The White Lady

“We get so many people who say things like, ‘Oh my goodness. I’ve only ever been here when I’m drunk and I thought the burgers were just good because I was drunk, but these are actually really good burgers’” - Max Washer, Operations Manager - The White Lady

The White Lady

Hungry night owls, shift workers, backpackers and clubbers have all frequented ‘the world famous in New Zealand,’ the White Lady. The White Lady has the reputation as been the most famous food truck in the land. A 40-foot caravan towed by a tractor; this food truck has a history dating back to 1948. The founder Bryan Washer set the model with the first cart and started a mini dynasty with future generations retaining ownership and working in the business.

My Experience Fort Street

You can fact check me on this, but back in the early 70s I’m pretty sure the White Lady was stationed in Fort Street itself, or was it Shortland Street, near the Queen Street corner. If not, excuse my 70-year-old memory. In 1973 my night life revolved around the Civic and the Doe-Ray-Me club. Back then a couple of dollars in my pocket went a long way. A feed of burger, chips and milkshake, all up would be less than a dollar. I don’t remember exact prices, but I do remember catching a cab from home in an inner suburb to the civic and paying $2.00. Too rich for me, I only did it once. The few times my friends and I trekked down to Fort Street was because of the White Lady. There was normally a que, even at 3am in the morning. When it came to chips we were out of luck. The Washer family reluctantly, added chips to the menu in 2009. Happy to say, the delicious burger and shake helped us forget about chips.

Broadway & Today

Although not the White Lady, they are a separate entity, the food licence to the Newmarket location belonged to a brother in-law of the Washer family. In earlier years, the white caravan and tractor were close enough for me. On my travels I found it easier to stop at Newmarket to buy my burger and make believe it’s the White Lady. These days at both locations you will pay up to $20 for an excellent quality burger. Whether or not the Newmarket food licence still has a connection to the Washer family, the business is about the same age and has outlasted both MacDonalds and KFC, on Broadway. When it happened, I do not know, the caravan and tractor are now painted red.

The Future

In its long history, never has the future of the White Lady been more at risk. A 2022 decision by the Auckland City Council to reduce the annual licence to just 6 weeks, after a complaint was received from a nearby business. A few weeks later, after an investigation by the Council, a new annual licence was granted. Toward the end of 2024, the White Lady is operating on the corner of Commerce and Fort streets. For the near future, the White Lady looks safe. A successful business, an institution, a part of the fabric of Auckland for 75 years, offering a service to the community, deserves to continue well into the future.

Quality

It’s not just nostalgia, location and convenience that has helped the White Lady be successful for over 7 decades. For the Washer family it is a passion for the business, consistency of service by being available to their customers and open for business every single day. There have been issues; having to close during covid, supply chain problems when the delivery of buns became uncertain. When you sell up to 600 burgers in a day, you must rely on third parties to keep your business functioning. Quality burgers, chips and shakes prepared by chefs who care about their customers is what makes the White Lady a commercial and social success.