The Texas-based chain known for its patty melts and spicy ketchup is finally coming to the Charlotte area.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Popular fast food chain Whataburger will break ground on its first North Carolina location Tuesday as the company prepares to open a restaurant in Hickory.ย
The company held a groundbreaking ceremony at 2060 U.S. Highway 70 SE in Hickory on Tuesday morning to celebrate the occasion. And while this will be among the first Whataburgers in North Carolina, the company also has plans to build a restaurant in east Charlotte.ย
A permit filed in early December would allow Florida-based Equinox Development to build a Whataburger on Albemarle Road near Interstate 485 as part of a project called Clear Creek Crossings. County records show the developer also plans to build a Publix and other retail sites as part of the project.ย
It’s still unclear when the Whataburger restaurants will open.ย
Plans for Whataburger have been cooking since at least 2022 when zoning records first showed plans for the site to be built on South Boulevard. However, those plans stalled, leaving Charlotte without Whataburger’s fancy ketchup or patty melts.
Efforts materialized once again in 2023 at the Albemarle Road site and have slowly made their way through the approval stages. The zoning plans were approved in March. Plans later appeared for additional Whataburger locations on Sunset Road and Mallard Creek Road. However, these plans have not received any sort of approval at this time, according to zoning records.
Whataburger has been a Texas staple since it opened its first location in 1950 with over 700 locations in the Lone Star State. The fast food chain has expanded to states across the country and now hasย nearly 300 locations outside of Texas.ย
The restaurant is unrelated to the local chain of What-A-Burger restaurants found in Concord, Kannapolis, and Mooresville.
