Everything you need to know about Whataburger’s NC plans — and what to eat
Few restaurant brands — if any — have captured the attention of the Carolinas that Whataburger has before its locations have even broken ground. And in North Carolina, the openings are now so close that we can almost taste its fan-favorite Spicy Ketchup.
While the Texas-based hamburger chain entered the South Carolina market to great fanfare in 2024, North Carolina’s time has come in 2025, with at least eight restaurants set to open. (OK, technically, one of those is in South Carolina’s Indian Land community, but it’s in the restaurant’s Charlotte market.)
CharlotteFive chatted with Whataburger CEO Debbie Stroud — who lived in North Carolina for 16 years — to help you get ready with all the need-to-know information on the restaurant and its food before its arrival. Here’s what we found out:
Whataburger 101
Let’s start at the beginning, with a few of the Whataburger basics:
- Whataburger got its start in Texas as a Corpus Christi hamburger stand in 1950, so the restaurant is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
- It’s open 24 hours, and burgers are always available. Breakfast is served from 11 p.m.-11 a.m.
- Each Whataburger is made to order with what Stroud calls “ranch-to-restaurant” all-American beef that’s fresh and hasn’t been frozen. (A new processing plant in Atlanta was built to support the new Southeast region stores coming on board.) Tomatoes, lettuce and onions are all cut fresh daily in store, too.
- A standard Whataburger comes with tomato, lettuce, pickles, diced onions and mustard on a 5” bun.
- The entire menu is customizable. You can choose a smaller bun, Texas Toast or remove it altogether for no charge. Other sauce options include ketchup, mayo, creamy peppercorn and honey BBQ. And for an additional charge, toppings such as bacon, grilled onions, jalapenos and avocado are available.
Where to start
“We love talking to our customers about our food, which I know might slow down the drive through or our interaction with you at the front counter a bit. But particularly when we’re opening up in new markets, we want to talk with you about what you like,” Stroud said.
“We start to cook it and craft it when you order it,” she explained. “We encourage our customers to explore all of the different flavors that we might have.”
If you’re a burger person, “starting with the No. 1 with cheese is always great place to go,” she said.
If you prefer chicken: “My first question will be is, ‘Would you like spicy chicken?’ Because our spicy chicken is amazing. If you’re like, ‘Nope, I’m going to go for healthy,’ then we start with our grilled chicken sandwich.”
“You can customize from there. We have a saying: It’s just like you like it,” she added.
Whataburger menu favorites
Stroud said she has eaten her way through the entire menu “to taste the flavors.”
Once you’ve tried the basics, here are a few of Stroud’s favorites to consider:
- “Yeah, so in the moment when I need the comfort food, I immediately go to our Patty Melt: Texas Toast, creamy peppercorn sauce, grilled onions, gooey, melty cheese. It is an all-time favorite for a really good reason. “
Whataburger’s Patty Melt. Jody Horton - “My other favorite is a sweet and spicy bacon burger. I like to get that in junior size, personally, but that’s one that, with some onion rings, is regularly on my saved meal list.” That one comes with two beef patties, bacon, grilled onions, two cheeses and mustard, topped with Sweet & Spicy Pepper Sauce.
Whataburger breakfast
Whataburger’s breakfast menu includes biscuits, bowls, pancakes, taquitos and even a breakfast burger topped with bacon, egg and cheese, plus Hash Brown Sticks and Creamy Pepper Sauce.
Stroud’s go-to, though? The Breakfast on a Bun Ranchero Bob.
“Ranchero Bob is breakfast on a bun. And the ranchero part of it is that when we crack the egg, we put jalapenos in the cracked egg as it cooks with a little bit of pico sauce. It’s fantastic.
“You can choose bacon or sausage — I’m a sausage fan, myself. I have our Whataburger sausage at home in my fridge from the grocery store.”
Take note: While we don’t have HEB stores in North Carolina to enjoy Whataburger’s sausage at home, some Whataburger products are available at Walmart stores and via shipping, including its Fancy Ketchup, Spicy Ketchup and Patty Melt Sauce. Sauces and Whataburger pancake mix are also available online via its Whatastore, along with other merchandise.
So, when will the restaurants open?
As of January, the company expects to open these locations on this timeline, construction delays not withstanding:
- 3415 E. Franklin Blvd., Gastonia, NC 28056 - late spring
- 2060 US Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, NC 28602 - summer
- 12935 Albemarle Rd., Charlotte, NC 28227 - summer
- 8574 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land SC 29707 - summer
- 1408 Four Seasons Station Blvd., Greensboro, NC 27407 - summer
- 291 Harvey St., Winston-Salem, NC 27103 - late summer
- 10118 N Main St., Archdale, NC 27263 - fall
- 2713 N Main St., High Point, NC 27265 - fall
There’s a Whataburger food truck
You could potentially preview Whataburger before its arrival with its food truck, which made an appearance at the Hickory location’s groundbreaking this week.
Details on dates and locations for the food truck’s North Carolina tour this spring are still in the works, but the most important thing to know is to expect long lines. Whataburger’s superfans will show up in force once the news is out.
What about other North Carolina locations?
At some point, restaurants will be coming to the Raleigh area, as well. Look for those locations in 2026, Stroud told CharlotteFive.
Whataburger in the community
With roots in the Raleigh area, Stroud considers North Carolina home — and she plans to bring Whataburger’s focus on community to the state along with its expansion here.
“North Carolina holds a really special place in my heart. I lived in North Carolina for a total of 16 years, so it’s where my husband and I raised our three daughters. So it’s incredibly special to me in that way — 16 years up and down the highways to the mountains and to the beaches. It’s really, you know — it’s home,” she said.
“We’re not coming to sell you another burger. What we first really want to be part of the community,” Stroud said, noting the devastation of Hurricane Helene led Whataburger to become a Concert for Carolina sponsor.
”And that’s who we are. ... And you know, in that customer experience around our food, we want to be part of the communities and give back.”
