Whataburger vs. What-A-Burger

[CanesFan27]

With the recent news that the Texas-based Whataburger, known for the orange and white and distinctive A-Frame style building (logo), is coming to Charlotte, I decided to take a look at the small family-owned What-A-Burger drive-ins which can be found in some of the smaller cities outside of Charlotte.

https://www.carolinaxroads.com/2022/09/what-burger-piedmont-classic.html

[Takumi]

The Virginia What-A-Burger mentioned still has a few locations around the south side of Richmond, usually where there are no similar restaurants close by. One was snuffed out by a Cook Out opening a few blocks away a few years ago.

They also have probably the laziest company slogan I've ever seen: "meal on a bun" .

[roadman65]

Cook Out is very hard to compete with too. Great price and good value, plus awesome food.

[Bruce]

If we were to have a thread about fast food rip-offs, we gotta compare In-n-Out and its Chinese-born clone Caliburger (which expanded to the U.S. a few years ago).

[74/171FAN]

The Virginia What-A-Burger mentioned still has a few locations around the south side of Richmond, usually where there are no similar restaurants close by. One was snuffed out by a Cook Out opening a few blocks away a few years ago.

They also have probably the laziest company slogan I've ever seen: "meal on a bun" .

My understanding was that the Colonial Heights one specifically closed due to the US 1/US 301 Boulevard Reconstruction a few years ago.

[jp the roadgeek]

If we were to have a thread about fast food rip-offs, we gotta compare In-n-Out and its Chinese-born clone Caliburger (which expanded to the U.S. a few years ago).

Actually, if you're looking for an In-n-Out clone, try Mr. Beast Burger.  They're opening ghost kitchens in several existing restaurants such as one that's been discussed in this thread: Friendly's.

[roadman65]

If we were to have a thread about fast food rip-offs, we gotta compare In-n-Out and its Chinese-born clone Caliburger (which expanded to the U.S. a few years ago).

Rip off? Explain.

I had a great meal at the In and Out in Grants Pass, OR and got great value for my seven bucks.

[Bruce]

If we were to have a thread about fast food rip-offs, we gotta compare In-n-Out and its Chinese-born clone Caliburger (which expanded to the U.S. a few years ago).

Rip off? Explain.

I had a great meal at the In and Out in Grants Pass, OR and got great value for my seven bucks.

Rip-offs as in clones, not value.

[ZLoth]

I know this is sacrilege, but if I want a good burger from a chain, I go to.... Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Sorry, not In-And-Out for this former Californian or What-A-Burger for this Texan. They're OK, but I've found better. If I really want a good burger, I head to one of the local family owned eateries. Of course, I'm always time-challenged, so What-A-Burger it is then.

After moving to Texas, I do miss Carl's Jr and the pile-of-sin called the "Western Bacon Cheeseburger". The closest locations are in Anna and Rockwall. Both are at least a 30-minute drive away, and one is even longer if I want to avoid utilizing the toll road.

[hbelkins]

How has there not been a legal battle over these similar names?

I know this is sacrilege, but if I want a good burger from a chain, I go to.... Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Sorry, not In-And-Out for this former Californian or What-A-Burger for this Texan. They're OK, but I've found better. If I really want a good burger, I head to one of the local family owned eateries. Of course, I'm always time-challenged, so What-A-Burger it is then.

After moving to Texas, I do miss Carl's Jr and the pile-of-sin called the "Western Bacon Cheeseburger". The closest locations are in Anna and Rockwall. Both are at least a 30-minute drive away, and one is even longer if I want to avoid utilizing the toll road.

I like Freddy's, but I think I like Culver's better.

[ZLoth]

I know this is sacrilege, but if I want a good burger from a chain, I go to.... Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Sorry, not In-And-Out for this former Californian or What-A-Burger for this Texan. They're OK, but I've found better. If I really want a good burger, I head to one of the local family owned eateries. Of course, I'm always time-challenged, so What-A-Burger it is then.

After moving to Texas, I do miss Carl's Jr and the pile-of-sin called the "Western Bacon Cheeseburger". The closest locations are in Anna and Rockwall. Both are at least a 30-minute drive away, and one is even longer if I want to avoid utilizing the toll road.

I like Freddy's, but I think I like Culver's better.

Again, one of those "it's 30 minutes away" restaurants, and I only visited the McKinney, TX location. I only visited once, and while it was OK, but it merits one or two more return visits to really get a good feel. What is your favorite meal there?

[Henry]

This sort of reminds me of the Burger King off I-57 that is completely unrelated to the national chain of the same name. I must confess, I've never had anything from either Whataburger or What-A-Burger, but their choices are far more intriguing than the standard fare from BK/McDonalds/Wendy's. Definitely bucket list material, and I'll check them out on my next trip south.

[CanesFan27]

If we were to have a thread about fast food rip-offs, we gotta compare In-n-Out and its Chinese-born clone Caliburger (which expanded to the U.S. a few years ago).

Actually, if you're looking for an In-n-Out clone, try Mr. Beast Burger.  They're opening ghost kitchens in several existing restaurants such as one that's been discussed in this thread: Friendly's.

Mr. Beast used Wilson, NC's Burger Boy as his "launch restaurant"  for Mr. Beast Burger's for one day back in 2020.

http://www.carolinaxroads.com/2022/01/burger-boy-wilson.html

Other than that one instance it is all exclusively "ghost kitchens."  

[CanesFan27]

How has there not been a legal battle over these similar names?

Tell me you didn't read the story without telling me you didn't read the story.

