Mark Bennett B-Sides

Search Results

Close Previous Now showing: of Next

Previous Next Close

Related Photos

• 

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.

comments powered by Disqus

February 11, 2010

B-Sides: Craving a special Valentine’s Day? Slide into White Castle

By Mark Bennett The Tribune Star Thu Feb 11, 2010, 01:59 PM EST

TERRE HAUTE — Guts? Adventurousness? Thrift? Fun? Insanity?

Whatever the reason (and it had better be a good one), some folks take their sweetheart to White Castle for its improbable but popular Valentine’s Day dinner. Fittingly, the memory stays with you a long time.

“It is a date they will never forget,” said David Dore, director of White Castle’s Indianapolis region.

He spoke sincerely, and fondly. Dore is a veteran of 43 years with White Castle, a hamburger chain that has judiciously grown to more than 390 locations in 11 states since its inception in 1921. That roster includes “Castle 57” at 4340 U.S. Highway 41 South in Terre Haute. It opened for Cravers — the company’s label for its patrons — in June. Thus, romance White Castle-style slides into this city for the first time Sunday.

For three hours every Feb. 14 since 1991, participating White Castles step out of their box … er, sack, in the name of love. Couples who show up are in for some surprises.

A maitre d’ will greet and seat them. The lights will be dim. There will be candles, tablecloths, tableside servers and romantic music. They’ll order from commemorative menus. They may opt for the Sweetheart Special (normally known as Sack Meal No. 3, but that kind of breaks the mood) — a cozy dinner-for-two combination of 10 Slyders (those juicy, 2-ounce, onion-and-pickle topped burgers), two 21-ounce soft drinks and two orders of fries. White Castle will even “throw in a dessert,” said Mike Tague, general manager of Castle 57 in Terre Haute.

At the end, couples will have their bill delivered to their table. The tab should be around $11, a real sweetheart of a deal in post-recession Indiana.

Employees who regularly work behind the counter will man the dining area as maitre d’s, waiters and waitresses.

“It’s a pretty good experience,” Tague said.

He knows. Tague has worked every Valentine’s Day at outlets in Indianapolis and Columbus since the Indy region joined in the fun five years ago. One Columbus couple, in their early 70s, epitomized the good sports who’ve made the Valentine’s Day ritual such a hit. They arrived dressed to the nines, Tague recalled.

“He said he’d take her anywhere in town she wanted to go, and she said she wanted to go to White Castle,” Tague said. “And Red Lobster is right across the street. It was quite an experience to see them, all dressed up.”

Dore wore a tuxedo the first time he took his wife to a White Castle’s Valentine’s Day event at the 38th Street shop in Indianapolis.

“When we pulled up, she said, ‘I figured you’d do something like this,’” Dore said.

“And, luckily, I also had a dozen roses behind the counter,” he added.

Of course, Dore is a loyal part of the White Castle team. How does an unsuspecting person react when their sweetheart walks them into White Castle for Valentine’s Day?

“They say, ‘I can’t believe you did this,’” Dore said, in a good way. “I’ve never seen a case where they did not end up having fun, where they didn’t chuckle and laugh. It’s a date they will never forget.”

And it’s a date they need to plan. The White Castle takes reservations for its Valentine’s Day dinner, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m. The restaurant will find a way to accommodate unannounced patrons during that three-hour window, but calling ahead is best if you’re looking for the full treatment.

“Some people, who don’t know about it, come in, and we’ll say, ‘Do you have a reservation?’ And they look at you like you came off the moon,” Dore said, laughing.

As popular as the event has become, it costs White Castle more money than it makes, Dore said. Instead, it builds a bond with customers and stirs some romance. The idea of that happening in the candlelight over a sackful of Slyders isn’t completely impossible.

After all, with that round belly, Cupid maybe is a Craver.

Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.

Your name, sir …

• Reservations for Sunday’s Valentine’s Day dinner at the Terre Haute White Castle can be made by calling (317) 269-4590 from 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. today and Friday. From Friday evening on, reservations must be made by calling (812) 235-5100.

• The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Mark Bennett B-Sides

• MARK BENNETT: Proposed trail would give river development momentum, reacquaint community with Wabash

  Terre Haute and the Wabash River were like strangers living next door to each other.

  February 12, 2012 5 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Super Bowl luck? His is mostly bad

  I’ve learned to take a Seinfeld approach to Super Bowls.
  In a flash of clairvoyance, Jerry excitedly reminded buddy George Costanza that “if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.”

  February 2, 2012 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Not-so-casual observers

  In the minds of many adults, the most upstanding generation of young people was, ironically, their own.

  January 29, 2012  

• MARK BENNETT: On the banks of the Wabash, a sculpture

  Paul Dresser remembered his hometown at its best. Terre Haute should remember him the same way.

  January 26, 2012 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: A reminder for electorate: You get what you vote for

  In the rear-view mirror of our lives, some days loom larger than we expected.
  For many Hoosiers, the date Nov. 2, 2010, probably fits that category.

  January 19, 2012 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Keys to the future

  Steve Witt fielded a jarring phone call in October 2007.

  January 15, 2012  

• MARK BENNETT: Hall-of-Famer Larkin delivered more than clutch hits

  A logjam of kids swelled behind the first-base dugout in Riverfront Stadium.

  January 12, 2012 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Polian, Colts and Terre Haute were good for one another

  Sentimentality seems alien in a discussion of Bill Polian.
  That emotion rarely influenced his decisions in 14 seasons as the day-to-day boss of the Indianapolis Colts. He surely felt it, but seldom submitted to it. The NFL is a business, after all, with winning as its bottom line. Polian knew how to make that happen, and did. Anyone or anything threatening to divert the Colts from title contention could not linger. When it came to that mission, Polian functioned with all of the sentimentality of Joe Friday.

