Whataburger

BDT Capital Partners · EST. 1950 · San Antonio, Texas

+ CompareFranchise requirements
US UNITS7712025 record · QSR Pro estimates
GLOBAL UNITS9002025 record · QSR Pro estimates
FRANCHISED %15%2025 record · QSR Pro estimates
FRANCHISE REQUIREMENTSView source notes ↓Primary-source review pending

01Our Coverage

Latest

Biometric Drive-Thru Payment Arrives: Facial Recognition and Palm Scanning Reshape QSR Checkout

Steak 'n Shake has deployed biometric payment at over 300 locations. Whataburger is piloting palm vein scanning. As QSR chains race to shave seconds off drive-thru times, biometric checkout promises sub-5-second transactions, but privacy laws and consumer trust remain open questions.

Mar 24, 2026

Whataburger: why Texas won't share its burger chainMar 20, 2026The Regional Chain Advantage: Why Whataburger, Culver's, and Wawa Are Outperforming National Brands in Customer SatisfactionMar 18, 2026White Castle's Texas Gambit: Why the Slider Icon Is Finally Crossing the Red RiverMar 24, 2026Layne's Chicken Fingers Signs 44-Unit West Texas Deal as Franchise Surge AcceleratesMar 24, 2026Portillo's Strategic Reset: How a Chicago Icon Choked on Its Own ExpansionMar 24, 2026Wendy's Project Fresh Hits a Wall: U.S. Same-Store Sales Drop 11.3% as the Turnaround StallsMar 20, 2026How Culver's Quietly Became the Midwest's Most Profitable FranchiseMar 20, 2026Culver's: the Midwest's best-kept QSR secretMar 20, 2026Wawa vs Sheetz vs QuikTrip: The Convenience Store QSR WarMar 20, 2026How Wawa Is Quietly Becoming a QSR GiantMar 20, 2026Five Guys: The Anti-Franchise FranchiseMar 20, 2026

02About the Brand

Texas-based burger chain with 24-hour service and regional cult following

FIG 1 — US UNIT COUNT, 2019–2025

RECORD YEARS AND SOURCE LABELS BELOW

Records can refer to different reporting dates within a year. Estimates are identified in the source labels; these records are not a like-for-like growth calculation.

2019
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2020
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2021
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2022
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2023
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2024
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2025
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