Whataburger Breaks Ground in 17th State

Whataburger is headed in new directions in 2025—its 75th year of operation.

As of Jan. 1, new President and CEO Debbie Stroud is at the helm, as was previously announced in line with Ed Nelson’s retirement. And on Jan. 7, the fast-casual broke ground on its first North Carolina restaurant, located in Hickory. North Carolina becomes the Texas-based brand’s 17th state.

“Following our sponsorship of the Concert for Carolina, our hearts are still very much with the communities trying to recover from Hurricane Helene,” Whataburger writes in a social media post. “We marked our Hickory ground breaking with a gift to the Catawba Science Center because we love any organization that Feeds Student Success. We’ll be back soon with more ground breakings, grand openings, hot burgers and investments in the community.”

More broadly, in honor of its 75th anniversary, the brand brought back its Monterey melt and the chicken fajita taco—two “legendary menu items.” And, on the beverage side, a Mexican hot chocolate coffee (iced or hot) and Mexican hot chocolate shake are debuting.