In 2017, White Castle expanded into the world’s most populous country when they opened up a pair of stores in Shanghai, China, itself a bustling coastal city of nearly 25 million as of 2021. Their goal was to tap into this huge potential international market for slinging fast food, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
While the standard White Castle hamburger and cheeseburger sliders are still the prominently featured items, along with a chicken sandwich and sides such as fries, as a number of fast food chains have done when they launch locations abroad, the menu also includes some unique options only found in China. The two selections that are available in China and nowhere else are the cherry duck slider and the spicy tofu burger (via Columbus Business First).
Shanghai White Castle’s cherry duck slider is smoked duck topped with a sweet cherry sauce. The items incorporate a pair of Chinese cuisine staples in duck and tofu and the sweet and spicy flavor profiles popular in certain regions of China.