Whataburger has announced the 21 restaurants that have emerged as finalists in the company’s “WhataGames” competition, a unique and spirited contest designed to test the skills of Whataburger team members in three categories: operations, corporate history, and customer service.
WhataGames is a company tradition and a part of Whataburger’s ongoing commitment to deliver a “What a burger!” experience to customers every time.
The 21 finalist teams advanced from a pool of 100 semifinalists, who beat out their competitors among Whataburger’s more than 740 restaurants in 10 states.
Semifinalists had to prove their skills through a series of elimination rounds to earn one of these 21 spots at the WhataGames Finals in Dallas in April 2013.
The finalists will compete in three days of high-intensity competition for the Gold Medal and the esteemed title of WhataGames 2013 Champion, as well as $165,000 in cash prizes.
Silver and bronze medals are also awarded.
“WhataGames 2013 will be our ninth competition, and it gets more exciting each time,” says Clifton Rutledge, chief operating officer of Whataburger Restaurants. “These 21 finalist teams have worked so hard to get here, and I congratulate them on this achievement.
“However, I know they have a lot of serious competition waiting for them at the upcoming WhataGames Finals,” he adds. “It’s so much fun to see the teams rally together when the stakes are this high.”
Finalist teams are made up of 13 competitors. Each member of the Gold Medal–winning team receives $5,000; each Silver Medal team member wins $2,500; and each Bronze Medal team member wins $1,000.
Additionally, all Whataburger Family Members at the winning restaurants receive 10 percent of the finalist prize amount.
WhataGames finals are the featured event during the Whataburger Family Convention, which will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas.
The games were created in 1996 as a training exercise for operations to better serve customers and now occur every other year.
The first WhataGames medal ceremony hosted less than 500 people, and has grown steadily to some 2,000 Whataburger team members in attendance.
The convention is a family occasion, hosting Whataburger corporate and regional representatives, franchisees, and suppliers, along with the WhataGames national finalists.
WhataGames restaurant finalists for 2013 include:
- Arizona: Unit 537 in Avondale
- Florida: Unit 72 in Tallahassee
- Mississippi: Unit 861 in Ocean Springs
- Oklahoma: Unit 79 in Oklahoma City
- Texas: Unit 659 in Atascocita; Unit 1024 in Dallas; Unit 655 in El Paso; Units 602, 669, and 702 in Laredo; Unit 982 in Pflugerville; Unit 289 in Mineral Wells; Unit 318 in New Braunfels; Unit 729 in North Richland Hills; Unit 328 in Port Isabel; Unit 147 in San Angelo; Unit 790 in San Antonio; Unit 797 in Sugar Land; Unit 40 in Texas City; Unit 175 in Victoria; and Unit 391 in Waxahachie.
