It was an early fall morning at a Hyatt Regency in Houston, where the hums of conversation typically found in a hotel lobby were disrupted by a flood of guests covered in Whataburger’s iconic orange and white color scheme.
On that day, the burger giant had taken over the hotel as part of a WhataGames rally—a boisterous celebration following weeks of competition—to determine which restaurants deserved the honor of receiving a four-star or even five-star designation. Employees from different regions in the Houston market marched into a packed conference room ringing cowbells, throwing Whataburger-branded dollar bills, blowing whistles, popping confetti bombs, and shouting into megaphones. Some wore capes. Others wore jerseys, crowns, camouflage, and even Deadpool costumes. Raucous applause broke out constantly as restaurant leaders walked up on stage to be recognized for their team’s accomplishments.
It was one of several local rallies Whataburger hosted for employees across its footprint. The competition started in 1996 to help teams recalibrate the chain’s standard of hospitality, flavors, and high-quality service.
“They’re all celebrating,” says Jon Barideaux, VP of restaurant operations. “They’re all showing their pride, and each region wants to outdo the other region and show that they have more pride.”
Whataburger is only as strong as its people—that’s what Barideaux believes. And so does CEO Debbie Stroud and the rest of the brand’s leadership team.
The chain has spent 2025 honoring its 75th anniversary, a legacy started by Harmon Dobson and carried on by his wife Grace Dobson after he passed away in a plane crash. Some employees have been part of the legendary concept for decades, which isn’t too much of a surprise to those who know the brand.
The fast-fast food chain refers to its workers as “family members.” That’s not just a label—it’s an action and a promise.
“Labor is a line item on a P&L. Leaders are who we hire, develop, train, and give a career path to. That’s who we change the lives of,” Stroud says. “When we refer to the team members that we have across the country as family members, it’s because we do care for each other and want to provide a well-rounded package for them to be able to grow and thrive. And so no matter whether you come to work for us for 90 days over the summer or whether you decide to stay with us for four years while you get through college, or whether you wake up and nine years later you’re an operating partner and you’re incredibly successful and making six figures and thinking about your next move as a career within the company, we want people to say, ‘I was cared for here and that I love this brand and I’m going to be a lifelong fan of this brand.’ That’s what we strive to do from the time that we welcome you in until you decide that you want to go achieve your next adventure.”
As a Texas-born restaurant, many within the Lone Star State are familiar with Whataburger’s 24/7 charm. But referring to the company as a regional chain won’t be appropriate for much longer. Even after 75 years, the chain is growing swiftly, and it’s bringing a distinct people-first culture with it.
Targeted Growth
Whataburger was majority-owned by the Dobson family until 2019, when Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners bought the stake and took the reins. There were concerns at the time of what would become of the chain. Six years later, it is clear that the brand’s values haven’t shifted. The company is doing what it’s done for seven and a half decades, which is serving all-American, never frozen beef with 5-inch fresh buns and vegetables.
Stroud identifies Whataburger’s culture through three words: pride, care, and love. To her, that means keeping a “hometown” atmosphere inside restaurants and never compromising on the commitment to quality and service. Whataburger is more than just a burger chain—it’s a lifestyle brand that’s woven into the towns and cities where it resides. It’s the place one goes after a football game or where you turn to eat your feelings.
Stroud joined the company two years ago as COO, which provided her with the opportunity to learn the culture and visit restaurants where she could be as close to guests and employees as possible. The foundation allowed her to quickly learn Whataburger’s differentiators. She then began her tenure as CEO in January, replacing Ed Nelson, who retired after a 20-year career with the restaurant.
“When I think about my leadership style, I think about warm, authentic, engaged,” Stroud says. “That’s exactly what I would hope that we are as we serve our family members that are out working hard every day and how we serve our customers. Then when you think about the business side of it, I’m data-driven. I like analytics to guide me. I like a routine and a structure. I think predictability. It’s a good thing to have. And I have a competitive spirit. So all of those things when you wrap them all together, I hope creates a fun, empowering environment in which our leaders can lead.”
It’s been a long enough journey for her to hear several stories about how much customers love Whataburger. She remembers going to the doctor’s office for her annual physical and the nurse explaining how she wanted to throw a Whataburger-themed birthday party for her 26-year-old son who is in the military. Stroud responded by asking for his address and sending him a Whataburger gift box. Days later, she received an email about a 99-year-old who said Whataburger is the best burger she’s ever eaten and that she requested a themed party in hospice care.
“So when you think from 26 to 99, we’re just part of people’s lives,” Stroud says.
Whataburger entered 2025 with roughly 1,100 locations and has entered six new states since 2019—Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, and Tennessee.
