Whataburger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, Inc. is still owned and operated by the Dobson family and has over 600 locations in 10 US states and in Mexico. The corporate headquarters are in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Whataburger was 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). Most Whataburger restaurants are open 24 hours, unlike most other competitors. 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 PM through 11:00 AM each day, a wider window than most other fast-food restaurants, and all regular menu items are still available during breakfast service.
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[edit] Timeline
- 1950 First Whataburger opens August 8th in Corpus Christi, TX
- 1960 17 Locations in Texas, Tennessee and Florida
- 1961 First A-Frame restaurant opens in Odessa, Texas
- 1962 Fries and hot pies added to the menu
- 1963 26 Locations, expansion into Arizona
- 1967 Adopted the "Flying-W" logo, founder Harmon Dobson dies in a plane crash, his wife Grace takes the helm of the chain
- 1971 First drive through restaurant
- 1972 Opened 100th location
- 1973 Whataburger Jr. added to the menu, new restaurant design opens
- 1976 Whataburger gives away hundreds of thousands of free burgers. Fraud is rampant!
- 1979 Number of locations doubled since 1971
- 1980 Opened 300th location
- 1982 Offered 24/7 service in 3 Corpus Christi locations
- 1983 Breakfast Taquitos, Breakfast on a Bun(R) and Whatachick'n added to the menu
- 1984 Opened 400th location
- 1985 expands into Mexico, opens 500th restaurant, is the 8th-largest hamburger chain
- 1996 New restaurant design opens
- 2000 celebrates 50 years of operation with 575 locations
- 2001 The 77th Texas State Legislature passes a resolution naming Whataburger a Texas State Treasure
[edit] Trivia
On Phoenix Suns televised basketball games, commentator Al McCoy used to advertise Whataburger by adding What-a-shot! Whataburger sends $50 to Phoenix Suns Charities! to his traditional Shazam! every time a Suns player made a three point shot.
Whataburger appears in several episodes in the Texas-based animated TV series King of the Hill.
In the early 1980s, country star Mel Tillis starred in a few Whataburger TV commercials when the franchise expanded into Tennessee. One of the commercials was the introduction of the Taquito (c. 1983) on the breakfast menu.
Whataburger is referenced by Stone Cold Steve Austin while cutting a promo on one episode of WWF Raw in 2002 (he called it "What-What-What-What-What-What-What-What-Whataburger", playing on his "What?!" catchphrase).
Whataburger's "fancy ketchup" is often requested in bulk by parents whose children have moved out of state and miss its distinct taste.
On September 1, 2005, Grace Dobson, who ran the Whataburger chain after her husband died in a 1967 plane crash, died. The company remains privately held and is still run by members of the Dobson family.
The Whataburger logo has often been compared to the logo of the (former) MISL/NPSL indoor soccer team, the Wichita Wings (see below).
Whataburger is a favorite among Texas high school sports teams on the road stopping by the bus load.
[edit] Free Promotion
In the mid 1970's, Whataburger sent out hundreds of thousands of direct mail coupons which entitled the recipient to a free, no strings attached, Whataburger. Some postal employees found undelivered boxes of these coupons and handed them out to family and friends. In the Denver, Colorado region some people had hundreds of these coupons and used them to eat as many free Whataburgers as they wanted for several months. In the wake of the scandal, some Whataburger marketing personnel were reassigned or fired and the promotion was never attempted again.
[edit] See also
- Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks
