Whataburger was founded by Dobson and Paul Burton, partners. It's well-documented and found in the various printed histories of Whataburger, even in the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article with cited reference to the Texas State Historical Association. The Whataburger website dropped Paul Burton from their "official home team" founding history a few years ago. Pro'lly an important bidness decision.
Burton, my late uncle, was the "hamburger expert" described by Dobson in his 1949 diary entry. Dobson was a jewel dealer and oil field wildcatter when he met Burton who was managing a hamburger joint in West Texas. Not mentioning the partner with the "hamburger skills" in a story about the founding of an iconic Texas hamburger chain and the subsequent Texas-sized rug from under your feet buyout by a Chicago investment firm is... what-do-you-call-it... a pisser.
But many, maybe most, stories about Whataburger don't mention Uncle Paul. But I was raised on Whataburgers and cleaned the parking lot of the only one in San Antonio at the time. My dad sometimes worked there part-time and would bring home a bag of burgers and milkshakes when he got off at 9pm on weekends, and the whole family would eat a 9:30 weekend burger feast in front of the black and white teevee. Dobson didn't know anything about hamburgers or running a joint; he had a partner who did.
2
We’re not happy. Some things are sacred.
So much hate for Texas. If NY had phenomenal food like Texas does, they might understand the Whataburger love. Despite the hate, I have noticed NYC’s relentless attempts to replicate Tex-Mex and Texas BBQ in their fair city. FYI: your attempts fall far short of the real thing. So, head down to Texas for some brisket and breakfast tacos. Be assured, Texans will welcome you with open arms. You know, the friendly Texas way.
4
I have mixed emotions. I'm a native Texan who has resided in Chicago for 39 years, and no trip home to visit is without some real barbecue (you know what I mean), and a stop at Whataburger. But the thought that I might be able to get one of those cheddar biscuits, a real Whataburger--I'm over the moon.
3
J J Watt obviously is a great guy who loves Houston, Texas, but he is actually from Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
2
As one of those outsiders who has diluted Texas with Midwestern sensibilities, I find the whole situation pretty funny. We go to Whataburger because their burgers are better than other fast-food burgers, it's true. But we also have a Gino's East here in San Antonio, which I believe is a Chicago chain. I doubt Chicagoans had a problem when it came to Texas. (And San Antonians sure didn't mind having another decent option in this pizza-poor town.) Texans take themselves very seriously; I'm sure they will be vigilant to make sure their Whataburgers maintain their quality. So buck up, Texans: The times they are a'changin'.
4
Ironically, the Texas version of Gino’s East is franchised to a Texas company that once ran bikini bars in them. I haven’t tried the franchised version, but, unlike Whataburger in Texas, I and many locals wouldn’t even put Gino’s in the first echelon of Chicago pizza places anymore, especially since they moved from their original location.
1
Texans should be happy it wasn't sold to a Chinese investor. How about switching to California-based In-N-Out, many Texan's are California expatriates anyhow.
Private equity screws up most things it touches. I don't know why Whataburger would be spared.
I am 77 and glad this is happening late in my life. Whataburger Jr, and onion rings. That's my order. The perfect sat-fat lunch.
3
Entertaining article, and I agree that Texas BBQ Brisket is the best. However, I prefer Twisted Root for a Texas Burger chain!
1
Well, the next time I'm in Texas, I will definitely try a Whataburger!
1
I live in Texas and while they have good burgers, they also have the biggest buns I've ever seen on any burger. The bun easily hides the patty and the toppings completely. It should be called a bread burger.
1
Hope they replace the menu with deep dish and Italian beefs.
In all honesty Texas, we want you to keep Whataburger. Brand dilution is a real problem, I'd hate if my favorite places were sanitized for national chains. But don't blame our city, blame the investment firms who act like they know best.
11
Truth be told, the quality of food and especially service at Portillo’s has declined significantly since Dick Portillo sold the business to private equity investors. Hopefully Whataburger doesn’t suffer, but I’m not holding my breath.
