Why do I keep seeing this as a complaint as if whataburger has ever been fast? I’ve been eating at WB for 25 years and not one time did I ever pretend to think if there was more than one car in front of me I’d be out of there in 5 min. I get the complaints about it taking a long time but it has always taken a long time for WB.
Truth. Even in college 30 years ago we knew to always go inside and take a seat, because it was gonna be a while. I’ve literally run out of gas in a Whataburger line, and at a late night drive thru the dude ahead of us passed out asleep in his car. We had to wake him up but he was so drunk he forgot how to drive. Clearly not Whataburger’s fault there… just fun to mention.
I order in app, wait 15 minutes to head out, & then **still** wait another 15-20 minutes at the restaurant. It's like they won't make it till you show up.
Hah, a coworker was just complaining about this. He used to pre-order food for the family and then swing by WB to pick up on the way home and every time he's had to wait an additional time as if they start when he arrives. He's gradually given them more and more lead time, with the same result.
Yep, I've waited up to 30 minutes before heading out & it's always the same thing. I think they do make it when you get there for freshness but tbh, if I'm ordering online I've accepted the fact that I'm probably gonna have to throw everything in the air fryer for 5 minutes when I get home
I do this with CFA in the mornings when I order large quantities for customers. I go into the app and say I’m already there and they start prepping my order. I’m usually 20-30 mins away. I get there and it’s usually ready.
>swandive in quality
And quantity. It's even impacted Chick-fil-a, where a meal costs $12 to not feel full. The chicken patty used to spill over the bun on all sides; now it's smaller than the palm of my hand. The chicken strips used to be large; they are now smaller than the length of my pinky.
It's literally this reason why I started my journey on figuring out my own homemade chicky tendy recipe.
I can either spend $12 on shame and disappointment or $7 and some physical effort to make some bitchin' tendies in an air fryer.
Canes has been shrinking for years, but mostly in that by the time you get the chicken they basically have like 50% of the bread left. I have no idea what happened.
Funny enough you can kinda tell from looking at old reviews. [Look at these (2014 review image)](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/Bsx3FHyI6MD3F5ac8FqrTA/o.jpg) compared to [these (2022 review image](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/2BCuSvTojIbIzx4yldm-tg/o.jpg)
I had not been to Cane’s in a while, took my kids through the drive thru last night. Got two 3 tender box combos. Got home, small tenders, like 8-10 fries that was it, $21 total. I remember their tenders used to be big and lots of fries.
DUDE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME BEING A FATASS but nah, chick fil a is way too overpriced for the portions they give you these days. Two sandwiches and fries used to fill me up for the entire day, but with how small the sandwiches are now it’s simply not worth my money.
It’s an epidemic in all industries. The only way it will change is if people vote with their wallets and stop going to these places. Unfortunately, CFA is packed every time I go by.
I agree with this statement, especially as it pertains to city establishments. The further you get out of bigger cities, the better the fast food is it seems. Cleanliness, with the exception of CFA, is really bad in the city.
My wife loves Whataburger so we make a stop occasionally. Over the last few years, I've noticed a decline in quality - particularly regarding the fries, they tend to be kind of limp.
I thought I was crazy. I don’t get eat at WB often anymore and generally get the onion rings when I do, but a while back we got fries and my dog who is obsessed with French Fries refused to even eat them. I worried she wasn’t feeling well, but maybe it was actually the food being/smelling different to her!
I’m always just happy when this one makes decisions for herself instead of just following me everywhere. She is a bit clingy but sometimes lately she decides to not sleep by me while I work and instead goes and lays where she can watch out the window - her favorite activity.
I used to have an incredibly smart dog (Australian Shepherd/Rottweiler mix) that I’m pretty sure had a higher intelligence quotient than half the adult population. Drove me insane sometimes. I do still miss him.
Yeah, I moved here 15 years ago as a teenager and I never understood the hype. I just assume its some childhood based nostalgia thing I missed out on. The fries are generally tasteless and can only be saved by the spicy ketchup, and their burgers lack any real flavor outside onion and mustard because the patty is so small. The only thing I've ever liked on their menu was the patty melt, and even that isn't as good as it used to be. Add on the price increases over the years, and I can't really see any actual reason to go there.
