If you’ve never had Whataburger and you live in these three states…then I have great news.
Because, while Whataburger has been opening dozens of restaurants nationwide across these 11 states…
New states were being mostly neglected.
Until now…
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Whataburger initially announced plans to open its first store in the Tar Heel state sometime in 2025, but they’ve jumped the gun and already opened several this year!
This is a big deal, and here’s why:
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Previous to now, Whataburger has been concentrated heavily in the West and Midwest, with occasional forays into the Deep South.
I mean, just look at their restaurant count:
– Texas: 759
– Oklahoma: 46
– Florida: 45
– Arizona: 42
– Alabama: 39
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They have outposts in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Tennessee…and opened their first restaurants in Georgia back in 2022.
Whataburger’s strategy has clearly been “Deep South, Midwest”…until now.
North Carolina is still southern, to be sure, but their aggressive expansion plans in North Carolina highlight that they’re ready to start reaching further north toward a different clientele.
And here’s how we know:
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Whataburger’s planning to build at several locations in the “Triangle” area – that’s the nickname for Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
At least two are initially planned in each of Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro, plus more in Durham and Cary (a suburb of Raleigh’s).
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The research triangle is an area with a lot of transplants from the Northeast due to its economic dynamism and rapid growth.
If Whataburger can succeed here, chances are very good they’ll be able to expand further north up I-95.
If all goes well, I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw a Whataburger in Boston within the next ten years!
Meanwhile, our second state getting Whataburger for the first time is doing so for VERY different reasons…
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Nevada got its very first Whataburger earlier this year, and – surprise, surprise, it’s in Clark County.
(Which is home to Las Vegas and over 70% of the state population.)
Now, this is just one location, so we shouldn’t read too much into it, however…
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You know what burger chain has been really successful in Nevada?
In-N-Out Burger.
If Whataburger is able to directly compete with In-N-Out somewhere other than its home turf of Texas…
Well, then California and the rest of the West Coast become an option.
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Whataburger going to an obvious tourist trap like Las Vegas (the location is literally on the strip) could maybe pay further dividends, too.
Maybe someone travels to Vegas, has a burger, then looks up their nearest location when they get home.
If Whataburger can get a feel for where their customers in Vegas hail from, that could help nudge further expansion strategy as well.
I’d say this is all unlikely, but it’s interesting to think about.
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South Carolina is a more “obvious” choice than North Carolina or Nevada.
It’s Deep South, just like Georgia and Alabama (where Whataburger is already well-entrenched), and – not surprisingly – Whataburger is building aggressively instead of just dipping their toes in.
Their first restaurant opened in Boiling Springs (a community in Spartanburg) on July 15th, and they’ve already expanded to nine restaurants in the five months since!
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They’ve started – not surprisingly – with several of the big metro areas:
– Three in Spartanburg area
– Three in the suburbs ringing Columbia
– Two near Greenville
– One in Anderson
Of course, that leaves a puzzling gap…
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There’s no plan to build in Charleston as far as I can tell.
Which is weird, since it’s both the largest city in South Carolina and also a huge tourist trap.
Like, if Whataburger would open up in Vegas and also in a bunch of smaller cities in South Carolina…why not Charleston?
(Of course, my view is that they probably WILL open in Charleston – it’s just not in the phase one plan. Stay tuned!)
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From where I sit, Whataburger has obviously pretty heavily saturated Texas (and probably Oklahoma too given how small of a state it is)…and they’re looking for more markets to grow.
They’re clearly seeing success in Florida and Georgia given the pace of new store openings…
And if I’m management, I’m looking at Vegas as an option for California, and North Carolina as an option for points north – Virginia, New Jersey, maybe one day New York and Boston.
Get excited!
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So there you have it – three states lucky enough to get to experience Whataburger for the very first time.
Where should Whataburger open next?
Let me know in the comments!
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