Mark Twain once famously said, "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics." Keep that in mind as you check out this map from Business Insider that erroneously assumes Texans prefer California-based In-N-Out to the native Texan Whataburger.
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Now, In-N-Out is great, really. However, it ain't Whataburger. Whataburger has a devoted following in Texas. Texans love Whataburger so much that they do Whataburger-themed infant photo shoots. They have prom dinner at the restaurant. They take engagement photos there. Heck, they even wear Whataburger-branded clothing and jewelry.
You might wonder how Business Insider could have possibly been so wrong about what Texans like. Well, apparently they only consulted with Foursquare to make their determinations. Do people still use Foursquare? That is so 2009.
Business Insider
Foursquare relies on check-ins for their data, and obviously, it will be skewed towards Foursquare users. Even expanding a search like that to include other social media check-ins like Facebook doesn't show the real aggregate data.
In fact, another Business Insider article from June 2017 states that Whataburger outsold In-N-Out in the Lone Star State, claiming 44 percent of the Texan market to In-N-Out's paltry 26 percent.
So I think we can file this under Mark Twain's assertion about statistics. Try again, Business Insider.
This article was originally published in 2017.
