In Selling 'em by the Sack, David Gerard Hogan traces the history of the hamburger's rise as a distinctive American culinary and ethnic symbol through the prism of one of its earliest promoters. The first to market both the hamburger and the "to go" carry-out style to American consumers, White Castle, rising from humble origins, quickly established itself as a cornerstone of the fast food industry.

Its founder, Billy Ingram, shrewdly marketed his hamburgers in large quantities at five cents apiece, telling his customers to "Buy 'em by the Sack.".

The years following World War II saw the rise of great franchised chains such as McDonald's, which challenged and ultimately overshadowed the company that Billy Ingram founded. Yet, White Castle stands as a charismatic pioneer in one of America's most formidable industries, a company that drastically changed American eating patterns and American life. Arguably Billy Ingram did for the hamburger and eating what Henry Ford did for the car and transportation.