I was born and raised in Southern California and thus I am very familiar with the allure of an In-N-Out Burger. In-N-Out Burger originated in Baldwin Park, California in 1948 and has grown to over 350 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and Colorado, In-N-Out Burger is known for its fresh, delicious ingredients and simple menu. I grew up with In-N-Out Burger.
Whataburger was founded in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1950 and was family-owned until 2019, when a majority stake in the company was purchased by a private equity firm. There are currently (as of spring 2022) over 880 Whataburger locations, including over 700 in Texas. But there are no Whataburgers in California at the current time.*
On a recent trip to Birmingham, Alabama, there was a Whataburger directly across the street from my hotel. I've seen Whataburger from time to time in my travels, but never dined at one - nor did I know anything about Whataburger.
The topic of Whataburger came up with some folks I was hanging out with. They noted they were hungry the previous night, late at night, and that their hunger was resolved by a meal from Whataburger. Grandparents Bob and Gloria noted the deliciousness of their Whataburger late night snack. And thus, I decided it was time for me to try a Whataburger for the first time.
The layout of the Whataburger I ate at was very similar to the layout of an In-N-Out Burger. There multiple busy drive-through lines but there was also a large indoor dining area. The clean, bright, fairly spartan layout reminded me of the layout of In-N-Out Burger.
