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The iconic Texas fast-food restaurant Whataburger turns 69 on Thursday.

Harmon Dobson opened Whataburger #1 on August 8, 1950 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The first location sold burgers for just 25 cents along with drinks and chips.

The first location outside of Corpus Christi opened two years later in Kingsville, Texas. The first non-Texas location opened in 1959 in Pensacola, Florida.

The first "A-frame" location opened in the 1960s in Odessa, Texas.

The first Whataburger drive thru was installed in 1971.

In 1982, Whataburger began to have locations open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


There are now more than 800 Whataburger restaurants across Texas and the southeastern United States.

In June 2019, Whataburger announced the sale of a majority interest in the company to a merchant bank based in Chicago, BDT Capital Partners, that advises and invests in family and founder-led companies.

Whataburger headquarters will remain in San Antonio.