12
@Chris despite this article’s tone, nobody down here is actually blaming the city of Chicago for this, we are concerned that the sellout of this chain to a private equity firm from out of state who is only concerned with making money, not preserving a state institution of sorts, will lead to a decline in quality, and that is all. This poorly written article is sensationalizing the situation beyond reality.
16
@Chris
You say we Texans are concerned with a drop in quality, but since when was Whataburger about quality? Like so much in our state, from the site of the Alamo to our beaches and Blue Bell ice cream, the reality rarely lives up to the hype. The outrage and panic over the sale are more about nervous pride and nostalgia than anything truly worth saving on the menu of this dated hamburger chain.
6
I believe that most Texans are afraid that their beloved chain of burger joints will disappear. Many times that is what happens when investment firms buy a controlling interest in a business.
Investment firms have only one goal, to make a profit on their investment. To make that profit anything goes up to and including selling off the company. Lots of times this happens as the individual parts of a company are worth more than the whole company.
It's sad to see what greed for the almighty dollar has done to our great country.
8
It's rather delicious for the Times to ponder Texas' strong self identity. As a Texan who lived in New York for 20 years, I would say the other place in the U.S. with an equally strong self identity is the city that gave us Steinberg's map of the world with Manhattan taking up 90%. It's one of the reasons I love NYC. Substitute the Empire State Building and the Subway map for the flag and shape of the Lone Star State, and I have a pickup-truck load of branded items from both places.
7
As a former Corpus Christian, I was angry when Whataburger moved its headquarters to San Antonio several years ago. Now this! Well, maybe we'll get one in Kansas out of the deal. By the way, nice writing Mr. Fernandez.
3
I have been to many Whataburgers when I travel in Texas. No way you can match the friendly people who work at the Whataburgers in Texas. They truly care about everyone in the service line and in the store. Workers at other fast food restaurants are ok, but Texas Whataburger employees are special.
6
Assuming Texas survives the existential threat of the "foreign" takeover of the Whataburger, maybe they can the take care of another problem for the rest of us: Senator Ted Cruz.
5
Sorry, no political comment here. Just a note about Whataburger. The chain was started by a man that wanted a hamburger that needed two hands to eat it. Me, when I buy one I always get it cut in half. Great burger. Great "crunch" with onions and coarsely chopped 'maters and lettuce. Great crunch. Great flavor. Good value for fast food. Friendly folks behind the counter.
In the eighties while I was going to college, MacDonalds started selling breakfast. They could not figure out why so many of their coffee stirrers were disappearing in numbers far outstripping coffee sales. Turns out the small spoon at the end of the stirrer was the perfect size for a snort of the white powder. Of course MacD's immediately stopped with the mini spoon.
Fast forward to the nineties and crack. When you place an order at a Whataburger and dine in they give you a little numbered plastic teepee. You find your seat and they bring your meal and condiments to you locating you by using your numbered plastic teepee. You know what else that teepee was used for? Police departments in Texas would steal those plastic teepees and mark crime scene shell casings. Saw it often on tv.
Whataburger still has those plastic teepees.
2
I have not been to a Whataburger since 10 years ago, when I ordered a meal in an El Paso Whataburger which was handled by a bare-handed cashier with her bare hands after she had just made change in the register and felt my food to see if it was done with her bare fingers. I gathered that their idea of sanitation was far different from mine, and I have never returned to any of their stores. btw, I threw my sandwich into the trash after I saw what she did.
4
>> J.J. Watt, the star lineman for the Houston Texans football team, urged his more than five million followers on Twitter to “all chip in and buy Whataburger back” and add kolaches — a doughy Czech delicacy that long ago found a second home in the Lone Star State — to the menu.
Ha. Chicago is famous as the historic capital of the Polish diaspora. (Kolaches are also Polish and Slovak.) The state celebrates Casimir Pulaski Day! The Pilsen neighborhood got its name from the Czech city. The Bohemian National Cemetery, established in the 1870s, is on Pulaski Road. There’s an elementary school named after Dvorak.