The chain opened nearly 100 locations in 2024, most of which were corporately owned. The goal is to open around the same amount in 2025.
Stroud describes the current growth strategy as thoughtful and disciplined.
“We get a lot of requests, both across the states and internationally too,” the CEO says. “So there’s a high desire, and I love that. We need to be thoughtfully committed to what Harmon Dobson started back in 1950, which is you’ve got to deliver high quality and you’ve got to deliver high service. And in order to do that and do that well, which I think that we can and we are doing, there needs to be a thoughtful strategy around that.”
The chain uses several filters to determine its next move. The first priority is maintaining quality, which means being able to reach fresh beef. There’s also thoughtfulness around markets that are vibrant, expanding, and offer career opportunities for employees. When Whataburger enters a market, its initial thought isn’t whether it can sell a hamburger. Instead, the chain chooses to “lead with heart” and first considers how it can best fit with local communities.
Stroud uses the example of Preston Hughes, who joined Whataburger as his second job when his wife was expecting, and now he’s a growth market leader building the team in South Carolina.
“I think that’s what’s been really rewarding for me and for the rest of the team is to watch individuals that maybe have been with a brand for a really long time and they see the opportunities in these new markets and they raise their hand and say, ‘I want to be part of the growth. I want to come and share what my love for Whataburger is in South Carolina,’” the CEO says. “It’s just somebody that understands Whataburger through and through. While we have plenty of opportunities to promote from within, we also attract a lot of leaders that are local and that know what their hometown needs, and they raise their hand. When you get that mixed together, it’s dynamic. It’s impactful.”
North Carolina will become Whataburger’s 17th state in 2025—a market that Stroud knows well.
“North Carolina definitely has a piece of my heart personally,” she says. “I raised my girls there. So many miles up and down the highways for soccer games or for other events—beaches, mountains, all of that great stuff. It tugs at my heart. I know the back roads there. Twenty-one years in the Southeast in general, you grow a fondness.”
In January, Whataburger conducted its first official North Carolina groundbreaking in Hickory, a city with fewer than 50,000 residents. Stroud recalls how “incredibly excited” Hickory Mayor Hank Guess was; to the point that he wanted the chain to preemptively declare that this would be the first Whataburger restaurant in the state. The truth is, however, there are several locations under construction throughout the Tar Heel State in the Charlotte and Piedmont Triad DMAs for openings in 2025.
Before opening any locations in North Carolina, Whataburger had already made an impact. Being based in Texas, the chain is sensitive to the tragedies that follow hurricanes. Hickory was used as a landing space for helicopters that conducted rescue missions in the Asheville area, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Whataburger felt compelled to give back and became a sponsor of the Concert for Carolina, which raised nearly $25 million.
As for the rest of the country and the remaining untapped markets and what’s possible, Stroud says one only needs to look at the number of restaurants in Texas (which is around 750).
“You can start to imagine how much potential that this brand has across the country,” she says. “It’s limitless.”
Culinary Excellence
Corporate executive chef James Sanchez, who has been with Whataburger for seven years, says the menu strategy is an ongoing balance between customers who have been loyal for years and a group of younger customers eager for innovation.
The chain’s Q1 LTOs are a prime example. To celebrate 75 years, Whataburger brought back its beloved Monterey Melt (two 100 percent beef patties covered in Monterey Jack and American cheeses, along with grilled onions and peppers and Jalapeño Ranch sauce), which was last seen three years ago. The Chicken Fajita Taco also made its return. Whataburger positioned these previous stars with a new Mexican Hot Chocolate Coffee (iced and hot) and Mexican Hot Chocolate Shake.
The culinary team arrives at innovation by searching for voids in the menu and inspiration from the market.
“A lot of where our guests trade are in the mom and pop places, the taco houses, the fruit stands,” says Sanchez, referring to the company’s large Texas fanbase. “Some of those products are where our inspiration comes from, and some of those ideas like Mexican Hot Chocolate, some of us in our 50s and older have been drinking this with their grandmothers. So what we’re trying to design is a flavor that is trending in some of the coffeehouses. And then for folks like me, it’s nostalgia. I’m drinking this and I’m thinking of my grandmother’s house and the little wooden frother that she used to make the Mexican Hot Chocolate.”
The company differentiates itself with signature sauces—Creamy Pepper, Honey BBQ, Buffalo, and Jalapeño Ranch, among others. The brand also prides itself on fresh patties; once restaurants receive them, they have to be sold within five days.
“It is a race to make that fresh, delicious patty, come into the restaurant, and walk it out the door and put it in somebody’s hand—hot and fresh and delicious,” Sanchez says. “So we take that very seriously, and everything we do is about making it as efficient and as delicious as possible.”
