Searching near ‘North Maoming Road’ for the White Castle (221 Mao Ming Bei Lu), I was able to find a new ‘mini-mall’ with several restaurants with various deals. After leaving the mall and walking south, I found the sign for ‘White Castle’. Upon entering I was greeted with a smile from a member of the international management team and soon I was up to the counter looking at the different offers – sadly some menu items advertised were not currently available. I tried to explain the coupon for a free slider, as advertised at their other location, sadly the staff did not understand me. The management made no effort to assist me or interact with me. I purchased a slider which was made in what seemed to be the traditional way, as the burgers did not have the signature look. The burger itself was pretty greasy and not overly fulfilling – while I didn’t get ill from it, I didn’t feel that great from the experience. Perhaps some soft-opening blues. The price of 13 rmb was decent for the location and for Shanghai, but the Return On Investment was not. The décor for the restaurant was decent, but would be confusing for those unfamiliar with the brand – which is likely most people. There are two video screens playing brief ‘tid bits’ of information, but not to the detail that even Burger King provided when they introduced themselves to the market, years ago. Very few customers were there – which is not surprising and most of the preferable tables were taken up by staff. The somber environment made me desire to leave and face the heat outside, which soon I was on my way to do.
