Why Whataburger, Why Now? OU R
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As a native Texan, I have had my fair share of the tasty delights offered by Whataburger®. In fact, when Melanie and I travel back and forth to Dallas, we always visit the Whataburger® in the airport. Whataburger® has always been a Texas brand (founded in Corpus Christi in 1950), with 700 of their 850 stores located in the Lone Star State. Collierville has been pursuing the Whataburger® brand for years with phone calls, site selection contacts, marketing materials, storytelling and an indirect relationship with one of my relative’s neighbors, who is an executive at their headquarters. Until 2019, Whataburger® was not interested in expanding outside their traditional markets. However, when Chicago-based investment company BDT Capital acquired Whataburger®, that changed. Like I have shared before, “when they expand into the Memphis market, Collierville will benefit.” Whataburger® recently announced five Memphis area locations, including one in Collierville. Pass the spicy ketchup, please! Not all brands — be it a restaurant, retailer, corporation, manufacturer or commercial enterprise — are looking for the same things in an expansion and relocation market. For example, when it comes
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to restaurant location criteria, some want a shopping center endcap, an anchor tenant such as Kroger® or close proximity to a Chick-Fil-A®. Others are only interested in the intersection of the busiest traffic zone in your community, such as Poplar and Byhalia. Traffic counts, competing brands, visibility, demographics and overall community health and growth trajectories are top of mind when a market is considered. Another tidbit that has been shared before but is worth repeating is that many times a