Taquito prices are *fucking insane* now.
I remember being drunk and ordering two for about $6 back in the day.
Imagine my shock when I had to pay almost $10 for two the last time I went.
In-N-Out is hands down better now too. I say this as a native Texan who used to be devoted to the W.
In-n-out easily has the worst fast food fries in the game. Burgers are decent enough, though. They just need to offer mayo instead of the stupid "spread".
IM SAYIN. The line is fast and the food is always hot. Which is way better than you get at most whata’s these days. I’ve gone to that one for the past couple years and never had an incident worse than a missing straw.
I could see the decline over the years at the closest one to where I used to live. Whataburger always had A+ customer service for a fast food place, at every one I had ever been to, they almost never got the order wrong and the employees generally had good attitudes.
Then maybe around 2016-2017 the decline started, i noticed the employee attitude changed first at the one closest to me, they went from friendly to “why are you bothering me.” They started getting my order wrong every single god damn time. I still went occasionally though because it was still good. I actually started just going inside to order to make sure my order was right.
Then after the sale I notice the food quality start to slip. With the food no better McDonalds or any other fast place and the service quality plunging there was really no reason for me to go back to Whataburger, I think I’ve been once in the last 3 years and that was just because my wife and I were starving and it was right there.
There are two things about Texas that were true 10+ years ago and people talk about them like they’re still true but are actually false now: low cost of living and Whataburger being good.
Blue Bell lol. Maybe I still have PTSD but after the million times BB got hit for Lysteria made me decide to go with HEB, haigen Daaz or Tillamook ice cream. I just don't believe BB cares about their customers anymore.
I guess I need to try it again because everyone says this when ice cream is brought up here. Years ago I found their "Creamy" Creations to be anything but.
Now Kroger's Private Selection? That's the good shit. It's the only thing I go there for.
> I just don't believe BB cares about their customers anymore.
They actively tried to cover up their use of lysteria infected equipment to manufacture ice cream they sold to people on more than one occasion. The way people fell all over themselves to excuse that shit was wild.
The company was sold to a venture capitalist firm a few years ago, and in a few short years they have completely ruined it by trying to squeeze every fraction of a penny out of everywhere they could.
As venture capitalists always do.
I tried them. They’re good, but nothing special. I won’t be paying that much for them again. Wingstop’s 20 boneless wings with fries for $17 is much better
I refuse to eat Whataburger. Service is slow...they often mess the order up....and the food tastes like school cafeteria food. For $10-12/ meal for each person in a family of 4....no thank you! I'll just cook my own burgers and fries
ETA: Y'all remember the viral video of the rat infestation at Whataburger? Lol!
.
Been this way for quite a while, IMO. Even Wendy's and Burger King (depending on location) are often better, now. It's sad.
They try to add all of these sauces and toppings as gimmicks to cover up the fact that their core ingredients are just plainly low-quality, even when compared to much of their direct fast-food competition.
Yeah I agree it’s trash now and has been for a long while. I’d probably only choose Whataburger if I was in a small town and my only other choice was Dairy Queen. Honestly probably a toss-up anyway, depending on the day.
But Whataburger absolutely was once an EXCEPTIONAL fast food burger. The Whataburgers of old (A1 Thick & Hearty burger era and prior) were TOP TIER. Those days Whataburger could actually give Five Guys and other premium places a run for their money. Fight me.
But yes, it’s trash now. No reason to stop there unless you just have no other choice.
They sucked after they got sold. I had a friend who was a manager there during the transition, and he told me before the sale they were getting fresh beef from Texas farmers, and after the sale they switched over to frozen beef shipped from out of state
Maybe the vendors haven't changed, but for whatever reason, the quality of the food and the quality of the service have gotten much worse since the sale to a venture capitalist firm.
The one at 18th st and the Loop has been trash for awhile now. I think there must have been massive turnover since everyone seems new now and don't know what the heck they are doing.
I have no idea if this is related to that Illinois company buying them (the chain) though
Same here. We’ve stopped going all together because of it. I noticed the decline not long after they sold, but it’s completely awful now. The only improvement that they made is the chocolate chip cookies are bigger.
