Couples at White Castle on Valentine’s Day Share Stories and Advice on Love

Couples at White Castle on Valentine’s Day Share Stories and Advice on Love

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 14, 2023)

Troy, MI – When Michael Dennis heard his wife’s wish for how to spend their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple, he said, “I was skeptical at first. But now that we’re here, it’s like, oh it is a real thing.  I’m glad we’re not the only ones here.  It’s really cool.”

The pair, married just four months ago, was seated at a high top table adorned with red linen and a vase with roses, enjoying the luxury of a waiter to pamper them.  They felt like royalty as they sipped their fizzy drinks and nibbled on a meal of sliders and French fries, followed by an elegant desert of mini cupcakes.

Michael met his lovely wife Haley as their paths crossed while working – he in the engineering field and she in the energy sector. But it’s chemistry that pulled them together, getting to know each other through the COVID pandemic.

“We started dating in COVID so we were never able to do it,” Haley said of the White Castle Valentines Day experience.  “I love it,” she added.  “It’s so cheesy and light hearted.”

“I hope this can be our tradition,” Michael added.

When asked how the couple plans to keep their marriage on track, having fun is a high priority.  “We don’t take life too serious, just enjoying the time we have together,” Haley said.

CARMEN AND PATRICK

Also keeping with a theme of having fun are Carmen VanWelsenaers and Patrick Free who are spending their second Valentine’s Day together, both of which were celebrated with sliders and smiles at White Castle.  “We both like to have fun and do stuff that’s unique,” Free said.  “Plus this is easy to get reservations.”

Oakland County Times asked the couple what else they like to do that’s fun and unique.  “We got into board games and puzzles,” Carmen said.

“We stayed up until 3am on New Year’s working on a puzzle together,” Patrick added.  “And we like the arcade.”

In addition to having fun, Patrick said “It’s important to always be open and honest.”

SARA AND DAN

Dan Tarasenko grew up going to White Castle with his family, and that’s a tradition he introduced to his wife Sara.  After ten years of marriage, two children, and numerous Valentine’s Days spent at White Castle, the couple is as much in love as ever.

Their advice for other couples?  “You have to make time for each other and communicate,” Sara said.  “We make to let each other know what’s going on through the day, what the kids need, what we have to coordinate.  And at the end of the day when it’s quiet and it’s just us, we check in to see, okay what you got for me, what do you need?”

They loved the way their local White Castle was all decked out for the occasion, including the red plastic tablecloths taped over the windows and ceiling lights to give the space a romantic red glow.

“It’s cheesy, but we love it,” Dan said.

TAMMY AND DAVE

While a romantic night out is great for a relationship, so is being able to spend Valentine’s Day with the family.  Tammy and Dave Brown brought their sons to the Troy White Castle so they could have their first experience.

“We didn’t know what they would like or not, so we got a little of everything here – some little sliders, some onion chips, some shrimp nibblers,” Dave told Oakland County Times. The kids were fond of the chicken rings.

The couple was married in 2008, and spent several Feb. 14ths in a slider-tastic setting before having kids.

The secret to sustaining love, he said is “work.”

“You gotta put in the effort,” Dave said.  He and Tammy met in high school, but learned they had actually crossed paths long before then.

“Back in first grade we were apparently in the same art class because both our parents had the same painting that we had made.  I saw hers and said wow I have the same one. Were you in such a such a class, and it turns out we were both there.”

COLETTE AND ANTHONY

Over twenty years ago, Anthony Butcher found himself in some hot water with his wife.   He wanted to do something silly that he’d heard about on the radio – he made Valentine’s reservations at White Castle and did not tell her where they were going, only that he had taken care of reserving a table.

“I came home from work and she was all dressed up, and had the kids all dressed up.  And I thought, oh no this was a bad idea.  We’re driving and I’m starting to sweat.  We pull in to White Castle and she’s like ‘is this a joke?,” Butcher said.

