00:00What a burger pulls out across the south restaurants shut down in three states
00:05ahead of expansion shift eight whataburger locations in Alabama Georgia
00:10and Tennessee abruptly closed in mid-December 2024 raising questions
00:15about the chain's southeast expansion seven sites shut at 11 59 p.m.
00:20on December 15th 2024 with one additional location in Athens Georgia
00:25closing on December 14th 2024 less than a year after most opened
00:30closures hit college towns and fast-growing suburbs like Auburn Tuscaloosa Athens and
00:35Middle Tennessee that were expected to serve heavy students and commuter traffic the
00:40swift reversal jolted communities where whataburger had quickly become part of daily life
00:45since late 2022 whataburger has opened dozens of southeast locations
00:50operations in cities like Atlanta and Nashville that rapid push strained operations
00:55as the brand moved from a Texas favorite toward a regional powerhouse some markets could not
00:59yet
01:00support several shuttered units were less than a year old including sites
01:05operations opened between March 2024 and July 2024 light
01:10all of the traffic in parts of north Georgia and execution issues suggest expansion outpace demand
01:15and scalability. Eight restaurants are permanently closing. Four in Tennessee
01:20two in Georgia and two in Alabama all closed at 1150
01:25nine p.m. on December 15th, 2024, except Athens on December 14th.
01:3014th, 2024, representing less than 1% of total locations and a poll
01:35back from underperforming areas. Auburn and Tuscaloosa lose a late
01:39night option.
01:40And Athens, Georgia joins them. Murfreesboro, Mount Juliet and Clarksville
01:45in Tennessee, also lose a drive-thru, reshaping local fast food choices
01:49overnight.
01:50Employees are being offered transfers to nearby locations to soften the blow
01:55but in smaller markets, longer commutes, shifted schedules, and tough
02:00stages.
02:00Pay or go decisions remain.
02:02Whataburger says the closures reflect routine reviews
02:05to prioritize areas with the most growth potential. Shuttering
02:09underperforms
02:10redirects resources to higher-volume markets and refines the expansion
02:14model for long-term success.
02:15Despite closures, a 2026 plan targets around 70 new
02:20locations with more than 40 in the southeast. The company frames this as a
02:25recalibration, not a retreat, signaling commitment to high-potential markets.
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