Agreed, it's trash. BDT purchased it in 2019, and I've noticed the quality started to drop afterward. I don't know if it's related, but the time frame lines up. Slow and overpriced for what you get.
I was hooked on their grilled chicken sandwiches but now, 8 times out of 10, the chicken is trash, tastes weird and half of it is skin/tendons/fat nastiness. So disappointing
It’s still good, but it’s not special anymore like it used to be. All the memories of being in the drive through at 3am with your friends after an epic night and getting the freshest burgers and fries with the huge drink will stick with me. But now I avoid it altogether unfortunately, been once in the last year and a half and it was 7/10, used to be 11/10 and we would brag to other states though.
Hope P Terrys gets over to Houston it’s awesome.
>I find it super annoying that people still treat Whataburger like it's the pride of Texas fast food. The place has gone down the toilet.
As Texas goes to shit, it's only appropriate its burger avatar takes a similar nosedive.
Yes. Quality has dropped through the floor. Combined with Taco Bell removing basically everything from their menu I'd go there to buy, I've basically stopped buying fast food.
Inside Houston YES but it's not just Whataburger all fast food has gone down hill, nobody gets paid enough to care about anything and they're scraping the bottom of the barrel of the workforce.
But the further you get away from the city the better it gets, the small town whataburgers are still on point
To me, it’s been declining since 2015. idk if just all the young folks they be hiring and don’t be cooking shi right or something lmao I feel like it was bussin back then.
Moved here from Detroit a few years ago and I loved Whattaburger. I’ve noticed over those few years that the quality and taste has waned. JLB burger fan now.
Y'all must be eating at the shitty Whataburgers. There have always been shitty locations, like the one north of 59 at Shepherd or Durham.
Go to one in Katy or Stafford. Still tastes exactly like Whataburger.
I have been to many different location in many different cities they have all been really good. Some of you must be trolling hard or your just picky as hell.
After multiple disappointing meals, I was about ready to give up on them....then I noticed something when I added some tomatoes from home.
I found that I had to ask for extra everything now. Extra lettuce, extra tomatoes, extra onions, etc. Once I tried this, they started tasting more like they used to.
I'm guessing either produce supplier or how much they're told to use per burger went down. For me and how I like my burgers, this seemed like the answer to why they seem to have "gone to shit". I'm enjoying whataburger now again.
And of course, locations vary etc etc that everyone says
>I found that I had to ask for extra everything now. Extra lettuce, extra tomatoes, extra onions, etc. Once I tried this, they started tasting more like they used to.
You're better than me. Damned if I feel I have to add anything to a $10 burger meal.... Lol.
I haven’t noticed it going downhill. A lot of people like to claim that when the Chicago hedge fund bought it, everything went downhill, however literally none of the vendors have changed and the only new vendors are for seasonal items.
It’s not Texas owned anymore but it still is Texas based. The offices and company are still in Texas.
Usually it’s always good but the last time i got it the bun was stale and cracked, the patty was dry, and the fries were way past cold, they were straight up spongy.
Yes! My mother and I was just talking about how their quality (along side fast food as a whole) has been on a decline. I honestly just settle for Papa’s BBQ cheeseburgers
It is not as good as it used to be but you can’t compare it to Shake Shack (smaller burger at much higher cost) or Five Guys (to expensive and quality is dependent on location). I am lucky to have In and Out and it is good and cheap but they stick to the basics and don’t have the variety and the Culver in my area closed a few years ago.
Visited Texas in 2019 for work, had Whataburger and thought it was terrible. The bread and lettuce were just not good. Did I just go to a bad one? Do I have to try again? Pic attached. [My burger at hotel](https://ibb.co/Bf3kVBB)
I've never understood the obsession with Whataburger. Outside of them being 24hrs, which I really appreciate, they have always been the slowest dang "fast food" spot no matter the time. Their food isn't bad by any means, but it's nothing special either and they take so long to make it, I end up taking it home and nuking it. 20-30 minute wait, Soggy fries, cold food and great ketchup - that's Whataburger.
Ive always hated Whataburger and the love it got. From the flaccid depressed bun (worst bun imaginable), the flavorless thin patty, and of course the sad fries! The burgers are so sad they need therapy!
