Whataburger gives away meals to Charlotte teachers as NC launch nears
Regional executives were on hand to serve smiles to teachers at Ridge Road Middle School.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Teachers and staff members at Ridge Road Middle School received a free meal just like they liked it as popular burger chain Whataburger nears the launch of its expansion in North Carolina.
The promotional event took place on Tuesday outside the school. Officials involved with the restaurant’s move to the Tar Heel State were on hand to assist with the event.
“We wanted to show appreciation to the teachers of this facility and really connect with our schools and the local community,” Shirley Belue, the regional brand leader for Whataburger said. “We really love to support schools and the neighborhoods where we’re going to be building.”
The free burger was packaged with a Whataburger North Carolina t-shirt, a water bottle, and other items.
Charlotte’s Whata-sized dreams of the Texas-based food chain are just a few months from becoming a reality. The Charlotte location is expected to open sometime in June. Gastonia should have a location open around May. Whataburger locations are also projected to open in Hickory, Indian Land, Mooresville, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem, among others, this year.
Belue said 10 sites are now planned for Whataburger in North Carolina, and even more are on the horizon.
Plans for Whataburger in North Carolina have been cooking since at least 2022 when zoning records first showed plans for the site to be built on South Boulevard in Charlotte. However, those plans stalled, leaving Charlotte without Whataburger’s fancy ketchup or patty melts.
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 hundreds of locations outside of Texas.
South Carolina already has been given a taste of the chain’s burgers with locations in Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg.
The restaurant is unrelated to the local chain of What-A-Burger restaurants found in Concord, Kannapolis, and Mooresville.
