Whataburger: History, Key Facts and Reviews

1950-1966: “What a burger!” in Corpus Christi

Whataburger started on August 8, 1950, when Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton opened a burger stand on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, Texas (Wikipedia). Dobson wanted a burger so big it took two hands to hold and so good that customers would say “What a burger!” It sold for 25 cents. The partners split in 1951 after Dobson raised the price to 30 cents, and Burton kept the franchises in San Antonio. Dobson opened in Kingsville in 1952, and in 1959 the first Whataburger outside Texas opened in Pensacola, Florida. In 1961, inspired by his love of flying, he designed the orange-and-white striped A-frame building in Odessa that became the chain’s signature. Our Whataburger with cheese copycat recipe recreates the original wide-bun burger.

1967-2008: the Dobson family years

Whataburger stayed a family business for more than half a century. Harmon Dobson died in a plane crash on April 11, 1967, and his widow, Grace, took control; she became chairman in 1969. Their son Tom Dobson became CEO and president in 1993. By 2007 the company had 700 restaurants in ten states and $1 billion in annual revenue. In 2001 the Texas Legislature passed a bill declaring Whataburger a “Texas Treasure”.

2009-2019: San Antonio and the sale to BDT

Whataburger left Corpus Christi for San Antonio in 2009. After Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast in 2008, the company looked for a city with more potential employees and less hurricane risk, and announced the move on November 21, 2008. On June 14, 2019, the Dobson family sold its majority stake to BDT Capital Partners, now BDT & MSD Partners, and kept a minority share. At the time Texas alone had more than 670 Whataburgers.

2020-2026: from 860 to more than 1,200 restaurants

Since the sale, Whataburger has grown from 860 restaurants in 11 states in February 2020 to nearly 1,200 in 17 states by July 2026 (PR Newswire). It reached the Kansas City area in 2021, opened its first Tennessee restaurant in Hermitage on January 5, 2022, and its first Georgia restaurant in Kennesaw in November 2022. In October 2026 the company, led by CEO Debbie Stroud, reported more than 1,200 restaurants across 17 states (PR Newswire). Texas remains its core market, as our guide to the best Whataburger in Houston shows.

Key dates

• 1950: Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton open the first Whataburger in Corpus Christi on August 8.
• 1959: first restaurant outside Texas, in Pensacola, Florida.
• 1961: the first orange-and-white A-frame Whataburger opens in Odessa, Texas.
• 1967: Harmon Dobson dies in a plane crash; Grace Dobson takes over.
• 2001: the Texas Legislature names Whataburger a “Texas Treasure”.
• 2009: headquarters move from Corpus Christi to San Antonio.
• 2019: BDT Capital Partners buys a majority stake on June 14.
• 2026: more than 1,200 restaurants in 17 states.