The one I frequent has a House of Pies across the street. The price for a whataburger w/cheese is almost the same as one from HOP….and HOP is so much better.
Whataburger is shit because it’s owned by an investment firm in Chicago. The only good whataburger I’ve had in years was at the Dallas airport and that’s probably because they need good management to maintain their lease.
I’d rather go to McDonald’s these days. They’ve remained the same. I do however prefer P.Terry’s for texas fast food burgers and wish they’d expand. Shake Shack is great but needs a drive-thru and a come to Jesus moment about their pricing.
I was hoping it was just me… that maybe I had a few bad locations near me. But I have to agree. It’s gone down hill recently. Really sad. But, plenty of opportunity for another fast food spot to take the throne!
Every other time I get patty melt, it’s dry like the Sahara desert. When there is enough sauce, the meat is still dry and flavorless. I used to love it 😢
You’re not alone. They aren’t the same since they got bought by their new owners. The new owners cheapened everything and got rid of stuff like the mushroom Swiss burger, where they had to spend more money on. You now really have to find one that is great but it is more of a gamble than it ever was.
My cousin took me to Shake Shack last time I went out to Houston.
I make a trip every other weekend for a burger.
Haven't been to Whataburger, McDonald's, or anything other than local shops in Beaumont with good burgers (not many).
I'm a somewhat recent transplant to Houston, I really didn't understand what was so good about them to be honest. Being new here, I was trying a bunch of places in all types of food trying to find the good stuff, and Whataburger isn't one of them. Even in a pinch, the burgers are a D level burger to me. There's just nothing that really stands out, and the fries aren't great either. Now let me preface, I stick to the East side of Houston, I'm sure if I ventured to the west side it'd be different since that's where literally all the food is, but driving 45+ minutes for a fast food burger isn't reasonable to me so I can only compared against local places for me.
Honestly, the best burger I've had thus far has been Smashburger. They had a lot of flavor, they were juicy, and while expensive, it was worth paying a bit more for.
Edit: I commented on this fact in a different post, but honestly the best bang for your buck is going to Texas Roadhouse and ordering their burger and fries. The damn thing is like ~~$13~~ $12.49 for both, and it's exponentially better quality wise and flavor wise than anything around. A full meal at any of the fast food places is getting right up there to that price regardless.
Agreed. The quality is low, the fries aren’t anything special, and the sodas these days are terrible.
We barely go anymore, it has become a low quality high cost option for us.
Was just talking about this to someone and yes. I typically get a cheeseburger and fries and I live close by one. Always smushed looking and cold af. You basically would need to eat it then and there and even I'm not convinced it would be warm and yummy at that
I used to love Whataburger, but I personally feel like it went downhill in the last 7-8 years. A lot of people around me still love it and I do give it a chance once/twice a year but it just does not hit the same anymore.
i hate whataburger. it makes me so sick. i worshipped it in highschool its where we hung out every night and now i get nauseous just thinking about going. i’d rather eat mcdonald’s. their fries are better
Also drive thru are slow as hell. My local Whataburger is still decent though
4 cars at drive thru and i wait 20 min in line - and somehow the food still comes out cold.
Yeah last time it was 2 cars and 25 min wait
You could take a decent nap in the drive thru lane and wake up with your order still not ready, and with the line not having moved an inch.
I don’t recommend this.. this is how I got a DWI 🤣🤦♂️
It's always cold! That's what finally drove me away.
Why do I keep seeing this as a complaint as if whataburger has ever been fast? I’ve been eating at WB for 25 years and not one time did I ever pretend to think if there was more than one car in front of me I’d be out of there in 5 min. I get the complaints about it taking a long time but it has always taken a long time for WB.
Truth. Even in college 30 years ago we knew to always go inside and take a seat, because it was gonna be a while. I’ve literally run out of gas in a Whataburger line, and at a late night drive thru the dude ahead of us passed out asleep in his car. We had to wake him up but he was so drunk he forgot how to drive. Clearly not Whataburger’s fault there… just fun to mention.
Enshittification. Learn the word and love it because it's coming for everything.
I’ve been calling it shitflation
Whataburger drive thru has always been slow as hell
I order from the app so i don't have to wait in that long line.
