COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — A Columbus man is sliding into White Castle history after eating sliders for 80 years.

Stuart Cundiff was one of 11 people inducted into this year’s prestigious Cravers Hall of Fame on Wednesday. He spent his 85^th birthday on Christmas Eve with friends and family at White Castle — something he has done for most of his life.

He spoke with News 8’s Hanna Mordoh ahead of the moment and said it was an honor to be included in the group. 

“I’ve been having White Castles for 80 years. A little over 80 years. As a matter of fact, I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on Christmas Eve, 1938. My dad was a Louisville fireman working the 24 on 24 off shift. My dad decided that he was going to do something special for my Christmas Eve birthday. So he arranged with another fireman that dad would always have Christmas Eve off, and the other firemen would always have Christmas Day off. So that set up a tradition that we celebrated,” Cundiff said.

His father would take Cundiff to the nearby White Castle before heading to the movie theater. On the way home, they’d always stop at White Castle again to pick up a dozen more Sliders: six for his mom and sister and six for his grandparents, who lived across the street. Cundiff and his dad followed that tradition until he left to serve in the U.S. Air Force. His wife carried on the tradition, always making sure that Stuart had White Castle Sliders on his Christmas Eve birthday.

“I went to my beloved Air Force and roamed the world for a while. But tried whenever I could go on furlough around Christmas so I could get home, Christmas, and then Christmas Eve and go have White Castles,” Cundiff explained. “I had three tours in the Middle East and one in Africa, and White Castles were not there. So my wife devised a super burger with onion soup, and brown beef, and small rolls. And we called those sliders. That’s how we celebrated on Christmas Eve. You know? She would make those, and that’s how we celebrated. However, whenever we were stationed anywhere within 100 miles of a White Castle, I would avail myself, and we would drive that 100 miles on Christmas Eve to get the White Castles.”

Now, Cundiff’s daughter has continued the tradition by always buying a Crave case.

White Castle said, “Scores of people submit entries each year, hoping to get accepted into this hallowed hall, which was created in 2001 to honor those Cravers whose love for and commitment to White Castle has no bounds.”

The city of Whiting, Indiana was also inducted into the restaurant’s Cravers Hall of Fame and dubbed the “Crave Capital of the World.”

According to the press release, “The White Castle at 1879 Indianapolis Blvd. had proudly served Whiting, Indiana since it was built in 1935. The 88-year-old restaurant, the oldest in the Chicago region, was a city landmark that served generations of families. Many people were sad to see it torn down, but everyone embraced the new, larger, and more modern White Castle that took its place in 2023 with a huge turnout at the opening ceremony. Throughout the process, Whiting residents shared story after story about the important role White Castle had played in their lives and in the community throughout the years.”