4 Whataburger Location Visits, 4 Letdowns

Whataburger is Whataterrible. Over the past 45 days or so, we have had the unfortunate experience of visiting four different Whataburger locations across three states: two in Mississippi, one in Georgia, and one in South Carolina. Each visit has been a lesson in frustration, leading us to question the viability of their expansion plans. To put it bluntly, Whataburger should seriously consider pausing its growth initiatives until they can adequately manage the locations they currently operate. It seems evident that they are struggling to maintain quality and efficiency at their existing establishments. In each instance, we encountered notably slow drive-thru service, which was disappointing. The lines, while not excessively long, were moving at a pace that suggested a lack of organization or staffing issues. This raises an important question: have other customers begun to recognize that their service is subpar? It certainly felt that way during our visits.

One particular location served us a sweet tea that was filled with ice, but not enough to make it refreshing; instead, we ended up with a cup of warm sweet tea, which was quite unappetizing. Most recently, we ordered sweet tea again, and to our dismay, the flavor was off, leading us to suspect that it had been sitting around for far too long. Such inconsistencies in beverage quality are unacceptable, especially for a chain that prides itself on its customer service and menu offerings.

Moreover, we found the food to be rather overpriced, with the Sweet & Spicy burger costing over $8.00. This price point feels outrageous considering the overall experience we received, which did not meet our expectations for quality or value. While we did encounter friendly staff members during our visits, their amiability did little to mitigate the issues we faced, including the slow service, substandard sweet teas, and high prices. It is clear that Whataburger needs to reevaluate its operational strategies and focus on improving the customer experience before attempting to expand further. Until then, we remain skeptical about the future of this chain and whether it can truly deliver on its promises of quality and service. If they are not careful, they will become like Jack in the Box, expanded to territory their were not familiar with, delivered bad service, and ended up closing a bunch of locations.