Whataburger

Whataburger

File:WhataburgerLogo.png
Company type	Privately held
Industry	Food, restaurants
Founded	1950
Headquarters	San Antonio, 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 nearly 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, but will move to San Antonio sometime in 2009. 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, the Whatachick'n Chicken Sandwich,and taquitos. Whataburger also has a breakfast menu and serves breakfast sandwiches along with other items. Whataburger's breakfast menu is Unique because it is served from 11:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.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

A Whataburger restaurant

On August 8, 1950, company founder Harmon Dobson opened his first Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The small, wooden kiosk sold the enormous 5-inch 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 thereafter (the fifth Whataburger restaurant) which opened in Alice, Texas in 1953. The company began expansion outside of Texas in 1959, when Whataburger #21 opened in Pensacola, Florida.

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.

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,the 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 eighth largest hamburger chain.

"Whataburger – A Texas Treasure" (sign on a Whataburger restaurant in Texas, 2003)

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.

Modern day

On August 8, 2000, Whataburger celebrated its 50th anniversary with 575 units in operation. Today, there are nearly 700 locations in 10 states with sales of $1 billion annually. Whataburger plans to relocate its home office to San Antonio beginning as early as 2009. Approximately 250 home office employees will be affected by the decision out of the 21,000+ Family Members Whataburger employs across 10 states.

Closings

On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, Whataburger announced they would close 14 locations in Central Florida, including the Tampa Bay Area, Orlando, Ocala and Gainesville. About 400 people were to lose their jobs, 130 from five restaurants in the Tampa Bay Area. Employees were only given about a week's notice. These restaurants closed at 3 pm on May 31, 2009. Whataburger's presence in Central Florida existed since around 1999, with Whataburger acquiring the locations from a failed franchisee in 2005. After the closings, Whataburger had 694 locations remaining, with 37 Florida locations in the Panhandle and the northern part of the state.

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 Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich, the A1 Thick and Hearty Burger, Patty Melt, 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 is a 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 taquitos are sold for 99 cents each for limited periods of time, usually from the day after Christmas through January. Also, the Breakfast on a Bun (also referred to as a BOB) is periodically listed on the menu for 99 cents. In July 2009, Whataburger introduced a new limited time product call the Chop House Cheddar Burger.

In Popular Culture

• In the film 8 Seconds, Lane and Kellie Frost have their first date at a San Antonio Whataburger located on Bandera Rd.
• In the animated series King of the Hill Whataburger is mentioned and shown many times throughout.
• Whataburger sponsors a tennis tournament in Infinite Jest.
• In an episode of Monday Night Raw 1/14/02 Stone Cold Steve Austin during an interview, mentions Whataburger "the what-what-what-what Whataburger" and mentions several food items from their menu.

Restaurants with similar name

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.

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.)

Additionally, Feltner's Whattaburger, a popular local hamburger restaurant in Russellville, Arkansas, is in no way affiliated with this chain.

See also

• Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks

External links

• Whataburger website
• Whataburger restaurant review