Whataburger might not have the same brand recognition as some of America's heavy hitter
burger joints, but it still has quite a history.
It's a story of Texan fans, hungry politicians, secret menus, and, obviously, a whole lot
of burgers.
This is the untold truth of Whataburger.
"There's only one way to describe a hamburger, and that's Whataburger."
Whataburger's story began in 1950, when founder and entrepreneur Harmon Dobson opened a burger
joint in Corpus Christi, Texas.
And the restaurant's name came from pretty much exactly where you'd expect: He wanted
to create a burger that was so big, that when a customer picked it up they'd exclaim: "What
a burger!"
"We have them everywhere from plain to loaded."
Considering there are only eight burgers on the Whataburger menu, you might think there
aren't many options, but you'd be wrong.
In 2009, the company launched a month-long campaign boasting all the ways to do a Whataburger,
once you account for all the special requests you can make, such as grilled onions, jalapeños,
triple meat, and extra cheese.
"We actually calculated it, and it is 36,864 ways to make a Whataburger."
Indeed, customization has been a point of pride for the chain.
Customers at Whataburger get to design their burger, from the bread, to the meat, to the
size, to the toppings, with each burger made to order.
Other fast food chains might have hopped on the customization bandwagon in more recent
years, but Whataburger did it first.
"They make it the right way every time."
If you're considering tasting your very first Whataburger, just make sure you end up at
the right place.
"We drove 1,500 miles in the city of Houston."
If you live in Virginia or the Carolinas, you might find yourself at a chain of burger
joints called What-A-Burger… with hyphens in the name.
The two restaurants initially talked about a potential soft merger but settled for an
agreement in which What-A-Burger (with the hyphens) would deck out their restaurants
in subdued colors, while Whataburger without the hyphens would forge ahead with its bright
orange scheme.
Whataburger has locations all across the American South, but it's Texas in particular that holds
a particular affection for the restaurant.
"I just told em that we never found a better hamburger, and the fact that we'd eaten here
7,000 times made them think we were pretty good fans."
It's even turned into something of a cultural icon in the Lone Star State.
"We eat at Whataburger every day."
So much so that according to the El Paso Times, it became a point of contention in the state's
2018 senate race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke, who was dubbed a "Triple Meat Whataburger
liberal" by his rival.
Many were shocked to find, however, that a 2017 study published by Business Insider suggested
that In-N-Out had taken Whataburger's place as the most popular fast food chain in Texas.
Whataburger responded via Twitter, demanding a recount.
Thanks to Hot Ones, at least we know how Post Malone voted.
"Whataburger or In-N-Out?"
"Please.
In-N-Out is like a f---in' little f---ing frilly little patty, bro, I need something
with some f---in' hair on its chest, cuz."
Further testament to the popularity of Whataburger with Texan residents, was the visit of Melania
Trump and Karen Pence in 2017.
Business Insider reported that after meeting with victims of Hurricane Harvey, Trump and
Pence stopped by at Whataburger for lunch.
The PR stunt had Corpus Christi P.D. boasting that "Flotus knows a good burger."
"It was an amazing trip, and they were very happy I came there."
But many who had previously enjoyed Whataburger's off-kilter social media antics, criticized
the restaurant's official Twitter account for welcoming Trump and Pence into their restaurant.
Whether the other Trump, who's famously a fan of McDonald's, had anything to say about
the visit, remains unconfirmed.
Of course Whataburger has a secret menu!
There are a whole load of things you can get from Whataburger if you just ask, starting
with the burgers themselves.
They're fully customizable, remember?
That means if you ask for three heaps of pickles inside two buns, or basically anything at
all, you'll get it.
"I met my husband while we were working at Whataburger.
Now we have a Whataburger baby."
But if you want to stick with the "official" secret menu, there's a vegetarian burger,
a grilled cheese, chicken and waffles, or the honey BBQ chicken strip sandwich.
Getting the idea here?
Customization means customization, and that means anything.
That's kind of the whole point of Whataburger.
Step inside your local branch, ignore that menu on the wall, and just go wild.