I’m sure the irony was lost on all of them.
7
@Mssr. Pleure that’s not actually an example of irony, neither dramatic nor verbal.
2
An interview with Dan Rather summed it all up. Asked if he was from Texas. His reply he was of Texas. Perfect.
If the company wants to sell fine go but as stated in other comments brand dilution is rampant.
So those OF Texas out there you did it once before do it again and make a great burger. OF Burgers.
1
Just a wonderful hamburger with the right amount of mustard and onions,garnished with fresh lettuce and tomato!!The bun is great too!! so sorry to hear that an equity firm in Chicago has acquired it, the beginning of the end for this great hamburger
1
Why? We have so many burgers that are better. Portillos for one. Maybe we can improve it.
1
Whataburger does live up to their name and their service, cleanliness and appearances of their franchise stores is deplorable.
3
Keep your burger - any burger - Chicago has plenty of great food.
5
"Much Ado About Nothing." Wm. Shakespeare
But guess where the world's best deep dish pizza still comes from.
3
A wonderful article about Texas.
"I was not born here, but I got here as fast as I could," - that's another Texas saying. And count me as one of those not born here.
"Texas, a place that sometimes seems more brand than state, ..."
I also liked this line - that describes Texas the best.
I am surprised you did not mention Bushes - if ever now dyed in the wool Texans - after having been born elsewhere.
Another Whataburger lore is folks taking home those table tabs they give you to know your order number. I have read somewhere that some of those table tabs - go for sale on Ebay for thousands.
Finally, to end on Texas - this is what John Steinbeck wrote:
“Texas has its own private history based on, but not limited by, facts.”
2
A #2 combo for me and a large sweet tea.
1
Do Texans not believe in capitalism? Or are they socialists? Do they not respect the American Tradition of business and the opportunities it represents? Do they want Texas as a state to purchase Whataburger, it would then become a state agency, government property. As for the small government movment, owing a burger chain seems tantamount to pure communism. State owned and run. You know, there is a lot of money in River Oaks, you telling me someone there could not of made a deal with Whataburger? Do Texans believe free enterprise?
5
I recently spent some time in Houston. Family graduations. I cannot comment on the burger.But the brisket was sublime. Brisket heaven lives in central Houston.
7
@Milton Lewis I’m a native Houstonian, very proud of my city, and though there are people in Houston who do brisket pretty well, I have to say the best brisket is not found in the Houston area, but in central Texas, in places like Kreuz or Smitty’s in Lockhart, or Louis Mueller’s in Taylor, or Franklin’s in Austin.
3
@Milton Lewis Absolutely. A burger is a burger, and I've tasted much better than Whataburger, but nothing beats good Texas bbq brisket.
1
Good, maybe they will go nationwide. I lived in Houston and really miss Whataburger, they are far better than In and Out.
6
Explain the fascination with In and Out. I don’t get it
1
@Deni
Man, don't you speak ill of In-n-Out
As one who’s lived in a range of cities including Dallas, I’m honestly laughing outright at the shock and offense demonstrated by so many Texans at this Whataburger Wallop. It seems like anything that disrupts the status quo in the Lone Star State and its perceived bragging rights amounts to nothing less than an existential meltdown- including a burger chain. Dallasites couldn’t pick on my husband and I enough when we announced our move to the Midwest, but it’s been a fantastic thing to get away from the egotistical insanity.
30
I was born here, but I didn't know "Chicago’ed" was a verb.
8
Dairy Queen also once was Texas strong but seems to be fading away. Hope this does not happen to Whataburger.
Perhaps that because the first Dairy Queen was in Joliet, Illinois!