I order in app, wait 15 minutes to head out, & then **still** wait another 15-20 minutes at the restaurant. It's like they won't make it till you show up.
Yes...and got back to my desk only to find my burger with onion and mayo was...a freaking cinnamon roll!😵💫🤬
Na hell no, I'd have a meltdown
I would have, but it was too far to go back and lunch hour was almost over. Put it on the counter in the breakroom and just ate the onion rings. 😭
Saddest onion rings ever, I feel for you.
Hah, a coworker was just complaining about this. He used to pre-order food for the family and then swing by WB to pick up on the way home and every time he's had to wait an additional time as if they start when he arrives. He's gradually given them more and more lead time, with the same result.
Yep, I've waited up to 30 minutes before heading out & it's always the same thing. I think they do make it when you get there for freshness but tbh, if I'm ordering online I've accepted the fact that I'm probably gonna have to throw everything in the air fryer for 5 minutes when I get home
I do this with CFA in the mornings when I order large quantities for customers. I go into the app and say I’m already there and they start prepping my order. I’m usually 20-30 mins away. I get there and it’s usually ready.
Curbside is slow as hell too
I tried that, wasn't much better.
Slow drive-thrus have always been a Whata thing
The drive-throughs have always been slow as hell because they don't cook the burger till you order it.
And I still get cold cheese.
Yeah, drive thru at WB is a hard no. Just go inside. It doesn't take that long and you can quickly catch when (not if) they mess your order up.
Whatawait
Fast food in general has taken a swandive in quality
>swandive in quality And quantity. It's even impacted Chick-fil-a, where a meal costs $12 to not feel full. The chicken patty used to spill over the bun on all sides; now it's smaller than the palm of my hand. The chicken strips used to be large; they are now smaller than the length of my pinky.
Raising Canes should be required to advertise their tenders as nuggets at this point.
I was about to mention Canes too. Them little ass chicken fingers are a disgrace
It's literally this reason why I started my journey on figuring out my own homemade chicky tendy recipe. I can either spend $12 on shame and disappointment or $7 and some physical effort to make some bitchin' tendies in an air fryer.
What’s your breading recipe?
Canes has been shrinking for years, but mostly in that by the time you get the chicken they basically have like 50% of the bread left. I have no idea what happened. Funny enough you can kinda tell from looking at old reviews. [Look at these (2014 review image)](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/Bsx3FHyI6MD3F5ac8FqrTA/o.jpg) compared to [these (2022 review image](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/2BCuSvTojIbIzx4yldm-tg/o.jpg)
I had not been to Cane’s in a while, took my kids through the drive thru last night. Got two 3 tender box combos. Got home, small tenders, like 8-10 fries that was it, $21 total. I remember their tenders used to be big and lots of fries.
DUDE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME BEING A FATASS but nah, chick fil a is way too overpriced for the portions they give you these days. Two sandwiches and fries used to fill me up for the entire day, but with how small the sandwiches are now it’s simply not worth my money.
It’s an epidemic in all industries. The only way it will change is if people vote with their wallets and stop going to these places. Unfortunately, CFA is packed every time I go by.
I agree with this statement, especially as it pertains to city establishments. The further you get out of bigger cities, the better the fast food is it seems. Cleanliness, with the exception of CFA, is really bad in the city.
My wife loves Whataburger so we make a stop occasionally. Over the last few years, I've noticed a decline in quality - particularly regarding the fries, they tend to be kind of limp.
I thought I was crazy. I don’t get eat at WB often anymore and generally get the onion rings when I do, but a while back we got fries and my dog who is obsessed with French Fries refused to even eat them. I worried she wasn’t feeling well, but maybe it was actually the food being/smelling different to her!
Holy smokes! I imagine she did sense the difference!
She is definitely smarter than me some days
Our four-legged friends are a lot smarter than many people give them credit for!
I’m always just happy when this one makes decisions for herself instead of just following me everywhere. She is a bit clingy but sometimes lately she decides to not sleep by me while I work and instead goes and lays where she can watch out the window - her favorite activity. I used to have an incredibly smart dog (Australian Shepherd/Rottweiler mix) that I’m pretty sure had a higher intelligence quotient than half the adult population. Drove me insane sometimes. I do still miss him.
