After years of rumors, it appears Texas-based Whataburger is getting ready to open its first Charlotte location near Allen at 12809 Albemarle Rd.
The company recently filed for a land development construction plan, noting the proposed commercial development “comprises of a drive-thru restaurant in an outparcel of a larger development, ‘Clear Creek Crossing,’” according to the Charlotte Observer. Whataburger initially hoped to make its area debut in the Closeburn-Glenkirk neighborhood at 5301 South Boulevard, but the property is still listed as available Kimco Realty website.
Earlier this year, the San Antonio-based burger chain submitted plans to open four restaurants around Spartanburg, about 90 miles northwest of the state’s capital, Columbia, and 70 miles southwest of Charlotte, according to the Charleston Post and Courier. These will be Whataburger’s first location in the Carolinas. It is unclear when construction will begin. Whataburger is also planning a restaurant in Anderson and has been expanding in other areas of the South, including the Atlanta metro area and North Florida.
The company first began to expand beyond its home state in the early 1960s when it grew to Arizona, Florida, and Tennessee. Whataburger saw exponential growth in 2019 after the Chicago-based investment firm BDT Capital Partners bought a majority stake. In 2021, the chain opened its first restaurant in Missouri, followed by expanding into new territories, including, Tennessee, Colorado, and Kansas. Since the new majority stake owners came into the company, Whataburger grew from 828 restaurants in ten states, generating more than $2 billion in annual sales, to nearly 150 locations, with annual sales of more than $3 billion.