14
@David The corporate headquarters of Dairy Queen has long been in Minneapolis. But, for decades there have been more Dairy Queens in Texas than in any other state, or for that matter in many states combined. At one time, over half of all Dairy Queens were there. Back in the day, DQ served a pretty good burger, made from fresh meat on the premises. Dairy Queens had car hops. At tables inside, the servers took your order and served your meal on a plate. Nowadays, the burgers are frozen pucks, heated and served in a box, and one either goes through the drive through or orders from a counter.
2
@Peter but as much as many of my fellow Texans seem to mistakenly believe DQ is a Texas chain, it is not, was founded somewhere in the Midwest, so it’s a different situation.
2
What’s the big deal? Chicago has better burgers than Texas and, for that matter, far better kolacky.
25
@David how many burgers have you eaten in Texas, how many kolaches? I’ve eaten a few burgers up in Chicago and even a kolache up there once, but I’m a reasonable enough person to recognize that because I live in Texas and my sample size of Texas burgers and kolaches is far larger than that of Chicago burgers and kolaches, any attempt to declare that Texas burgers and kolaches better would be unfair to Chicago, though it appears you’re not objective enough to recognize the converse IRT your opinion.
Since when are burgers Texan? Did Texans get upset when Blue Cross of Illinois aquired Blue Cross of Texas?
10
Whataburger is delicious, but so are cheeseburgers everywhere. Why is this even news? It's fast food... get a grip, Texas.
20
A few years ago a Texas ice cream maker, Blue Bell, had issues that took their product off the shelves for a while. Someone accurately described the problem by saying something like: non Texans don't understand that when we are out of Blue Bell, we are out of ice cream. Feelings about Whataburger are of the same order. We are devoted to our brands.
8
Who cares? I grew up with In n Out and still like their burgers but I don’t make a religion out of it. So sick of Texas attitude and yes, I had to be there quite a lot 2010-2016. Methinks Texans do brag way too much. Actually I don’t know why they brag at all.
21
As a past resident of Dallas, I’ll never forget the insanity that reigned when Blue Bell had its listeria scare. What floored me was the eagerness amongst natives to stubbornly demand more of the ice cream, despite the full awareness of the fact that the company knew of the listeria contamination, but didn’t care. Cognitive dissonance at its worst.
13
@Danielle Well, Blue Bell once was excellent ice cream. The ingredients were cream, milk, eggs, sugar, plus whatever flavorings were appropriate for the particular flavor. There was no guar gum, carageneen, or other such stuff. There was one factory, the original creamery in Brenham, TX. When the old man died, the kids took over, expanded, and everything went to pot.
2
Imagine your identity being wrapped up with a burger franchise.
33
I lived a lot of places since I grew up in Dallas, and Whataburger is always a cherished stop when I come home. It is uniquely Texas and everything from the huge top bun, to the jalapeños on the burgers, says so. It is also a great burger too.
I just don’t want that to change.
Unfortunately, all the investment firms say they won’t change a thing after a takeover, but we have seen how it really plays out over time. I guess it never really was ours, but like the Cowboys and the Alamo it feels like a part of Texas, and of us.
7
I love Texas and they have Whataburger here.
Arizona is sort of like it, live your life, own your guns, pay little taxes, live by the Golden rule. No government in your life, paying road tolls,etc. A lot of Lone Star State plates here, always welcome.
California, as Texans agree, needs to stay away.
4
@Scott Speak for yourself! This born and bred Texan doesn’t mind Californians.
13
Sadly Texans are not immune to cashing in. Just a shame they couldn't find a group of Texas investors. Nothing good will come from PE taking over this franchise.
4
Whataburger. In and Out burgers. Will someone please send one of them to Minnesota?
5
Relax, Texas. Everybody knows how it feels to have a local business that you love taken over and ruinedor diluted by corporate outsiders. Pretty sure no actual citizens of Chicago have any designs on your quirky little hamburger chain. Also pretty sure that we don't want one littering every neighborhood. May your new corporate overlords expand wisely.
11
Bless his tiny little heart, Mel Tillis is spinning in his grave!
