Demolition begins for Whataburger Lake Norman location, among 8 in Charlotte area
Interior demolition work is underway for a Whataburger restaurant in Mooresville near Lake Norman.
The new location is a former O’Charley’s at 604 River Highway (N.C. 150), in the Winslow Bay Commons (Super Target) retail center.
Texas-based Whataburger recently announced that it’s expanding in the Charlotte area. The Mooresville address is listed on the Whataburger website.
Charlotte Business Journal first reported the new location.
Multiple other Whataburger restaurants are planned in the Charlotte area, Charlotte Five previously reported.
A Gastonia location at 3415 E .Franklin Blvd. is set to open this spring, and filings for construction of a Clear Creek Crossing location near Mint Hill have gotten zoning approval from the city of Charlotte. That restaurant is expected to open at 12935 Albemarle Road this summer.
The chain’s other North Carolina locations are expected to open by fall in Hickory, Indian Land, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Archdale and High Point, a Whataburger spokesman confirmed to CharlotteFive.
Few restaurant brands — if any — have captured the attention of the Carolinas that Whataburger has before its locations even broke ground, CharlotteFive reported in January.
While the hamburger chain entered the South Carolina market to great fanfare in 2024, North Carolina’s time has come this year, with at least eight restaurants set to open. (One is in South Carolina’s Indian Land community, but it’s in the restaurant’s Charlotte market.)
Known for customized, fresh-never-frozen burgers
Each Whataburger is made to order with what CEO Debbie Stroud calls “ranch-to-restaurant” all-American beef that’s fresh and hasn’t been frozen. CharlotteFive recently interviewed Stroud.
A new processing plant in Atlanta was built to support the new Southeast region stores coming on board.
“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,” Whataburger CEO Debbie Stroud told CharlotteFive recently. Stroud lived in North Carolina for 16 years.
“We start to cook it and craft it when you order it,” Stroud said. “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.”
Tomatoes, lettuce and onions are all cut fresh daily in store, too.
Whataburger’s No. 1 is a 5-ounce burger on a 5” bun, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and mustard.
The entire menu can be customized. 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 barbecue. And for an additional charge, toppings such as bacon, grilled onions, jalapenos and avocado are available.
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM.