San Antonio-based Whataburger debuts new futuristic layout and gets mixed reviews

click to enlarge San Antonio-based Whataburger debuts new futuristic layout and gets mixed reviews
Courtesy Whataburger
Last month, residents of Bellmead, Texas, became the first to set eyes on a new, first-of-its kind Whataburger boasting custom wallpaper, rotating menu boards and more glass than any other of the chain’s more than 840 other restaurants.

“It looks futuristic, is beautifully laid out, and looks as if they are really gearing up to accommodate drive-thru traffic and call-in texts for curbside delivery,” Bellmead City Manager Yost Zakhary told newspaper the Waco Tribune.

Some Twitter users didn't share that excitement back in July, when a Houston TV reporter shared renderings of the prototype online.

“This design is a complete slap in the face to the original design. But, I guess they're appealing to non-Texans,” @CharlesKDean tweeted, seeming to refer to the Chicago-based company that now owns the burger chain.


However, Whataburger Senior VP for Real Estate James Turcotte said the new design incorporates elements that made the San Antonio-based fast food company's older locations so iconic.

“There’s a lot of things that people hold sacred, if you will, about our brand,” Turcotte said in a statement on the company’s website. “That’s the iconic A-frame, the visuals, our branding, the linkage to our past. We really tried to blend those concepts in the prototype.”

That nod to the past seemed to be enough to sate other Twitter users' cravings for orange-and-white-wrapped vittles — especially now that the building is off the drawing board and brand-spanking new.

San Antonio-based Whataburger debuts new futuristic layout and gets mixed reviews (3)
Twitter / @pamela_alemap7
“Bellmead got a nice ass Whataburger now ... it’s what we deserve,” @pamela_alemap7 tweeted.

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Nina Rangel

Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio Current, she showcases her passion for the Alamo City’s culinary community by promoting local flavors, uncovering...

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