Whataburger watches what its QSR peers do, but Sanchez says an overwhelming amount of inspiration comes from sit-down restaurants. Twice a year, his culinary team visits different places—Chicago, Seattle, and Providence, Rhode Island, to name a few—and immerses itself in “any restaurant that you can imagine.” Sanchez specifically remembers visiting Tennessee a few years ago and trying Nashville hot chicken at different concepts. Sure enough, in August, Whataburger launched a Nashville hot chicken flavor for its boneless WhataWings platform.
At the center of Whataburger’s menu is the All-Time Favorites—products that were once LTOs but have become permanent due to their popularity. The Patty Melt—two beef patties, melted cheese, grilled onions, and pepper sauce between slices of Texas toast—is the No. 1 seller. Whataburger’s plan is to turn this product into a marketable brand by innovating with different flavors, like a jalapeño version. The chain already did this with the Honey Barbecue Chicken Strip Sandwich when it released a Buffalo Ranch Chicken Strip iteration.
“We need version two of some of these others,” Sanchez says. “Our belief is that we’re reminding the nostalgic folks that come in—the folks that have been trading with us for years. We’re inspiring new occasions with the younger generation. The folks who have been with us are like, ‘Oh, I have my favorite. I got to try the new guy.’ So just using those products as inspiration to just match and bridge different flavor profiles.”
The brand isn’t afraid of taking its time with menu innovation. It typically takes 18 months to two years to develop a satisfactory product. It’s a stage-gate process to ensure Whataburger isn’t working on something that would create chaos internally, Sanchez says. Tested menu items are reviewed by several stakeholders, including operations personnel, training teams, and the C-suite.
Sanchez says there are a lot more “nos” involved than “yeses”. He remembers trying 15 versions of the Banana Pudding Shake and dozens of trials for a pepper sauce.
Before launching a product, Whataburger sends videos to restaurants nationwide describing the product and the build. This is Sanchez’s opportunity to speak directly to thousands of team members about how much the menu item means to him.
“I give them a story of why and how and what the inspiration was behind this burger and I passionately sell it to them of why it’s important that we execute it,” Sanchez says. “It’s my baby. I’ve held on to it for 18 months. I give them the inspiration of where it started from, and I look them straight in the camera and I always get a little emotional. It belongs to you guys now and I trust y’all and I know that you’re going to knock it out of the park and execute it for our guests. This is the hospitality business. Looking at a camera, I imagine they’re right there on the other side of the camera live and in person talking to me, listening to me explain to them how imperative it is that we take the time to build it, to take pride in it, to own it, and to serve it with tremendous love to our guests.”
Whataburger wants to make it easier for employees to create these items too. The chain’s vision for the kitchen of the future is about using smart cooking equipment, real-time monitoring systems, and data-driven process management to ensure consistent, faster meals.
“This will empower our family members to optimize workflows and coordinate better across the team to make sure food gets to guests faster, better and with that same bold flavors they crave,” Sanchez says.
Whenever Sanchez designs a burger, he imagines the Dobson family in front of him and whether they would be proud of it. Would he have to justify why he came up with it?
It’s what guides all of his culinary choices.
“I grew up here in San Antonio. I went to culinary school in New York,” Sanchez says. “I’ve worked on the restaurant side professionally and so on, but for this position, having this job and to own this seat, at this point in my career, it’s one of the proudest things I’ve ever done to be able to represent those family members and all the people before us.”
Cultural Favorite
CMO Scott Hudler has lived in Texas for six years. To him, trying Whataburger was inevitable. He had always heard the brand was special, but when he would press others about why that is, there was no specific answer. “It’s just Whataburger,” they would say.
Hudler remembers visiting a restaurant around 11:30 p.m. with his son after a high school baseball tournament game. Whataburger was one of the few places open, and the location was packed. Although there were many customers to serve, Hudler’s order came out quick and fresh.
“I was like, OK, I get it. I get it. Now this is what people talk about,” Hudler says. “And my son, it was his first time too. He’s like, ‘This is awesome.’ That was my first impression as a non-employee. After being here for almost a year, the passion our fans have is pretty awesome. It’s a big responsibility.”
The cult-following is what a marketer dreams of, Hudler says. Whataburger could post about a hat on social media and the first few comments will beg the chain to come to their city or bring back a menu item.
For Whataburger, personalization has always been at the core of its brand identity. Since its founding 75 years ago, the company has built its reputation on giving customers the ability to customize their burgers exactly how they want—whether that means extra pickles, no mustard, or a buttered bun on both sides. This deep-rooted commitment to customization extends beyond the menu and into the brand’s marketing strategy, particularly through its rewards program.
