Whataburger is coming to NW ATL Suburbs this year.
The locations have been announced. Both locations will replace Restaurants that closed within the last 2 years.
So what is special about Whataburger?
Within the last 2 years, we got a Culvers, Freddie’s and Cookout. In my mind they are blending together although Cookout is definitely different.
What is special about them… well as I recall all offer Onion Rings. I have fond memories of sitting in a Drive in with Onion Rings along with a burger and drink… although none of today’s Onion Rings are at the level of the ones I remember from 60 years ago.
Now having departed Whataburger land several years ago, I have had only a handful of visits, and let me stress this most important fact; Not all Whataburgers are created equal. As far as I know they are all corporate owned, but each has its own general manager and staff.
My last visit was not so good, not long ago in OK city. Wife was very unimpressed, even disgusted with lousy chicken tenders. I got my usual small burger with lots of onions, and it was passable. But the store was dirty. Survey, Yes on ticket! Needless to say someone in OK city no doubt heard about it.
Your classic entree is the whataburger itself, with or without cheese. When you order, you declare what you want on it. So, if you expect lots of mayo, order it. Don’t wait for it to appear on your table before you decide you want mustard. Some of the “Favorites” concoctions are pretty amazing.
The most important item is the fries. Learned this when we got a new GM and the taters were wonderful. Same ingredients and everything, so how did he doit? He ensured that only one basket went in the grease at a time. When delicious taters hit the table, minor errors are quickly forgotten.
I will note one more store worth mentioning in this neck of the woods. It is in Tallahassee, a mile or two south of I-10, as I recall to the west side of town. A big store and not a single white person behind the counter; maybe none want to work that hard? A superb store they will feed you good!
In the 1980’s I had Whataburger HQ as a customer. They were pretty typical from a corporate perspective. Like most young enterprises of that day, they were very proud and very protective of their brand and logo. From a product point of view I’d put them in a notch above McDonalds… maybe on a par with Wendy’s.
I grew up in Texas and had Whataburger many times. Back in the early 90’s, My boss and I were working on an IT disaster in Dallas. He worked nights, I worked days. I told him about Whataburger. He had never had one, but he was very impressed by them. IT’s just a better burger.
When my daughter and her family lived on the Fl. panhandle, there was a Whataburger between Ft Walton and Pensacola. The wife and grandkids loved it, I thought it was just another burger.
Now I got to remembering and thought I would pass along some more Whataburger thoughts…
One of the most popular “Favorites” is the Honey BBQ Chicken Strips sandwich… It is big and messy.
Another is the Mushroom Swiss burger. That was late wife’s last meal, and it took two of us to eat it.
Breakfast Taquitos are pretty good, and I like BOB - Breakfast on a Bun, sausage.
Finally, burger patties are two sizes. Regular and Junior. Either can be ordered with just about anything you want. Oh and you can specify Wheat bun or Texas Toast if you like.
But I gotta remember this is Clark’s board and tell you how to save! That is called “Justaburger!” Without me you might never learn of it. JB is stripped down, junior size patty with just mustard, pickle, and onions. They really don’t want to sell it because it is so cheap, and because it is a loss leader it is not appropriate to ask for a bunch of toppings, though I always order lots of onions. Small fries costs more than JB. Oh, one more tip! Over 55 forget combo and order Senior Drink for free.