On the positive side, I doubt the breakfast burritos and salsa can get any worse than they are now (ouch!).
2
@(not That) Dolly why would Mel Tillis’s heart be tiny? And down here, “bless his heart” is an insult. What did Mel Tillie ever do to you.
TBH, though, I do agree with you on the breakfast burritos, as fast food chain breakfast tacos go, Taco Cabana’s are much better , and most little mom and pop breakfast tacos are far superior to either.
1
Once Gordon Gekko gets his hands on it, it's all downhill from there.
4
As a former Texan contemplating a Whataburger expansion to the North, I see this as an absolute win. As for Texans supposedly upset about Chicago, they really need to try Culver's Cheddar burgers and shakes from the Midwest.
11
@Sam
Culvers? You have to be kidding,
Private Equity
The death of business enterprises in this country is due to private equity. How many stories do we have to read about private equity destroying everything it touches?
They will pull out their whatareturn and leave a shell of a company. Frankly I don't give a hoot about the feelings of Texans and their emotional attachment to Whataburger, but I do care about the fact that private equity is destroying this country - death by a thousand cuts.
41
Private equity and investment funds are killing all of America's iconic brands and ruining the customers' experience. They squeeze as much profit out as possible with no regard for the long-term well-being of the company or its employees and then they sell it off to the next firm.
36
As far as I’m concerned, now it’s been bought by northern bankers, Whataburger is only slightly better than a McDonald’s or Burger King. Maybe it doesn’t make any difference, you say, if they keep all the recipes, portions, and ingredients the same. But, I didn’t just go for the Texas toast and spicy ketchup. I went because it *was* a Texas Treasure. Now, it might as well be ‘NY Style’ pizza sold in Egypt by Papa Johns. Or Phillie Cheesesteaks sold in London. It’ll become global and we’ll have lost that unique feeling of homecoming that all Texans know. That is, you get off the plane and go to Whataburger, because nowhere else has it and Texas does have it.
18
Good Lord. Get a grip!
12
@Mr. Adams Except that others do have it. While most of the locations are in Texas, they have 156 locations in 9 other states.
5
@Mr. Adams: Truth! My daughter goes to school back in Boston. Sweet tea and devouring a honey butter chicken biscuit (or two) is the first thing she does after picking up her luggage when she comes home. She barely gives us a hug! 😂
2
The first time I was driving across Texas on an interstate and saw a Whataburger sign, I laughed. Eventually, I stopped at one. On subsequent cross-country drives, I have never considered stopping anywhere else for a burger. (But I have to say, as far as breakfast goes, I was overjoyed when I encountered my first interstate Waffle House in Texas.)
14
@Paul Connah absolutely concur. Waffle House is very very hard to beat.
1
@Paul Connah
See? You get it because you've had one! I like In and Out burgers too (though I'm not sure of the logo spelling).
1
My parents grew up in Corpus Christi, knew the founder (as did a lot of folks - Corpus was a much smaller town in 1950), and my Dad was a Whataburger fan. In 1955, my parents moved to southern Oklahoma, a mere 30 miles north of the Red River, but a world away from his favorite burger place. At the time, Whataburgers were still hundreds of miles away in south Texas, but he made sure to stop multiple times anytime we were back in Corpus.
Fast forward 50 years. Whataburger finally made it to our hometown in OK (they skipped over our town on their northward march to Oklahoma City years before), but it was a year too late for Dad. There are better burgers around, but for fast food burgers, Whataburgers are hard to beat.
9
Texas is no Hawaii.
31
But your always welcome here in Texas!
6
@David And never wanted to be.
7
@David, I believe you missed the point of the comparison entirely. Maybe a history lesson or actually reading the article would have stopped your comment in its tracks.
1
My husband and I talk about Whataburger all the time. We day dream about what our order will be when we get back to Texas. It would be beyond our wildest dreams to think that Whataburger could be in New England, but I fear that the brand and quality would not weather the trip. I just don’t think it will be the same to have a Whataburger with cheese and jalapeños in the snow.
