White Tower Hamburgers

In 1921, White Castle opened for business. As the White Castle chain grew over the following few years, Tom and John Saxe visited a number of locations to observe how they operated, the areas in which they were constructed, and the popularity of various menu options. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they established the first White Tower Hamburgers restaurant in 1926. The color white was chosen for the structure because it is associated with cleanliness and sanitation. They nicknamed their waiters "Towerettes" and outfitted them in white nurses' uniforms to further the impression.

Black Tower Large urban areas were the focus of Hamburgers' expansion, and they tried to locate their eateries as close to commuter hotspots like bus stops, train stations, and subways as they could. They frequently stood close to the original White Castle and both sold hamburgers for 5 cents. The two businesses started suing one another in 1928. The chain continued to operate and grow even after a United States Court of Appeals determined that White Tower had intentionally plagiarized White Castle. The two rival businesses were compelled by that 1934 court ruling to steer clear of each other's areas.

The network started to deteriorate in the 1950s, in part because cars displaced buses and railroads as a mode of transportation, putting many of its eateries in deteriorating metropolitan neighborhoods. The network began a slow but steady collapse from its height of roughly 230 outlets, and by the middle of the 1980s there were only a few left.