Whataburger

In 1950, a former bush pilot and entrepreneur by the name of Harmon Dobson opened a small, unassuming hamburger stand in South Texas. Driven by his tireless creative spirit, he decided that his hamburger buns should be five inches – unlike the standard four-inch buns – in order to hold his 1/4 lb. pure beef patty. After all, he thought, people in Texas think big. And he wanted to make sure that when people saw it, they would exclaim, “What a burger!” After selling hundreds of burgers on opening day, Mr. Dobson knew he was onto something big. From the beginning, people knew that a Whataburger was no ordinary burger. As the unmistakable orange-and-white-striped A-frame structures began to populate the landscape, the Whataburger soon reached icon status across the southern U.S. Patrons quickly recognized the difference in the quality of the burger, in the ingredients and in the people who prepared it. It was this difference that led to the rapid expansion of Whataburger, even from its earliest days. Despite this tremendous growth, the company has always been keenly aware that they owe their success to the many loyal Whataburger customers around the country. That’s why Whataburger remains firmly committed to the principles upon which it was founded: serving customers a hot, fresh, made-to-order meal in a family atmosphere at a fair price.