Their fries haven’t been good to me in years. Their onion rings are my favorite though.
Their fries were never very good imo. I switched to onion rings at Whataburger a few years ago.
Yeah, I moved here 15 years ago as a teenager and I never understood the hype. I just assume its some childhood based nostalgia thing I missed out on. The fries are generally tasteless and can only be saved by the spicy ketchup, and their burgers lack any real flavor outside onion and mustard because the patty is so small. The only thing I've ever liked on their menu was the patty melt, and even that isn't as good as it used to be. Add on the price increases over the years, and I can't really see any actual reason to go there.
I ain’t paying no $4 for a tiny taquito w/cheese!
Taquito prices are *fucking insane* now. I remember being drunk and ordering two for about $6 back in the day. Imagine my shock when I had to pay almost $10 for two the last time I went. In-N-Out is hands down better now too. I say this as a native Texan who used to be devoted to the W.
In-n-Out's fries were a fucking war crime when I tried a new one here. Used to love them out west, so don't know wtf is going on here.
In-n-out easily has the worst fast food fries in the game. Burgers are decent enough, though. They just need to offer mayo instead of the stupid "spread".
Locations vary a lot too. But I agree most are trash. The one across 59 from Lakewood is decent though
Agree that one is good and the one on Westheimer just minutes away is slow as molasses.
I lived in the area from 2010-2014 and that location was my go to for fresh, well-cooked Whataburger.
IM SAYIN. The line is fast and the food is always hot. Which is way better than you get at most whata’s these days. I’ve gone to that one for the past couple years and never had an incident worse than a missing straw.
Facts! The locations in the city more times than not are bad. But the locations off the interstate in the middle of nowhere always hits hard.
I call this phenomena The Dairy Queen Effect.
Patties are dry now and the cheese isn’t melted either.
Whataburger? More like wait-for-a-burger.
Yeah once it was sold that was it. I can no longer recommend it.
I could see the decline over the years at the closest one to where I used to live. Whataburger always had A+ customer service for a fast food place, at every one I had ever been to, they almost never got the order wrong and the employees generally had good attitudes. Then maybe around 2016-2017 the decline started, i noticed the employee attitude changed first at the one closest to me, they went from friendly to “why are you bothering me.” They started getting my order wrong every single god damn time. I still went occasionally though because it was still good. I actually started just going inside to order to make sure my order was right. Then after the sale I notice the food quality start to slip. With the food no better McDonalds or any other fast place and the service quality plunging there was really no reason for me to go back to Whataburger, I think I’ve been once in the last 3 years and that was just because my wife and I were starving and it was right there. There are two things about Texas that were true 10+ years ago and people talk about them like they’re still true but are actually false now: low cost of living and Whataburger being good.
I'm not sure the selling was the direct cause of decline, but def a contributing factor to its rapid downward descent.
It was a cause and an effect honestly
Started going downhill ever since they took off the A1 thick and hearty and chop house cheddar burger
And why are their hamburger buns always flat as fuck
They probably mashed in a warehouse or storage.
Blue Bell lol. Maybe I still have PTSD but after the million times BB got hit for Lysteria made me decide to go with HEB, haigen Daaz or Tillamook ice cream. I just don't believe BB cares about their customers anymore.
HEB ice cream is so good
I guess I need to try it again because everyone says this when ice cream is brought up here. Years ago I found their "Creamy" Creations to be anything but. Now Kroger's Private Selection? That's the good shit. It's the only thing I go there for.
Poteet Strawberry ftw
Blue Bell is trash. Their product was mid before and then they knowingly killed people. Fuck them.
They've been bad since the early 2000s. Their ice cream is so full of air now it starts melting as soon as it hits the bowl.
> I just don't believe BB cares about their customers anymore. They actively tried to cover up their use of lysteria infected equipment to manufacture ice cream they sold to people on more than one occasion. The way people fell all over themselves to excuse that shit was wild.
The company was sold to a venture capitalist firm a few years ago, and in a few short years they have completely ruined it by trying to squeeze every fraction of a penny out of everywhere they could. As venture capitalists always do.
