quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
Whataburger is different in Va,

I guess it was or is a separate chain,

there is only one left

Similarly, there's a fairly famous "Whatta-Burger" burger restaurant in Russellville, Arkansas that's been there since 1967, many decades before the similarly named fast food chain ever ventured into Arkansas.

No relation, and no comparison in quality.

Son in law and daughter were telling me about the "real" place in Russellville yesterday. They said it is very good.

Another branch of the same family that owns that Whatta-Burger in Russellville (the Feltners) has a burger place up here in Fayetteville that's nearly as good: https://www.feltnerbrothers.com/

Russellville also features CJ's Butcher Boy, another excellent burger joint that's been around for a while. They likewise opened one of those in Fayetteville a few years back, though the original location is better.

Kinda funny that two of the best mom-and-pop burger joints in Arkansas both originated in the same relatively small town. (Russellville has a population of just ~29k currently, and much less back in the day.)

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Since being sold the Shitcago group, the one by my house is only edible for breakfast and the service managed to get worse. However, the WhatABurger by the only 24 hour pharmacy in the area has tasty food and good service.

If I'm thinking of the same 2 locations, I'd concur. The one closest to your house was never great since they opened.
The one across I45 (and closer to my house) has always been better, but tougher to get out of when it's busy over there, and has a tiny parking lot.

It has gone massively downhill. The biggest problem is consistency store to store. I rarely eat at Whataburger anymore because you never know if you are going to get a good burger or something barely edible.

I put Whataburger with McD and Burger King as the places to never eat at again, and that's been a looooong time. Disgusting shit.

Shame that a place like Fuddruckers is nearly gone now. Their burgers were awesome. Ground their own burgers and baked their own bread in the restaurant.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Shame that a place like Fuddruckers is nearly gone now. Their burgers were awesome. Ground their own burgers and baked their own bread in the restaurant.

Can't remember the last time I even saw a Fuddruckers
I think the last time I ate in one was in high school. Did the 1lb burger on 2 occasions.
Used to regularly get a triple meat Whataburger as well. Don't think I could do that these days.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Can't remember the last time I even saw a Fuddruckers

I'm very fortunate that there is a Fuddruckers in Woodbridge, VA. Burgers are still just as yummy as they always were. Now they have an option to upgrade the patty to something made from a blend of cuts.

JP

My family and were in Texas a few weeks ago and we did Whataburger for lunch one day and In-N-Out the next day. Hands down everyone liked In-N-Out better and it was a lot cheaper!

I used to love Whataburger in the late 80's but they have went way down hill since then.

JP

Is this the same Whataburger chain as in Arizona? I was there (Phoenix) circa 2005-6 and they were quite good.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

Can't remember the last time I even saw a Fuddruckers

There used to be one across the street from where you met my wife and me for a beer.

Wife and I used to go there regularly. Last time we were there, the door was locked and there was a sheriff's notice posted, something about unpaid taxes. It never re-opened.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
I put Whataburger with McD and Burger King as the places to never eat at again, and that's been a looooong time. Disgusting shit.

Yeah but at least at McDonalds you get the same shit at every location (strictly controlled by the dudes and dudettes at corp)
Seems like WhatABurger doesn't climb all over their franchises for varying from the "formula".

Our favorite burger chain is Steak N Shake.

Inexpensive and really good.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Our favorite burger chain is Steak N Shake.

Inexpensive and really good.

they opened here back in 2010 or 2011, and then faded away,

decent burger, good fries, guess they got overhyped or something

or it could have been the shitty neighborhood they opened in,


long gone now, the closest one is in Greensboro NC

That’s a shame about WhatABurger, but it seems to be a trend with every restaurant; even the mom and pops. Since COVID, every restaurant by me in Florida might as well be Taco Bell because they all have gone down hill. The jury is out on Chick-fil-A because they closed for remodeling. Even where we are in Michigan, the only three restaurants within twenty minutes have noticeably declined.

The meals we prepare at home are as good as they have ever been, so it’s not that our tastes have changed.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

Our favorite burger chain is Steak N Shake.

Inexpensive and really good.

Inexpensive, true. Pretty good shakes, good fries, but the locations around here insist on incinerating the burgers -- they are way over-cooked.

The restaurants I frequented in South Texas in 2019, 2021, and 2022 were a breath of fresh air service wise. Hate to hear their service is headed downhill.

Was one of the fast food chains you could still get biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

I think like anything else, franchise operations live and die on the quality of the owner and GM. If they're not on top of it, things go to hell. The Whataburgers I grew up eating at in El Paso were good, but the ones here are just kind of mediocre. I do like being able to order green chili on a burger when we do go. Much better is In-N-Out burger, and as a native Texan, it kind of galls me to say it, but they run a far more consistent operation.

When I was a kid, this place called Silver Streak opened up not far from where we lived, and it was on a whole other level. They quickly opened several other locations, and I just searched, hoping that they had flourished. Looks like the last location closed three years ago, in Clint, where my grandparents lived. Damn, I guess there's no going back.

We’ve drifted away from What-a-Burger and 5 Guys in favor of Culver’s, In-n-Out and Freddie’s.