'Sell out!': As Houston and Texas rip Whataburger deal, J.J. Watt has a solution



"Ok, I say we all chip in and buy Whataburger back. Make honey butter chicken biscuits available all day, add kolaches to the menu and change nothing else. Especially not the ketchup."

>>>Click through to see all of the reactions from around Texas, Houston and the rest of social media to the Whataburger sale.

less Houston Texans defensive star J.J. Watt responded to popular Texas chain Whataburger being sold to a business in Chicago.

"Ok, I say we all chip in and buy Whataburger back. Make honey butter chicken ... more Houston Texans defensive star J.J. Watt responded to popular Texas chain Whataburger being sold to a business in Chicago. Photo: Twitter Screenshot Photo: Twitter Screenshot Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close 'Sell out!': As Houston and Texas rip Whataburger deal, J.J. Watt has a solution 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

Whataburger isn't just a Texas thing anymore.

And people from Houston to DFW to El Paso and almost everywhere in between are not happy about it.

Especially not J.J. Watt. The hulking lineman may have Wisconsin roots, but Texas has become his home away from home.

Here's what's got the Texans star so unhappy.

On HoustonChronicle.com: New Whataburger swag just for dad

On Friday, Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners announced it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in Whataburger, the incredibly popular Texas-based burger chain (you can read about the full details of that deal here).

Watt has expressed his love of Whataburger before. And on Twitter, he even proposed an inventive, multi-step solution for how to keep the brand out of the hands of a non-Texas company.

Above you can read Watt's solution and how residents in Houston and the state of Texas reacted to the sale of Whataburger.

Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here