In a now all-too-familiar scenario, Whataburger president Ed Nelson faces the task of ensuring long-term survival for Texas’ iconic fast food brand.
On April 6, the San Antonio-based company made public a difficult decision to reduce its corporate workforce by layoffs and furloughs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have not released details on how many employees it let go.
“We are working tirelessly to remain agile and responsive with a focused dedication to our restaurants,” the company said in a statement emailed to the Current.
That focused dedication may be driving a separate, more recent announcement that Whataburger is actually hiring elsewhere in its corporate structure. The chain is looking for restaurant managers and offering salaries of up to $60,000 — depending on the market — plus perks including weekly pay, medical coverage and 401k.
“We know it’s tough right now,” Whataburger Chief Restaurant Operating Officer Rob Rodriguez said in a statement. “Many people have been displaced from their jobs. … We are looking for great leaders, so restaurant industry experience isn’t required.”
Whataburger joins a list of well-known companies hiring to meet demand caused by stay-at-home and social distancing orders. H-E-B, Amazon, CVS Health, FedEx, UPS and 7-11 are looking for workers, as are food delivery services such as GrubHub, DoorDash, Instacart and Shipt.
Find the best places to get curbside, take-out and delivery on the Current‘s Good to Go San Antonio directory.
This article appears in Apr 22 – May 5, 2020.