8
Y'all don't get it, do ya? Texas is far more than a state. Texas is a state of mind.
26
Akin to NY. Boston and Chicago have their loyal citizens but Texas and New York have broadsized egos and political state histories which overwhelm. There is a song by Billy Joel “I'm in a NY State of Mind".
3
@Mel Oh, we definitely get it.
9
Yes, and that state of mind is Derangement. Never have so many been so proud of so little. I lived there for many years, have many relatives there, but the best view I ever had of Texas was in my rear view mirror!
29
All is right with world when you take your first bite of a Whataburger and Texans know this, it belongs to us. Geez I’m craving a #1 with grilled jalapeños on a toasted bun!
6
Whataburger is to Texas what Chinese takeout is to the North.
7
I'm scared for what the future holds. Smaller portions? Poorer quality ingredients? Food NOT cooked to order? Reduced hours of operation? Unless you live here in Texas, you really don't understand what Whataburger is and how good it really is. Whataburger IS Texas and has been for generations. Here's hoping the investment firm doesn't screw it up, but I'm not optimistic.
16
Maybe Danny Meyer needs to make some Texas money and uno pizza could come to the first city. Pizzeria uno was started on the north side by a Texan... Is Jack in the Box still around, hmmm maybe Texas is bigger and better. Sorry CA.
@Danny we actually used to have Pizzeria Uno down here in the early 90s. And then Gino’s gave us a try a couple of years ago. Neither lasted too long. Houstonians have tried deep dish pizza and just don’t care for it.
1
I was in Ft. Worth the other week in a hotel between a highway and a mall. There was a "Texas Roadhouse" in the mall and the hotel had a discount voucher, so I went there.
The place was packed with locals. I ordered a 12oz Ribeye cooked medium rare. It came out medium rare but wet and floppy. Any decent cook knows you need to use the hotter part of your grill to get the proper Maillard effect with a MR cook.
I'm wondering why the joint is so packed; shouldn't people in Texas know how to cook steak? Big portions and hard sell of extra junk do it I guess. Turns out the franchise is based in Indiana.
I doubt it matters where Whataburger is based.
6
Texas Roadhouse ? You erred.
14
I went to TGI Friday’s in Times Square, and it wasn’t good, therefore food in New York is not good.
15
@David F. Texas Roadhouse is about as Texan as Keens Steakhouse. Texas Roadhouse is a large chain that started in Indiana, and is now based in Louisville KY. It's only connection to Texas is the name.
6
Just finished my Patty Melt on TEXAS toast with fries and spicy ketchup. Great sweet tea too....
7
With all that's going on in this country.....
REALLY?
18
@Miss B imagine if the Varsity got bought out...
1
Is the fact that private investment firms own just about everything in the USA just reaching Texans?
19
We are pseudo Texans and my sons find plenty of calories at WhataB. That's all I can say: I can't deny or defend (I'm more inclined toward veggies). I loved the comment about Tx being more brand than anything else ...
10
Another one bites the dust...investors are buying up boutique stores, Veterinarians, Urgent care facilities, etc. But let's forget, it's the owners getting the big payout.
13
Yawn. Who cares? The sooner Texans stop thinking of themselves as being better than the rest of the world, the better. Referencing a war fought in the 1830s in a discussion about a fast food restaurant? Ridiculous. A great example of the overstated, hyperbolic stereotype about Texans, perpetuated through articles such as this one.
76
@Michael
So why do you stay? I arrived 45 years ago and fell in love with it.
People sometimes ask if I'm planning to move back to New York when I retire. I laugh in their faces.
4
@Michael We'd all agree that you're so right. We Texans should leave all that to folks from elsewhere. Next time you're down by here, drop by and we'll cook for you. The door's always open. That's what Texas does.
1
But you’ll never leave Austin, right?
2
For all our sakes please California our Texas!
59
@DM
Inevitable!
