The great In-N-Out vs. Whataburger debate began among members of the San Diego State football team mere moments after it was announced the Aztecs would be coming here to play Army at the Armed Forces Bowl.

SDSU head coach Rocky Long planned to settle the dispute this week with a taste test — Whataburger for lunch Wednesday and In-N-Out for lunch on Thursday.

Thirteen SDSU players come from Texas. Whataburger’s origins can be traced here as well, to a burger stand opened in 1950 in Corpus Christi. Whatburger now includes more than 800 restaurants stretching from Arizona to Florida.

SDSU running back Juwan Washington, who was born in Fort Worth, claims there’s no contest between the two burgers. Whataburger is better.


“Way better,” Washington said. “It’s more selection. You get breakfast and stuff. You’ve got desserts. In-N-Out you’ve just got three options.”

The first In-N-Out hamburger stand opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park, about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The franchise now includes more than 300 locations — two dozen of them in Texas — across the Western U.S.

As an aside: The first San Diego location opened in Lemon Grove in 1990 (And the one hour wait in line the week it opened was well worth it).

Anticipating the taste test earlier this week, SDSU wide receiver Mikah Holder said: “I’ve had (Whataburger) before, but it’s been awhile. I’m curious to what Coach Long is going to have us get from there. I might be more biased toward In-N-Out because it’s in California.”


Added SDSU safety Trey Lomax: “I’ve never had it, but I hear a lot of hype. I’m excited for it. I don’t think it will beat In-N-Out though.”

Some investigative journalism was in order Thursday afternoon, so I stopped in at the first building I spotted with an orange and white roof big and a big W on the marquee.

Mary took my order. There were 15 possible meal combinations, not including shakes, desserts and breakfast options.

I went with a No. 5 (bacon and cheese Whataburger with fries and a 32-ounce drink).


Mary ran a counterfeit detector pen across my $20 bill, creating an amber streak across it. As Mary made change, I asked what color it makes on a counterfeit bill.

“Black,” she said. “Then I have to press this button (beneath the counter) and the police come to take you away.

“It is Christmas, so I would probably give you a warning and let you head out before they got here.”

Good to know.


Mary said they got a fake $100 bill recently from a woman going through the drive-through.

“The police were here before she got inside to ask for the bill back,” Mary said.

The woman said, “Officer, I’ve got three warrants but that bill is good. It’s just old.”

But we digress.


The cheeseburger was good, but, then, isn’t anything with bacon on it? The fries were OK. No complaints, but I wasn’t blown away.

The Aztecs had boxed lunches from Whataburger waiting for them on a table as they left Wednesday’s practice.

An In-N-Out food truck made burgers on the spot after Thursday’s practice.

Nice touch.


Whataburger is open 24 hours.

At In-N-Out you can order “Animal style.”

Whataburger has sweet tea.

In-N-Out has fresh-cut fries.


And back and forth it goes.

Long declared players from California and Texas ineligible to participate in the balloting.

SDSU safety Parker Baldwin, who hails from Arkansas, offered a seemingly unbiased opinion.

“I’ve got a Whataburger just outside of my hometown,” Baldwin said. “Personally, as far as burgers go, I think In-N-Out has a better burger. Whataburger has a lot more different things to offer. Like the honey chicken biscuits are really good. The patty melt’s really good.”


Decided Baldwin: “Whataburger’s on the higher end of the fast food spectrum, but, for me, it’s just below In-N-Out.”

An official vote was not available as of Thursday night. But according to an SDSU staffer: “My exit polling has In-N-Out winning in a landslide.”

No argument here.


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kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com / on Twitter: @sdutkirKDKenney