  January 5, 2012 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: In this day and age, pure quiet is hard to find

  It’s hard to emulate JFK — this JFK, at least.

  December 18, 2011  

• MARK BENNETT: Rose professor’s bit part in classic holiday movie leaves a major memory

  Most of us see a bit of ourselves in “A Christmas Story.” Mike Kukral does so, literally. The 1983 movie grew into a holiday classic because so many of its poignant, awkward and hilarious moments seem to have been pulled straight from our childhood memories.

  December 15, 2011 6 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Ferrell’s love of Old Milwaukee shines light on Old Terre Haute

  Will Ferrell didn’t walk through traffic at Seventh and Wabash for nothing.
  Well, actually it might have been for nothing. Apparently, the comedian just likes Old Milwaukee so much that he came to Terre Haute, unannounced, one morning last September to film wacky commercials for the beer.

  December 8, 2011 2 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Holiday season makes going to the mailbox fun again

  Ants decided to set up a colony in our family’s mailbox last summer.

  December 1, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: First impressions: City benefits from hearing visitors’ views of community

  The town should blush.

  November 27, 2011  

• MARK BENNETT: When it comes to retail, Thursday is the new Friday

  The new Thanksgiving dinner tradition?
  Turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie served at a family tailgating party in a big-box store parking lot on Black Thursday.

  November 24, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: 'The Way We Worked' exhibit explains how work became a cornerstone of Americana

  Young steelworkers, like Robert Bruno’s dad, often took dates to the railroad yards, watching train cars rumble past in blue-collar Youngstown, Ohio.

  November 20, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: He told tales of great-uncle Mortecai Brown, but Fred Massey's story is worth hearing

  Fred Massey loved to talk about his family.
  His wife and daughters, his parents, his brothers and sisters. And, his great-uncle, Mort. Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, that is, the Hall of Fame pitcher who led the Chicago Cubs to their last World Series title in 1908 with an amazing curveball and without an index finger.

  November 17, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Guess where the newest THPD headquarters is?

  The city election involved lots of debate over a new headquarters for the Terre Haute Police Department.
  But is Raleigh, N.C., really a fitting location? The 750-mile commute for the cops would be dreadful.
   

  November 11, 2011 3 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Mayor’s progressive vision today has ties to leader long ago

  Going backward rarely works as a leadership strategy.
  Political groups often insist they’re primed to “take back America.” While their intent is to reclaim lost turf, the ultimate goal is to go backward — to a different time. Life isn’t “Back to the Future” or any other movie, though. The best policy for worthwhile living is to do things right today that make tomorrow better.

  November 10, 2011 3 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: ‘It’s giving with care, and without judgment’

  Let’s avoid the P-word today.
  Just for some clarity, we’ll offer its dictionary definition: “The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.”

  November 3, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Pull up a telescope and see a show at Rose-Hulman observatory

  Once in a lifetime. The phrase gets uttered often. Sometimes, it’s an assumption, as in traveling to Europe or getting tickets to see the Cubs play in the World Series. Occasionally, it’s definite.

  October 27, 2011 3 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Year of the River inspiring new ideas

  The Wabash River inspired the state song. That’s impressive.

  October 20, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: The significance of writing: T-S columnist Mike Lunsford pens third book

  Our nerves buzz with anxiety for different reasons.

  October 16, 2011 2 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Movie’s portrayal of fatherhood’s issues lives up to its name

  For three summers, I had the good fortune to watch and listen to Tony Dungy day after day.

  October 13, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Could a new champion for public schools be emerging?

  Deep down, millions of Hoosiers would wear the label “advocate for public schools.”
  Yes, many have their complaints, criticisms and a few “you-know-what-they-really-need-is” suggestions. But, in their heart of hearts, they want to see their alma maters and hometown public schools succeed and progress.

  October 6, 2011  

• MARK BENNETT: In Prairieton, renovation gives new life to old park

  There wasn’t much leg room in that Radio Flyer wagon.
  Our sons — two years apart but squashed together inside its fading wooden rails — always fidgeted until the black wheels started rumbling over the uneven WPA-era sidewalks running through Prairieton.

  September 29, 2011 4 Photos  

• Rekindling a dream on the river

  Mark Twain probably would grin at the sight of John Cornell, Jim Foster, Dan Remaly and their raft.

  September 22, 2011 4 Photos  

• MARK BENNETT: Just another Terre Haute celebrity sighting

  At some point, this stuff becomes routine.

  September 14, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: Everyone has a role in this American story (see VIDEO)

  We stood atop a hill in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, and I do mean rural. Cars, trucks, SUVs and RVs kept pulling into the parking area. Groups of people climbed out of their vehicles and into the suffocating July heat. Then, they too stood on the hilltop, staring down at a grassy clearing in front of a woods.

  September 8, 2011 4 Photos 1 Video  

• MARK BENNETT: It’s time for us to rekindle our volunteer spirit

  Hoosiers exhibit generosity.
  Terre Hauteans, in particular, displayed that virtue after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the local flooding in 2008. They donated blood, money, food, clothes and — most significantly — their own sweat and time.

  August 25, 2011 1 Photo  

• MARK BENNETT: What would Debs think?

  Pretend it’s the year 2111.

  August 14, 2011 3 Photos  

• More Mark Bennett B-Sides Headlines

© 2012 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. · CNHI Classified Advertising Network · CNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2012. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope. Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
Privacy Policy | AP News Registry privacy policy
Terms and Conditions
Advertiser Index

Events by eviesays.com

News From Terre Haute, Indiana 222 S 7th St Terre Haute, IN 47807