White Castle Honors Alice Cooper for His Dedication to Cheeseburgers

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When Alice Cooper looks back on the legendary timeline of his life, there will surely be many years with special significance: 1969, when his Alice Cooper band was signed to Frank Zappa’s label; 1976, when he married his partner Sheryl Goddard; 1991, when his presence brought Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar to their knees in Wayne’s World; and 2011, when Cooper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But now, if music’s original shock rocker ever decides to pen a follow-up to his memoir Golf Monster : A Rock ‘n’ Roller’s 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict, he’ll have to include a chapter about one more very special occasion: July 7, 2014—the day Cooper entered the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame.

The WCCHoF is located at White Castle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, just 200 miles from Cooper’s birthplace of Detroit. Since its creation in 2001, 7,645 people have tried to get their names in the hallowed Hall, but only two percent have made the cut, putting the successful multi-hyphenate in a truly elite class.

As the pristine, post-war hero glow of the 1950s faded, America spent the late 60s entering its self-aware stage, mirroring the journey of a young Cooper, who was emerging from the unchecked optimism of teenage dreaming into the critical phase of early-20-something self-exploration. But fortunately for Cooper, he didn’t have just rock ‘n’ roll music to aid him on this journey. He also had White Castle’s iconic sliders, too.

No one can say for sure when he first fed his Frankenstein with White Castle’s unique culinary offerings, but we can deduce with reasonable certainty that it, like many events in the improbable star’s trailblazing career, was destiny—a beginning point that would run a traceable line through the life and career of Cooper, leading him back home to the Midwest, and finally into the Cravers Hall of Fame as if he was meant to be there all along.

Cooper was inducted into the Hall by Bill, Marci, and Lisa Ingram, who are the fourth generation of Ingrams to run the family-owned American institution. The company’s vice president, Jamie Richardson, moderated a brief conversation with Cooper to an audience of White Castle employees. A band was in attendance to pay tribute to Cooper and perform several of his songs, with the legend even welcoming attendees to his nightmare by joining in on “No More Mr. Nice Guy”—much to everyone’s surprise and delight.

As he was being inducted, Cooper told his audience, “a lot of my fellow rockers are going to be envious of this honor.” He was then asked how the moment stacked up against entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ever the classy gentleman, Cooper was careful not to offend the Rock Hall by belittling it to the media and simply responded, “there’s no comparison.” As an honoree, he received a tour of the White Castle Headquarters in addition to a plaque commemorating his entrance into the selective WCCHoF.

The “School’s Out” rocker shares this honor alongside 170 inductees, including the five creators of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; Steven Luch of Detroit, in partnership with his potbellied pig, Nips; and Greek Orthodox Priest, Father John Stavropoulos of Canton, Ohio—Craver legends all.