The family enjoyed a fun meal, but she wouldn’t speak to him for a week.  Every year they remembered the White Castle Valentine’s Day.  Later they’d repeat the memory, but with care to go out for dessert someone else after.  In time Butcher’s wife died, but he and the kids – now grown – would repeat the tradition – filling their bellies with sliders and French fries – filling their hearts with memories and love.

Butcher has since remarried, and wife Colette loves the tradition as well. “I didn’t know his first wife, but I love that story and all the memories he’s shared of her,” she said.

The tradition has grown beyond the family too. This year they were accompanied by Stacy and Jason Hinds, who dressed up for the occasion.  The fellas work together in automotive engineering and when Jason heard about the White Castle Valentine’s tradition he thought it would be fun.  So this year it’s a double date.

GLENDA AND JACK

When Jack Vidosh was younger, his parents would get dressed up and a group of friends would go to White Castle every year for Valentines Day.  They were married for 53 years, so the sliders must have helped, Jack said.  That’s why he keeps the tradition going with his wife Glenda.

The pair has been married for almost 18 years.  They were each others’ second spouses, creating a blended family with him bringing three daughters and her bring two daughters into the mix.  Their love story blossomed from dating site Match.com and has grown into a love standing the test of time.

“When we were talking, we would just laugh and laugh,” Glenda said.  “We were both getting yelled at by our kids to be quiet.  ‘Just meet already,’ my daughter said.”

They met at a coffee shop, both surprising each other by bringing something sweet.  Glenda brought a bag of chocolate hearts so that even if things didn’t work out on their date he could go home with something sweet to help him feel better.

And Jack showed up with homemade mini chocolate cakes with homemade frosting, to impress her with his baking skills.

Glenda was still cautious though.  “She made me show her my driver’s license at the beginning of the date to make sure I was who I said I was,” Jack said.

“She’s smart.  I liked that.”

After coffee they strolled around Sylvan Glen park and had their first kiss at a picnic table, feeling happy as carefree teenagers exploring first love.

Glenda said it’s important to go slow, especially when kids are involved. But after some time they decided it was time to meet each other’s kids.

“My daughter who was about seven at the time was so cute.  When she met Jack said ‘excuse me sir, it’s nice to meet you’ and shook his hand.  It was so funny, and I was so proud of her,” she said.

The role of good food cannot be underestimated in the blossoming of love and family.  To meet Glenda’s daughters he showed up with something wonderful for them as well – smore’s.

Oakland County Times asked them the secret of a long marriage.  “We’re like-minded and very tolerant of each other,” Jack said.  He also said that working different shifts helped, because it gave each of them the right balance of time apart, and made it so they could appreciate the time they had together.

For Glenda it helps knowing that she can trust Jack and that they’re on the same side in life.  “We have each others’ back,” she said.  “You can love someone but not really have their back.  That’s important.”

Now married for almost 18 years, spending a romantic evening at White Castle helps keep that romance alive.  “We were talking about it last night, how his parents used to go so we decided to give it a try,” Glenda said.  “We are big fans of White Castle but we weren’t expecting this.  When we walked in it was really like a thing.  All the little details they put into it.  How amazing is this?  It’s a transformation.”

While romantic décor and table-side service only happen one magical night a year, a date night to White Castle can happen any time.  Learn more about this fun and heart-warming fast food spot at www.WhiteCastle.com.

Note: White Castle is an advertiser on Oakland County Times. But even if they weren’t, we’d love them and this tradition anyway.

Oakland County Times is on a QUEST to enjoy every local restaurant in Oakland County.  This long-term project is a labor of love, supported by our friends at White Castle.  White Castle is a family-owned company that is proud to be one of only 20 large employers to make the Fortune Best Places to work list in 2022.  With steam-grilled sliders, crispy golden french fries, fantastic slides like onion chips or fried clams, and the best chocolate shakes, White Castle is a by far our top choice for a fast food meal.  Check out their website at www.WhiteCastle.com.

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