White Castle reopens in new building 8 months after fire

The White Castle at 102 Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau reopened Sunday after a four-month reconstruction period.

A kitchen fire in May left the building inoperable and caused the White Castle to close. The building eventually was razed Aug. 13 to create space for a smaller, more classic, White Castle-themed structure.

"We decided to reinvest in the community and replace the damaged building with a new prototypical building," Craig G. Eilers, the engineering project manager at White Castle Management Co., said in an earlier story by the Southeast Missourian. "The new building will be approximately 2,800 square feet with 50 seats in the dining room."

Brenda Lumia, the district supervisor, said the White Castle originally was planned to have opened before Thanksgiving, but a variety of factors, from weather issues to contracting delays, might have affected the building process.

Lumia said the new building is more modernized than the original and includes new TVs, ambient music and free Wi-Fi for customers.

"It looks much better. It's a smaller building -- easier to take care of," Lumia said. "We're just happy to be here."

Before becoming a White Castle in 2005, the original building housed a Hardee's and then a Lion's Choice.

Pertinent address:

102 Siemers Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.