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Whataburger

This article is about the Texas-based hamburger chain restaurant. For the Virginia-based hamburger chain restaurant, see What-A-Burger.
Whataburger
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurant
GenreFast food
FoundedAugust 8, 1950 (1950-08-08)
in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
FounderHarmon Dobson, Paul Burton[1]
Headquarters
San Antonio, Texas
,
U.S.
Number of locations
1000 (2024)
Area served
Texas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Southeastern, Southwestern and Colorado
Key people
  • Ed Nelson (president & CEO)
  • Debbie Stroud (EVPTooltip Executive Vice President & COOTooltip Chief operating officer)
  • Elena Kraus (EVP & CLOTooltip Chief legal officer)
  • Rich Scheffler (EVP & CMOTooltip Chief marketing officer)
  • James Turcotte (EVP & CDOTooltip Chief development officer)
  • Janelle Sykes (EVP & CFO)
  • Peggy Rubenzer (SVPTooltip Senior Vice President & CPOTooltip Chief people officer)
  • Alexander Ivannikov (EVP & CAOTooltip Chief administrative officer)
  • Joe Shannon (SVP & CIOTooltip Chief information officer)
[2][3]
Products
RevenueIncrease$3.340 billion[4] (2022)
OwnerBDT & MSD Partners (majority)[4]
Dobson family (minority)[5]
Number of employees
43,000[6] (2021)
Websitewhataburger.com
Whataburger restaurant in Austin, Texas

Whataburger is an American regional fast food restaurant chain, headquartered and based in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in hamburgers. Founded by Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, it opened its first restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1950. Family-owned by the Dobsons until 2019,[7] the chain is now managed by the private equity firm BDT & MSD Partners; the Dobson family still holds a small stake.[8]

When the company changed ownership in 2019, there were more than 670 locations in Texas and over 150 in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and the Southern United States,[9] of which 126 are franchised.[10]

Whataburger was known for many years for its distinct A-framed orange-and-white-stripe-roofed buildings. The first A-frame restaurant, the 24th Whataburger to open, was built in Odessa, Texas in 1961. Although the company highlighted the restaurant as an unofficial historical landmark,[11] it was demolished in 2019 and replaced by a new building.[12]

The company's focus is on ground beef burgers, and include the Whataburger, the Whataburger Jr., the Triple Meat Whataburger, the Bacon & Cheese Whataburger, and the Justaburger. Non-beef options, such as the Whatachick'n, are also available. Breakfast is served during morning hours, including biscuits, pork sausage, bacon, and eggs.[13]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference tsha was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Whataburger Hires Debbie Stroud as EVP and COO" (Press release). February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via QSR Magazine.
  3. ^ "Whataburger Promotes Three Execs with 41 Years of Experience" (Press release). March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023 – via QSR Magazine.
  4. ^ a b "New Whataburger owners plan to expand popular fast-food chain". Austin American-Statesman. June 14, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference growing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ DiFurio, Dom; McCaffrey, Orla (June 14, 2019). "Whataburger's founding family sells controlling stake in iconic Texas chain". Dallas News. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Leone, Jared (June 14, 2019). "Whataburger sells majority interest to Chicago investment company". WJAX-TV. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  8. ^ Klein, Danny (June 2019). "Whataburger Sells Majority Interest to BDT Capital Partners". QSR magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Iszler, Madison; Fechter, Joshua (June 14, 2019). "Whataburger sells majority ownership stake to Chicago investment firm". San Antonio Express. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "34. Whataburger". Franchise Times. September 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Grands, Geo (February 3, 2007). "First Whataburger "A" Frame Design, Odessa TX". Waymarking.com. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  12. ^ "First on CBS7: Historic Whataburger on Andrews Highway closing". KOSA-TV. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "Whataburger | Home".

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