Whataburger: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:54, 29 July 2008
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| Company type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food, restaurants |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Headquarters | Corpus Christi, Texas |
Key people | Harmon Dobson, Founder |
| Products | Fast food, including hamburgers, french fries, and signature breakfast offerings |
| Website | www.whataburger.com |
Whataburger is a privately held, regional fast food restaurant specializing in hamburgers. The company, established by Harmon Dobson, opened its first restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas on August 8, 1950. By 1960 the chain had grown to 17 locations in Texas, Tennessee and Florida. Today, Whataburger Restaurants, LP is still owned and operated by the Dobson family and has more than 700 locations in the United States (Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia). Operations in Mexico have currently been suspended. The corporate headquarters is in Corpus Christi, Texas. The datacenter that hosts its sites and information is located in Austin.
Whataburger is known for its distinctive A-framed, orange-and-white striped roofed buildings (newer buildings are built similar to other fast-food chains, though the roof is built in the orange-and-white triangular shape). The first A-frame restaurant, which is still standing, was built in Odessa, Texas. There are currently over a dozen of these type restaurants still in operation.
Aside from the classic Whataburger, other menu items include the Whataburger Jr. (a smaller version of the Whataburger), the Justaburger (a Whataburger Jr. with only mustard, pickles, and onions), the Whatacatch fish sandwich, Whatachick'n, breakfast sandwiches and taquitos. Whataburger's breakfast menu is served from 11:00 p.m. through 11:00 a.m. each day, a wider window than most other fast-food restaurants, and all regular menu items are still available during breakfast service.
History
Early years
On August 8, 1950, company founder Harmon Dobson opened his first Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The small, wooden kiosk sold the enormous 5inch burgers for 25 cents each, and before the first week was out, lines stretched down the street.
In 1952, Joe Andrews, Sr. brought his family to the newly opened Whataburger in Kingsville, Texas. After one bite, he knew Whataburger was something he wanted to be a part of. Joe was awarded the first franchise location shortly after (the fifth Whataburger restaurant) which opened in Alice, Texas in 1953. Eventually, in 1959, Harmon Dobson expanded outside of Texas with the twenty-first Whataburger restaurant opening in Pensacola, Florida.[1]
1960s and 70s
By 1960, there were over 17 Whataburger locations in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. The familiar orange- and white-striped Whataburger A-frame started as a back-of-the-napkin sketch for Harmon Dobson. That sketch led to the opening of the very first A-frame Whataburger at the twenty-fourth Whataburger location in Odessa, Texas in 1961. In 1962, the menu grew with the addition of hot fried pies and French fries.
Whataburger had twenty-four restaurants by 1963, including the first restaurant in Arizona. By 1965, it was estimated that Whataburger sold 15,000 burgers a day in the Texas Coastal Bend area alone. Inside dining rooms were added to the A-frames in 1966 and in 1967, the official company logo, the familiar "Flying W," was commissioned.
In 1967, an airplane crash took the life of company founder Harmon Dobson. Dobson's wife, Grace, took control of the business. By the end of the decade, there would be 60 Whataburgers completely finished and six more under construction. Whataburger doubled its number of restaurants from 1971 to 1979. The first drive-through was installed in 1971, and in 1972 the company opened its 100th restaurant. Soon after, Whataburger was ranked in the top 25 out of 900+ fast-food restaurants. In 1977, the company had 205 restaurants in 12 states with 34 franchisees.[1]
1980s and 90s
In 1980, the 187th Whataburger store, located in Fort Worth, Texas, set a single-day sales record of $4,816.19. By the end of 1980, the company would open its 300th location. In 1982, three Corpus Christi locations began 24/7 operation. New menu additions soon followed, including the Breakfast on a Bun, Whatachick'n, and breakfast Taquitos. As Whataburger turned 35 in 1985, it noted that in its Texas Coastal Bend stores alone, it served 10,434,840 customers per year. The company reached the 400 store mark in 1987 and reached 440 by 1989.
As the number of stores jumped to 475 in the early 1990s, significant menu items including Whatameals, cookies, biscuits, chicken strips were added. By mid-decade, the company delivered its first $1 million net Saturday and handed over the reins of President/CEO to Tom Dobson, Harmon's son. Tom oversaw expansion to over 500 units and beyond, making Whataburger the country's 8th-largest hamburger chain.
On May 6, 1999, the company's flagship "Whataburger by the Bay" opened on Shoreline Drive in Corpus Christi, Texas. A tribute to founder Harmon Dobson, this flagship store boasts 6,000 square feet, water views, and a life-size bronze statue of Mr. Dobson near the entrance at the bay side.[1]
Modern day
On August 8, 2000, Whataburger celebrated its 50th anniversary with 575 units in operation. Today, there are more than 700 locations in 10 states with sales of $1 billion annually.[1]
Special products
Whataburger has consistently added promotional and "limited time only" food products to its menu. Most of the limited time only products will be served for a set period of time, such as the A1 Thick and Hearty Burger, and the Peppercorn Ranch Whatachick'n. These products usually return on the menu again for a limited time after a few months. The newest product to be offered as an LTO is the Pumpkin Pie (as an alternative to the traditional Apple pie). Some of their promotion products have sold so well that they have been added to the menu permanently, namely the "Three Piece Chicken Strips" Whatameal and the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit. Occasionally, Whataburger's famous breakfast on a bun or bob's for short are sold for 99 cents each for limited periods of time, usually from the day after Christmas through January.
In Popular Culture
- In the film 8 Seconds, Lane and Kellie Frost have their first date at a Whataburger.
- In the episode "Aisle 8A" from the popular TV show, King of the Hill, Peggy and Bobby Hill go to visit Whataburger. It seems the family only goes there to discuss serious matters as Bobby fearfully asks where Ladybird was.
- King of the Hill also mentions it in the episode "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Alamo". In this episode Bobby Hill gets the role of messenger in the Alamo play and delivers the message to the guys in the alley that Whataburger has 2 for 49 cents hamburgers.
- In some episodes of King of the Hill, Whataburger can be seen sometime.
- Whataburger sponsors a tennis tournament in Infinite Jest
- A weekly celebration called Whataburger Day has spawned a series of videos by the same title that have gained significant internet popularity. The whataburger day videos are written and directed by Cameron Campbell and can be found on youtube, myspace, facebook, or any other popular site.
Restaurant with similar name
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
Whataburger is not to be confused with What-A-Burger, a chain of restaurants in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina that predated the first Texas Whataburger restaurant. The Texas Whataburger sued the Virginia What-A-Burger in 2003 over trademark infringement. [2]
There is also a small chain of restaurants called Watsonburger, with about 15-20 units located in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. These restaurants have a menu and overall "look and feel" very similar to that of Whataburger. (See McDowell's.)
See also
- Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks
References
- ^ a b c d "Whataburger history". Whataburger. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ What-A-Burger v. Whataburger, 357 F.3d 441 (United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. 2004).
External links
