Oh Whataburger, you complete us. No matter where you are in the world, the scent of honey and chicken together immediately brings a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit to mind. That orange- and white-striped giant W is like a beacon calling any Texan home and like everything you love, you should know a thing or two about it. So we present to you this list of facts about Whataburger that will always help you on trivia nights or around holiday dinner tables.
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Whether you're a die-hard Whataburger fan or a casual late night taquito eater, some of these facts might surprise. Did you know Whataburger is available in nine other states besides Texas? Looks like we just started a trend.
1. Founder Harmon Dobson had an illustrious history. Before he founded Whataburger in 1950 and became Texas burger-lovers' hero, Harmon Dobson had been an automotive salesman, a bush pilot and a diamond courier.
2. Whataburger is only available in 10 southern states. If you're not lucky enough to live in one of 10 southern states — Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida — chances are you've never tasted the glory that is Whataburger.
Feel sorry for the other 40 — then invite them out for a visit and share the wealth!
3. Whataburger's 'Flying W' flag was planted at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. In 2010, father and son Jerry and Hudson Baird summited the 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, a feat achieved by just 40 percent of the 25,000 people who have tried.
Atop the East African mountain, the Bairds planted a Whataburger flag, signed by the company's top executives.
4. Whataburger pioneered the quarter-pounder. In 1950, as creator Harmon Dobson set out to make his better burger, he set the standard for what would, and would not, be a Whataburger.
Dobson then decreed the Whataburger would use a grilled, quarter-pound fresh beef patty — not the standard two-ounce patty — topped with fresh lettuce, three tomato slices, four dill pickles, chopped onions, mustard and catsup on a five-inch bun, another Whataburger standard that sets them apart.
5. Whataburger had one of the first female head chairs. When founder Harmon Dobson died in a plane crash in 1967, his wife Grace took over and, in 1969, Grace Dobson became chairwoman of the board of the the company. Way to go, Whataburger!
6. Its A-frame restaurants were discontinued in 1973 — but there are still some in operation. Whataburger stopped building its iconic A-frame restaurants in the 1970s, but there are a number of them still in operation today.
You can find a guide to them here.
7. Twenty-four couples got married at a Texas store. In Texas, true love is spelled "Whataburger"; on Valentine's Day 1994, 24 Texas couples got hitched at a Whataburger in Dallas.
8. The original Whataburger was just 25 cents. Upon its debut in 1950, a Whataburger cost just a quarter — a pretty penny compared to McDonald's' 15-cent burgers. Then again, you get what you pay for...
9. You can customize your order almost 40,000 ways. Given the huge amount of customization options available to Whataburger diners, there are almost 40,000 ways to make your Whataburger your very own.
The folks over at Burger Beast tallied 38,864 ways to customize your order (though that's disputed in the comments for a total of almost 100,000).
10. You can buy Whataburger ketchup in grocery stores. Both Whataburger's classic ketchup and signature Spicy Ketchup are available for purchase in squeeze bottles.They first appeared on H-E-B shelves May 2013.
What's your go-to Whataburger order? Let us know in the comments!