The loyalty platform serves as a powerful tool for personalization because it tailors offers to individual customers based on their purchasing behavior. While broad price-pointed options remain part of the strategy, the most compelling deals are found within the app, Hudler says.
However, Whataburger’s approach to value goes beyond just price.
“Value is not just a number,” Hudler says. “It’s the price and the experience. I think the experience we offer is, 100 percent fresh, never frozen beef made to order so that patty hits the grill when you order it, not 30 minutes prior.”
As Whataburger approaches its 17th state, it faces the challenge of any brand scaling nationally—maintaining the identity of what made it great in the first place. Hudler agrees that it sounds difficult, but he thinks there’s a simple solution. Whataburger wants to be authentic and it does so by following what Harmon Dobson set out to do 75 years ago in Corpus Christi, Texas, and that’s for customers to hold the burger with two hands, take a bite, and exclaim, “what a burger.”
“That’s it. That’s what we’ve got to do,” Hudler says, “That doesn’t waiver whether we’re opening a location in Houston, Texas; Dallas, Texas; or Charlotte, North Carolina. That is what we want. Our differentiators are bold flavors, pride, care, and loving what we do, and 24 hours. Those are things that make us different. They make us stand out, and we have products and a taste profile that is dramatically different from anyone else out there in the burger space and the QSR space.”
Whataburger speaks to customers through a mixture of traditional TV advertisements, digital marketing, and strategic sponsorships. The burger chain has roughly 85 partnerships across its footprint, from professional sports teams to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
Celebrity partnerships have played a significant role recently. In January, Whataburger named country music star Lainey Wilson an official brand ambassador, an announcement that was primarily driven by social media. Kansas City Royals player Bobby Witt, Jr. is also a representative of the brand and had a Whataburger-themed wedding. The brand is following a playbook it’s used before; decades ago, the chain partnered with country music singer Mel Tillis and MLB pitcher Nolan Ryan.
“It’s something we take pretty seriously, and we want to make sure it’s the right partner. We want them to be people who represent the brand, people who have history with the brand, and this is the way to reach consumers these days. … We couldn’t be happier to be partnered with both Lainey and Bobby, and we think they’re a great way to tell our brand story and also tell it to different audiences that we’re not reaching today.”
Whataburger is also in the gaming space. It built a custom Fortnite map last year, which focused on breakfast, and it sponsors a lot of live streams on Twitch.
“Some consumers may not understand. Sometimes I might be in that bucket,” Hudler says. “But I get the concept of that’s where younger consumers are, and we want to be there.”
Making an Impact
On Stroud’s third day at Whataburger, she and Nelson hopped in a truck and took the two-hour drive to Corpus Christi. Along the way, he recalled stories about the Dobson family and his 20 years with the burger company. Nelson impressed upon her the “why” behind Whataburger’s actions.
“We are in this chapter of moving from founder-led to founder-inspired, and it’s important that we stay true to the things that are so important and what makes Whataburger special,” Stroud says. “I think that during our time together, we talked a lot about what could be and where to innovate and how to continue to just evolve what we offer and how we offer it to our customers.”
During its 75th year, Whataburger wants to give back to guests. In February, the chain used its location in Las Vegas to host a wedding after running a social media contest. The winners, Haley McCollough and Michael White, began their relationship over a Whataburger meal. The two would visit so frequently that Haley’s phone once listed Whataburger as her “home” on the map app. Then in March, the chain unveiled an art installation at South by Southwest that brought its Whataburger Museum of Art (a digital collection of art created by fans) to life, including interactive elements like the Day Dot Room and Table Tent Mugshot Wall.
National Whataburger Day, August 8, will be a major celebration as well.
“We want to celebrate with the fans,” Hudler says. “That’s why we brought back the Monterey Melt. That’s why we’re bringing back some other things later in the year that are fan favorites. So it’s all about celebrating the love of Whataburger with our fans and making sure that they know that we appreciate them.”
Stroud regularly wears Whataburger gear when she travels the country, and she often gets stopped in the airport, on elevators, or in the grocery store. A common question is, “Do you have one of those here?” For those who have tried the brand, Stroud loves hearing individual anecdotes about why guests love the food and atmosphere.
The taste and experience becomes part of people’s fabric, Stroud says. If Whataburger doesn’t touch your heart on one visit, she promises it will happen the next time.
“When I think about our 75th year, our vision is goodness 24/7,” Stroud says. “Our mission is to make everybody’s day just a little bit better. And if we can make everyone’s day a little better—that just rings true, one customer at a time, city by city, Whataburger by Whataburger—we’re going to do just fine. That’s what inspires me to jump out of bed every day to do this. We can make a difference in this world. We can change people’s lives and that’s just a part of our kitchen light always being on.”
