The Chicken Slider has been a staple on White Castle’s menu for many years, but chicken sandwich competition has gotten tougher in the fast-food space.
“Ours was fine, but it wasn’t a superior sandwich,” said Jamie Richardson, VP at Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle. “We challenged ourselves to come up with something new and ask good questions. Consumers told us they wanted something crispier and crunchier and a little bit bigger. Chicken is something we’ve learned a lot about and we know how important it is to our customers and younger consumers.”
The R&D journey
The team started looking at a makeover in 2020-2021, but then pressed pause. “There were supply issues around that time that extended into 2022, and that gave us a chance to re-examine and think through what this could be,” said Richardson.
One of the plusses—and minuses—of the brand is the slider platform. The bakery buns are a signature, but the smaller size means that White Castle isn’t able to partner with all suppliers. “It can take a lot longer to find a partner that can work in that small size,” said Richardson.
When the culinary team was ready to get started, they looked at the original beef slider as a model—the hamburger that launched the family-owned chain over 100 years ago. It’s simple, said Richardson: 100% beef steam-grilled on a bed of onions and served on a bakery bun.
“We wanted to think of the chicken slider through the lens of the burger to deliver the taste we're looking for,” he said. “The goals were simple—make it tastier, make it crispier, find a way to keep the great value that we represent to our customers and find a signature sauce that can set it apart from the rest of the pack.”
The steps to a successful launch
The breading was the first step. The culinary team worked with a supplier to develop a buttermilk breading that makes the coating crisper and more flavorful. The breading went through extensive testing until it met that criteria and was a noticeable improvement over the previous version.
The new slider also features a superior cut of white meat chicken with “a better bite,” Richardson said, is about 20% larger than the original and is 10 cents lower in price.
But the sauce is what sets one chicken sandwich apart from the next, and White Castle’s new Honeycomb Mustard sauce hits the target. “There’s a sweetness that comes through in a richer, more flavorful, creamier way than straight honey mustard,” said Richardson. “It made all the difference in terms of bringing the sandwich home. We've had many, many customers tell us, ‘I don't like honey mustard but I love Honeycomb Mustard.’ It complements the crunch and savory quality of the chicken.”
He feels part of the appeal and differentiation comes from the qualifier of “honeycomb” before “mustard.” It really strengthens the description and delivers on the unexpected, he said.
Knowing the popularity of ranch, the team consumer-tested the slider with ranch as well. It did fine, Richardson added, but the Honeycomb Mustard was the standout winner. “We did extensive testing with other sauces and went through a great range with lots of learnings along the way, but I’m not going to share those now because we might use them on something else,” he joked.
The bun is the same bun as the one used on the beef slider, baked in White Castle’s own bakery.
More happenings in the Castle
The new Crispy Chicken Slider launched at the end of June and is now on the permanent menu, priced at about $2.35. As part of the introduction, there’s also a $5 Crispy Chicken Combo deal available as part of the Craver Nation Rewards program. It includes two chicken sliders, small fries and a small soft drink. There's also a Deluxe Crispy Chicken Slider with lettuce, tomato and cheese.
The Deluxe Crispy Chicken Slider is dressed up with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and the Honeycomb Mustard.
Now that the Honeycomb Mustard is such a hit, the team is considering using it with other menu items. It would make the perfect dip for the chain’s Chicken Rings, Richardson believes.
White Castle has always been about value, and the team continues to evaluate how people are thinking of value. They are also leaning into the surge in carryout and delivery orders.
“We’re trying to understand not just what we sell, but how portable is it? What does the packaging look like? And what functionality can there be in packaging to ensure the best quality experience and ease of use?” said Richardson.
The menu boards are also being studied. “Maybe we’d fall in love with an item but weren’t selling much of it, so we started to make some decisions—like when you go camping, everything weighs something,” he said.
To make the boards a little easier to read, they took some things off, but people who liked an item can still order it. The Surf ‘n Turf slider—a fish and beef sandwich—is a case in point, “Now it’s a secret menu item but it’s no longer taking up real estate on the menu board,” said Richardson.