As part of Whataburger’s ongoing commitment to freshness, quality and customer service, 121 Whataburger restaurants have emerged as semifinalists in the company’s “WhataGames” competition: a contest designed to test the skills of Whataburger team members in three categories: operations, corporate history and customer service.

The teams, who beat out their competitors among Whataburger’s more than 760 restaurants in 10 states, will continue to prove their skills through a series of elimination rounds to earn one of the 24 coveted spots at the WhataGames Finals in Dallas, Texas, in April 2015. Finalists will compete in three days of high-intensity competition for the Gold Medal and the esteemed title of WhataGames 2015 Champion. Whataburger will also award $165,000 in cash prizes to all members of the Gold, Silver and Bronze winning teams, which includes both team members who participated as well as those who stayed back to operate and manage their stores.

“Every two years, this unique competition and training event provides us the opportunity to further improve the ways we serve each other and our customers,” says Rob Rodriguez, senior vice president of operations Whataburger Restaurants LLC. “At Whataburger, our team members take pride in their work and love serving customers, which is why this event is a perfect opportunity to allow them to shine and reward them for their great work.” 

WhataGames Finals are the featured event during the Whataburger Family Convention, which will be held in April at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. The games were created in 1996 as a training exercise for operations to better serve customers. The first event hosted fewer than 500 people, and has grown steadily to more than 2,000 Whataburger team members. The convention is a family occasion, hosting Whataburger corporate and regional representatives, franchisees and suppliers, and the WhataGames national finalists.