2
@DM Texas is thankfully changing, and we don’t have to become California to improve (they have their own problems)
1
@DM
Be very, very careful about what you wish for.
Ironic given that Texas worships at the altar of free enterprise. Whataburger being bought out by a bunch of Chicago investors should be celebrated as an example of the free market at work!
Wonder what Texans will think when Blue Bell gets bought out by Ben & Jerry’s...
52
@Scott Illyria. This process of individually anonymous hedge fund groups (some of these are international investors) buying local businesses, several homes in neighborhoods for speculation or use as Airbnb locations, or iconic places in cities all over the country is happening more and more. After the purchase considerations and decisions about what works for the community are unimportant and the impact on a community can be devastating. The only thing that may matter is the short term wringing of every dollar and cent from the investment. Wake up-is this what communities want?
2
@Scott No..the "free market at work" results in unaffordable housing, factories moving to China, underpaid and exploited workers, the elimination of local businesses by national and international chains, and the elimination of any sort of quality in those chains, many of which were once good.
5
@Scott
Ben & Jerry don't even own Ben & Jerry's - the gigantic European conglomerate Unilever does.
This is reminiscent of the time when somebody in New York City bought out Pace’s Picante Sauce — once pride of San Antonio. Look for a TV ad with somebody crying out “Chicago??? — “Get a rope!!”
2
Looks like Texas has its priorities in a bunch.
8
I'm sure Beto is in mourning.
For the rest, Texas, get over yourselves. If it were not for Federal money, you would still be in the 19th century.
36
@cl
And most of it is coming from California. Sad.
7
@cl Texas pays more in federal taxes than it gets back. https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jan/26/blog-posting/red-state-socialism-graphic-says-gop-leaning-state/
2
I’ll let you in on the joke: What the NYT doesn’t understand is that Texas has a robust sense of humor about itself. It’s part and parcel of a Texan’s nature to poke fun at himself and his fellow citizens. What NYers dismiss as bluster and bravado is actually Texans reveling in the love of their state by doing their best to live up to its reputation. They’re not “flipping out” about Whataburger. It’s all in jest. Get it?
29
Sorry, I’ve traveled to Texas for 15 years as almost a third home, and these folks are poking fun at themselves. They honestly believe they are Center of the universe and everyone else is wrong.
9
@DB: as an old New Yorker, my years in Dallas were frequently punctuated by being called a “dirty Yankee” and worse. Much worse. Great collective sense of humor your culture nurtures, there.
8
I've lived here 35 years. That bluster you notice is not jest; it's desperation.
2
My wife and I have spent 6 weeks or so in South Padre Island TX during the past 4 winters. Sure the beach was terrific but I always loved the Whataburger a mere half mile away. Hope one comes to northern Illinois shortly!
9
In my rural hometown, the only business open 24/7/365 is the Whataburger. It has been the main hang out for teens on Saturday nights and old men with their own coffee cups on weekday mornings. It’s one of the few places in town where literally everybody of every social class and demographic crosses paths.
68
I'm on the fence about this (as a relocated Texan). On one hand, Whataburger will almost definitely be asked to change under its new ownership. I hope it won't lose the made-to-order, brought to your table with a smile qualities that make it so great. On the other hand, if the new owners put a Whataburger anywhere in the state of Montana...well, there isn't an emoji that can show how delighted I'll be.
4
@Joshua Krause
Fortunately, being the main hang for teens on Saturday nights (who order little) and old men sipping coffee on weekday mornings (who order little) is excellent for any service business and doesn't lead to restaurant chains being sold off.
*loosening-necktie 'gulp' gesture*
1
@Meta Newhouse
Amen, Sister! Unlike many of our Texas brethren, we've traveled outside the state a great deal (even lived "abroad"}, and I genuinely love the food in New York, Naples, and Napa. But when I get back home, there's nothing quite like the warm welcome of a Whataburger (#1, with cheese, as a meal, please).
2