Famed Whataburgers Call Corpus Christi Home
Published Mar 21, 2007
The Corpus Christi Hooks draw crowds to Whataburger Field to see the boys of summer round the bases.
So, the stranger asked, what exactly is a Whataburger? What makes it so special that the Texas Legislature officially dubbed it a Texas treasure? And what is the secret to this Corpus Christi-born phenomenon’s success?
“Whataburger is made hot, made fresh and with quality ingredients – and you can get it 36,864 ways,” says Pam Cox, communications director of Whataburger. “We counted.”
More precisely, it’s a cooked-to-order burger served on a 5-inch bun (unlike the standard 4-inch bun), so large that when founder Harmon Dobson invented it in 1950, he anticipated people would pick it up with both hands and say, “What a burger!”
They did, in droves. And soon Dobson, a former bush pilot and entrepreneur, found himself rapidly expanding his business. From his first store in Corpus Christi, Dobson’s Whataburgers soon became a Texas phenomenon, and then a regional favorite, as familiar orange-and-white A-frame stores sprang up around the South and Southwest.
Today, Whataburger stores (674 in the United States and one in Mexico) are icons in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, open 24-7, and serving everything from pancakes and biscuits to chicken, and, of course, the multitalented Whataburger.
The family-owned company employs 18,000 “family members” as they are called and is proud of its reputation for having some of the industry’s longest-tenured general managers.
“We believe one of the reasons for our success is the Dobson family’s commitment to this business,” Cox says. “They really value their people, and that keeps them sticking around.”
From a customer’s point of view, Cox says Whataburger provides outstanding service, quality food and something unusual in the food business.
“When people come into our stores, we treat them like family. Managers and team members know their names, know their kids and their struggles,” Cox says, citing a recent surprise birthday party Fort Worth employees threw for an elderly regular customer – complete with a new television set.
Over the years, Whataburger has built a reputation companywide for its community spirit. Locally, it is even more actively involved, whether it’s supporting the American Cancer Society’s Cattle Barons’ Ball, or sponsoring Operation Paintbrush to spruce up local homes owned by the elderly and disabled.
Most notably, perhaps, is its support of Whataburger Field, now in its second season, and home to the Corpus Christi Hooks minor league baseball team.
“We saw an opportunity to provide wholesome family entertainment that we believed in,” Cox says. “This was truly a way to give back to a community that has been so supportive of us.”
Story by Laura Hill
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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