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Apparently, Whataburger of Texas & What-A-Burger of Virginia are two different hamburger chains. As far as I can tell, Whataburger has never operated a restaurant in North Carolina. The Texas-based Whataburger sued the Virginia-based What-A-Burger in 2003 over trademark infringement.
I know a little of the history of the NC Whataburger chain. It was started in Concord NC in the late 1950's by a restaurateur who had visited an early left coast McDonald's and tried to copy it. It was hugely successful. So much so that several new Whataburgers were built in the surrounding counties and franchise Whataburgers were established in both NC and SC. I worked in one of those franchises as a teenager.
Most Whataburgers (perhaps all of them) featured curb service by locally hired teenage boys. It was a fun job and it bought my first car, a bright Candyapple red 55 Chevy with a Corvette motor, Duntov Cam and a four speed!
The logo of the Carolina's Whataburgers included a model T Ford with hamburger wheels that rotated on the sign. The signs today are highly prized by collectors. A lighted outdoor sign with working rotating hamburger wheels recently sold for nearly 5K at an auction in Concord, NC.
There were several Whataburgers in Charlotte with the largest one on Independence near what is now Cricket Arena (soon to be Bojangles Coliseum). The Whataburger there outsold all of the national chains except McDonald's and threatened the popularity of a Charlotte institution, South 21 Curb restarant.
The Whataburger sandwich was a great deal in it's time period. It was a larger burger and larger bun than McDonald's or Burger King and it was much cheaper! It came standard either as a "yankee" with mayo, lettuce and tomato, optional onion; "regular" with mustard, ketchup, slaw or relish, Whataburger sauce, onion optional; or "western" with chilli, onion and Whataburger sauce.
Many people loved Whataburger Onion Rings and would drive great distances for them. The restaurants also sold great homemade icecream and some sold "plate lunches" if they had inside seating.
I believe Whataburger of the Carolinas was established before the ones in the Southwest.
There is no relation between or intended similarity between the Carolinas Whataburger and those elsewhere.
Overzealous expansion, fierce national fast food competition and the recession of the Carter years proved the undoing of the franchises. I believe that there are only 2 Whataburgers left, both in Cabarrus County, NC.
Last edited by General Ambivalence; 12-15-2008 at 07:23 AM..
There was a What A Burger in Albemarle, where I was born in the early 50's. We continued to visit family there after moving to Raleigh when I was 6 years old. This thread (most of it anyway ) has brought back lotsa good memories.
The north Caroline and Virgina What-A-Burger was started in the 40s and is the Whataburger of Texas I belive in the 50s so how do you think the Texas chain is the real What-A-Burger
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) has brought back lotsa good memories. 