"The Bost family started their What-A-Burger chain in 1956.  Eventually, nearly a dozen locations operated in the Central North Carolina Piedmont.  Yet around the same time, two other groups started similarly named restaurants.  In Virginia, the Branch Brothers started their own What-A-Burger chain of restaurants in 1957.  They first opened in Newport News and eventually spread into Richmond and South Carolina. 

The most well-known What-A-Burger is the Whataburger franchise out of Texas.  Started in 1950 by Harmon Dobson in Corpus Christi, Texas, Whataburger is now over 800 locations throughout the Southern and Southwestern United States.  It wasn't until 1970 that either the Virginia group or Texas group knew of one another.  Thirty-five years later, the Texas and Virginia companies sued each other over copyright/trademark infringement.  The Bost families were not named in either of the lawsuits.  The Court of Appeals sided in favor of the Texas group of having the first copyright; however, the court found that since the two companies operated so far apart customers would not be confused by the name.  As a result, the ruling also allowed the Bost families to keep the What-A-Burger name."

[TheHighwayMan3561]

This sort of reminds me of the Burger King off I-57 that is completely unrelated to the national chain of the same name. I must confess, I've never had anything from either Whataburger or What-A-Burger, but their choices are far more intriguing than the standard fare from BK/McDonalds/Wendy's. Definitely bucket list material, and I'll check them out on my next trip south.

The chain we know of as Burger King had to go by Hungry Jack's in Australian markets because of an unrelated Burger King already in existence there as well, I believe.

[Takumi]

The Virginia What-A-Burger mentioned still has a few locations around the south side of Richmond, usually where there are no similar restaurants close by. One was snuffed out by a Cook Out opening a few blocks away a few years ago.

They also have probably the laziest company slogan I've ever seen: "meal on a bun" .

My understanding was that the Colonial Heights one specifically closed due to the US 1/US 301 Boulevard Reconstruction a few years ago.

Yeah, that probably finished it off (the parking lot was still intact throughout the whole debacle, but the construction was such a mess that driving through there was a mess for longer than it should have been) but it was doomed when Cook Out opened and never recovered.

[Road Hog]

Add to the mix: Whatta-Burger.

https://whatta-burger.com/

[Scott5114]

I know this is sacrilege, but if I want a good burger from a chain, I go to.... Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Sorry, not In-And-Out for this former Californian or What-A-Burger for this Texan. They're OK, but I've found better. If I really want a good burger, I head to one of the local family owned eateries. Of course, I'm always time-challenged, so What-A-Burger it is then.

After moving to Texas, I do miss Carl's Jr and the pile-of-sin called the "Western Bacon Cheeseburger". The closest locations are in Anna and Rockwall. Both are at least a 30-minute drive away, and one is even longer if I want to avoid utilizing the toll road.

There is a Freddy's in Norman, but it's never found its way onto our regular rotation because it's 1) on the west side and 2) it is at a very busy intersection and seems to be inevitably on the "wrong corner" of said intersection for most any path I'd be taking through the area.

I like Whataburger's food a lot, but the one here in Norman is always so colossally swamped that any sojourn through there is guaranteed to take 30 minutes, sometimes longer. Who would have thought that having one location in a city of 100,000+ (a good chunk of which are Texans here for college) wouldn't work out so well? I basically only use Whataburger as an option when I'm in some other city and I notice that the line isn't backed up all to hell.

My experience at In-N-Out has been much more pleasant in comparison. I've only been there twice, but the wait was short and the food was good both times. I imagine my experience might differ if I were to go there a whole bunch or visit a location with a lot of expat Californians nearby.

Carl's Jr. is meh. The flavors of their food are good but the presentation always leaves something to be desired. Burgers usually come with wilted lettuce and ten gallons of mayo. I'm always tempted to buy it plain and add the condiments at home, but if I have to do that, why the hell am I buying a burger from someone else in the first place?

[kphoger]

Carl's Jr. is meh. The flavors of their food are good but the presentation always leaves something to be desired. Burgers usually come with wilted lettuce and ten gallons of mayo. I'm always tempted to buy it plain and add the condiments at home, but if I have to do that, why the hell am I buying a burger from someone else in the first place?

So you don't have to cook a hamburger?

[thenetwork]

The closest I normally can get to a Whataburger/In n Out in my travels is New Mexico's version:  Blake's Lotaburger.

[jgb191]

I have gladly stayed away from In-N-Out, and still have zero interest in even stepping foot in one of those.

[Scott5114]

I have gladly stayed away from In-N-Out, and still have zero interest in even stepping foot in one of those.

I'm on a trip to Las Vegas at the moment. On the way here, we stopped at a Whataburger in Amarillo. Two days later, we had In-N-Out in Las Vegas.

In-N-Out blew Whataburger out of the water. It wasn't even close. And I'm traveling with a Texan, who agreed with that assessment.

(On the day in between, we ate at Carl's Jr. in Winslow, Arizona. It was meh.)

[jgb191]

^ I think several others chains and local burger joints blow Whataburger out of the water.  Whataburger products just aren't the same as it used to be back in the days.  But Whataburger does have something In-N-Out won't sell....chicken sandwiches/products.  It is for that reason In-N-Out will always be "Out" of my consideration.

[Scott5114]

Fair enough, I suppose. I like Whataburger's chicken (although I don't order it very often because it makes the wait even longer).

One thing that was sort of weird about the Whataburger in Amarillo was that it required a password to get into the bathroom. That was a new one for me. I don't think the one in Norman is like that.

[texaskdog]

Water burger