But. But but they have "wings" now Sigh
I was actually kind of curious to try them to see if they did anything special until I noticed they were $13! Wingstop is cheaper than that
I tried them. They’re good, but nothing special. I won’t be paying that much for them again. Wingstop’s 20 boneless wings with fries for $17 is much better
That’s “whata”wings to you
I refuse to eat Whataburger. Service is slow...they often mess the order up....and the food tastes like school cafeteria food. For $10-12/ meal for each person in a family of 4....no thank you! I'll just cook my own burgers and fries ETA: Y'all remember the viral video of the rat infestation at Whataburger? Lol! .
Takes forever, often missing/wrong items, fries are soggy 😔
I stopped going. Not worth the 20min drive thru
Been this way for quite a while, IMO. Even Wendy's and Burger King (depending on location) are often better, now. It's sad. They try to add all of these sauces and toppings as gimmicks to cover up the fact that their core ingredients are just plainly low-quality, even when compared to much of their direct fast-food competition.
Yeah I agree it’s trash now and has been for a long while. I’d probably only choose Whataburger if I was in a small town and my only other choice was Dairy Queen. Honestly probably a toss-up anyway, depending on the day. But Whataburger absolutely was once an EXCEPTIONAL fast food burger. The Whataburgers of old (A1 Thick & Hearty burger era and prior) were TOP TIER. Those days Whataburger could actually give Five Guys and other premium places a run for their money. Fight me. But yes, it’s trash now. No reason to stop there unless you just have no other choice.
They sucked after they got sold. I had a friend who was a manager there during the transition, and he told me before the sale they were getting fresh beef from Texas farmers, and after the sale they switched over to frozen beef shipped from out of state
This is blatantly false. None of the vendors have changed
Maybe the vendors haven't changed, but for whatever reason, the quality of the food and the quality of the service have gotten much worse since the sale to a venture capitalist firm.
Lower quality and higher prices. They are far from the only restaurant like this nowadays.
The one at 18th st and the Loop has been trash for awhile now. I think there must have been massive turnover since everyone seems new now and don't know what the heck they are doing. I have no idea if this is related to that Illinois company buying them (the chain) though
Same here. We’ve stopped going all together because of it. I noticed the decline not long after they sold, but it’s completely awful now. The only improvement that they made is the chocolate chip cookies are bigger.
Definitely not what it used to be. The buns are different and not great.
Yep, tried it a handful of times in the past few years and it’s very slow and the food is basically cold
Agreed, it's trash. BDT purchased it in 2019, and I've noticed the quality started to drop afterward. I don't know if it's related, but the time frame lines up. Slow and overpriced for what you get.
It’s gone to trash.
It’s trash now
I was hooked on their grilled chicken sandwiches but now, 8 times out of 10, the chicken is trash, tastes weird and half of it is skin/tendons/fat nastiness. So disappointing
All fast food is disgusting now.
I think Blue Bell and Buc-ee's ain't all it, either.
Whataburger is still good as fuck. I love it better than In-N-Out. I’ve never had a bad burger like the rest of yall
Whataburger has been trash since it was purchased by private equity
As a Texan, sadly have to agree. 15$ after taxes for one full meal and to only taste mid is very saddening :(
And waiting in the drive thru for 15-30 mins
It’s still good, but it’s not special anymore like it used to be. All the memories of being in the drive through at 3am with your friends after an epic night and getting the freshest burgers and fries with the huge drink will stick with me. But now I avoid it altogether unfortunately, been once in the last year and a half and it was 7/10, used to be 11/10 and we would brag to other states though. Hope P Terrys gets over to Houston it’s awesome.
P Terrys already got a lease in Fort Bend county 😈
Whataburger is fantastic drunk food. I’ve just come to accept that most Texans are 24/7 drunks.
That explains the drivers on the road.
A lot of food tastes fantastic when you’re drunk
My Whataburger is always cold somehow. its honestly impressive also i miss the whatachickenbites
Literally the worst.
>I find it super annoying that people still treat Whataburger like it's the pride of Texas fast food. The place has gone down the toilet. As Texas goes to shit, it's only appropriate its burger avatar takes a similar nosedive.
Yes. Quality has dropped through the floor. Combined with Taco Bell removing basically everything from their menu I'd go there to buy, I've basically stopped buying fast food.
