Whataburger opens in Atlanta area
Dozens more planned there as chain grows in Southeast, Midwest
Whataburger debuted its first restaurant in the Atlanta area Monday, creating a foothold for the San Antonio burger chain’s rapid expansion into the nation’s eighth-largest metro.
The company plans to add 10 more restaurants in the area in the coming year and more than 50 over the next seven years with franchisee Made to Order Holdings. That includes locations in Woodstock, Cumming, Buford, Monroe, Covington, Snellville, Dawsonville and Athens, home of the the University of Georgia’s main campus.
Its first store is in Kennesaw, a city about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, and it opened Monday with drive-thru service. Dining room access, digital ordering and curbside and delivery services will be offered in the coming weeks, Whataburger said in an announcement.
Made to Order Holdings is managed by Travis Goff of Goff Capital, the family office of Fort Worth billionaire John Goff, state corporate filings indicate.
John Goff is chairman of Crescent Real Estate, an investment, operation and development firm with hotels, apartments, offices and senior living facilities in its portfolio, according to its website.
Previously, Whataburger’s only restaurant in Georgia was a location in Thomasville, near the Florida border.
Whataburger is quickly expanding in the Southeast and Midwest.
That was the aim when Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in Whataburger in 2019 and the company began franchising
again after a 20-year pause.
Franchising is a faster and less expensive route to expansion than opening company-owned stores, but it also means corporations have less control over the brand.
Whataburger and KMO Burger, an investor-led franchise group that includes Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, plan to develop 30 restaurants in Kansas and Missouri.
Six locations — including the first in Kansas City — have opened so far. An additional nine are slated to open this year and next year, according to Whataburger’s website.
The company and franchisees have also opened more restaurants in Tennessee, including the first in the Nashville area, and Colorado. A location at San Antonio International Airport opened in September.
Whataburger has more than 800 restaurants across 14 states and generates over $3 billion in sales annually.