “We couldn’t imagine a more fitting location than Grandscape in The Colony for our debut in the Lone Star State, and we can’t wait to welcome new Cravers into the White Castle family.”

Founded in 1921 and based in Columbus, Ohio, the family-owned business owns and operates 335 restaurants as well as a retail division which provides frozen burgers to grocery stores nationwide.

White Castle burgers are known for their unique squared-off shape and small size: about two inches wide and 1.5 ounces — an anomoly in the bigger-the-better burger world where patties start at three ounces, with some purveyors bragging about doing half-pound burgers. Their small size used to be a signature quirk but now fall under the trendy category of "sliders."

Another distinction: Their burgers are steamed, which also bucks current trends of cooking on a flat-top or grill, and are cooked on a bed of onions; and are served on matching small square buns.

In addition to burgers, they have crinkle-cut fries, a crispy chicken slider, a panko-breaded fish slider, and breakfast sliders available 24/7 with "fresh-cracked eggs," which is definitely preferable to pre-cracked. Plus mini waffles, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, fish bites, hash brown bites, shakes, smoothies, and three desserts, all on a stick.

Fans who grew up in the Northeast eating White Castle burgers have longed to fulfill their nostalgic cravings, a longing made all the more intense by their inability to fulfill it. It's a scenario that's been repeated by a number of chains over the years. Who remembers the great Krispy Kreme arrival in 1999 … the Steak & Shake arrival in 2001 … the 2011 arrival of In & Out ,with their rumored lines populated by paid volunteers … and more recently Portillo's. Dallas loves to yearn for a chain, then dump it flat.

White Castle is not the first chain to make its debut at The Grandscape at The Colony: Portillo's chose it for its Texas debut, as well.