- During a recent trip to Roswell, New Mexico, we visited Whataburger, the Texas-based fast-food chain that you can only find in the southeastern and southwestern United States.
- Whataburger was founded in 1950 as a modest hamburger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- Today, there are more than 800 Whataburger locations nationwide, with over 600 in the Lone Star State.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Following is a transcript of the video.
Graham Flanagan: I'm here at Whataburger. Can't get this in New York City, only in the Southwest and the Southeast.
Employees: It's not just a hamburger, it's a...
Mel Tillis: Whataburger!
Flanagan: The first Whataburger restaurant opened in 1950 as a modest hamburger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. Today, there are more than 800 Whataburger locations across the southern US from Arizona to Florida.
I've been to burger chains all across the country, but Whataburger has always eluded me, and I wanted to see how Whataburger stacks up to the competition. I tried Whataburger in Roswell, New Mexico.
Server: Would you like any ketchup with that?
Flanagan: Yes, please. Let's see what we got here. I went with the Double Whataburger. Kept it pretty simple. I'm just gonna do the double burger, the fries, and the chocolate milkshake. So let's get into this burger. OK, very heavy. Lotta weight there. It's hot. It's fresh. No sesame-seed bun, if you can see that. It looks kinda like a McDonald's bun. The burger patties are flatter. Let's try it. Mm, it's very good. I would almost compare it to a Whopper, if I can think of a burger to compare it to from another fast-food chain. Pretty straightforward, lettuce, tomato, onions, and mustard. I really wish we had Whataburger in New York.
Let's try the fries. They look very similar to McDonald's fries. Sort of similar in thickness and length, as it were, and texture. They gave me regular ketchup and a spicy ketchup. This is the spicy ketchup.
[Whataburger sells its ketchup products on Amazon.]
Flanagan: Yeah. Oh yeah, there's a kick. Get a little milkshake. Oh, yeah, that's been neutralized. So you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna put some of the spicy ketchup on the burger. OK, we'll see if this kicks it up a notch. Oh, yeah. So pro tip: If you're at Whataburger, get the spicy ketchup, and put that on the burger. It takes it to a whole different level. It's honestly starting to venture into In-N-Out territory. If I had to choose between, you know, having to wait for 20 minutes for In-N-Out when I could just get this, I feel, I would not feel cheated in terms of quality.
And now for the "Flanagan Test." You know what's about to happen. If you don't dip your fries in your milkshake, you're doing it wrong. I gotta say that the milkshake is melting pretty quickly. There's a melt factor, but it is delicious. You can tell that it's real, been made with love.
Would I go to Whataburger over In-N-Out? Too close to call. People in the South and Southwest, they've got this. They're very blessed. Whataburger is legit, and I hope that the brand continues to expand. My final verdict, out of five stars, I'd give it four and a half.
Graham Flanagan: I'm here at Whataburger. Can't get this in New York City, only in the Southwest and the Southeast.
Employees: It's not just a hamburger, it's a...
Mel Tillis: Whataburger!
Flanagan: The first Whataburger restaurant opened in 1950 as a modest hamburger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. Today, there are more than 800 Whataburger locations across the southern US from Arizona to Florida.
I've been to burger chains all across the country, but Whataburger has always eluded me, and I wanted to see how Whataburger stacks up to the competition. I tried Whataburger in Roswell, New Mexico.
Server: Would you like any ketchup with that?
Flanagan: Yes, please. Let's see what we got here. I went with the Double Whataburger. Kept it pretty simple. I'm just gonna do the double burger, the fries, and the chocolate milkshake. So let's get into this burger. OK, very heavy. Lotta weight there. It's hot. It's fresh. No sesame-seed bun, if you can see that. It looks kinda like a McDonald's bun. The burger patties are flatter. Let's try it. Mm, it's very good. I would almost compare it to a Whopper, if I can think of a burger to compare it to from another fast-food chain. Pretty straightforward, lettuce, tomato, onions, and mustard. I really wish we had Whataburger in New York.
Let's try the fries. They look very similar to McDonald's fries. Sort of similar in thickness and length, as it were, and texture. They gave me regular ketchup and a spicy ketchup. This is the spicy ketchup.
[Whataburger sells its ketchup products on Amazon.]
Flanagan: Yeah. Oh yeah, there's a kick. Get a little milkshake. Oh, yeah, that's been neutralized. So you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna put some of the spicy ketchup on the burger. OK, we'll see if this kicks it up a notch. Oh, yeah. So pro tip: If you're at Whataburger, get the spicy ketchup, and put that on the burger. It takes it to a whole different level. It's honestly starting to venture into In-N-Out territory. If I had to choose between, you know, having to wait for 20 minutes for In-N-Out when I could just get this, I feel, I would not feel cheated in terms of quality.
And now for the "Flanagan Test." You know what's about to happen. If you don't dip your fries in your milkshake, you're doing it wrong. I gotta say that the milkshake is melting pretty quickly. There's a melt factor, but it is delicious. You can tell that it's real, been made with love.
Would I go to Whataburger over In-N-Out? Too close to call. People in the South and Southwest, they've got this. They're very blessed. Whataburger is legit, and I hope that the brand continues to expand. My final verdict, out of five stars, I'd give it four and a half.