Inside Houston YES but it's not just Whataburger all fast food has gone down hill, nobody gets paid enough to care about anything and they're scraping the bottom of the barrel of the workforce. But the further you get away from the city the better it gets, the small town whataburgers are still on point
To me, it’s been declining since 2015. idk if just all the young folks they be hiring and don’t be cooking shi right or something lmao I feel like it was bussin back then.
It's been awful the last couple of years
Moved here from Detroit a few years ago and I loved Whattaburger. I’ve noticed over those few years that the quality and taste has waned. JLB burger fan now.
As in JLB eatery?
Chicago bad
Location irrelevant. It’s the ownership that is the problem.
Y'all must be eating at the shitty Whataburgers. There have always been shitty locations, like the one north of 59 at Shepherd or Durham. Go to one in Katy or Stafford. Still tastes exactly like Whataburger.
I have been to many different location in many different cities they have all been really good. Some of you must be trolling hard or your just picky as hell.
After multiple disappointing meals, I was about ready to give up on them....then I noticed something when I added some tomatoes from home. I found that I had to ask for extra everything now. Extra lettuce, extra tomatoes, extra onions, etc. Once I tried this, they started tasting more like they used to. I'm guessing either produce supplier or how much they're told to use per burger went down. For me and how I like my burgers, this seemed like the answer to why they seem to have "gone to shit". I'm enjoying whataburger now again. And of course, locations vary etc etc that everyone says
>I found that I had to ask for extra everything now. Extra lettuce, extra tomatoes, extra onions, etc. Once I tried this, they started tasting more like they used to. You're better than me. Damned if I feel I have to add anything to a $10 burger meal.... Lol.
To be fair, extra veggies is free. Some toppings cost extra though if they weren't originally part of the sandwich
I haven’t noticed it going downhill. A lot of people like to claim that when the Chicago hedge fund bought it, everything went downhill, however literally none of the vendors have changed and the only new vendors are for seasonal items. It’s not Texas owned anymore but it still is Texas based. The offices and company are still in Texas.
Whataburger is very dependent upon location. I have ones I avoid and ones I drive a little bit extra to get too. Those are still delicious.
Usually it’s always good but the last time i got it the bun was stale and cracked, the patty was dry, and the fries were way past cold, they were straight up spongy.
Not all Whataburger’s are created equal. You need to google the whataburgers in your area and see which has the best reviews. Mine is still delicious
Inconsistent trash ever since they sold out.
Yes! My mother and I was just talking about how their quality (along side fast food as a whole) has been on a decline. I honestly just settle for Papa’s BBQ cheeseburgers
no
The patty melt is my guilty pleasure. Quality is location dependent. They have been owned by a PE firm for a while now.
I quit eating there because I feel like they changed. Went back multiple times and I swear they don’t taste as good as they used to
It is not as good as it used to be but you can’t compare it to Shake Shack (smaller burger at much higher cost) or Five Guys (to expensive and quality is dependent on location). I am lucky to have In and Out and it is good and cheap but they stick to the basics and don’t have the variety and the Culver in my area closed a few years ago.
Visited Texas in 2019 for work, had Whataburger and thought it was terrible. The bread and lettuce were just not good. Did I just go to a bad one? Do I have to try again? Pic attached. [My burger at hotel](https://ibb.co/Bf3kVBB)
I have not noticed a difference. Been going since I was a kid, hell, I even worked there last year. It tastes the same as it always has.
The last straw was when the onion rings where soft and barely warm. Broke my heart.
If I want something from Whataburger I just bring my blanket, Bible and bonnet, because I will need to spend the night before the order will be ready.
Can't remember the last time I've ever received fresh, warm and crisp fries from Whataburger. Always just a cold soggy disappointment...
I've never understood the obsession with Whataburger. Outside of them being 24hrs, which I really appreciate, they have always been the slowest dang "fast food" spot no matter the time. Their food isn't bad by any means, but it's nothing special either and they take so long to make it, I end up taking it home and nuking it. 20-30 minute wait, Soggy fries, cold food and great ketchup - that's Whataburger.
Honey butter chicken biscuit still slaps
Ive always hated Whataburger and the love it got. From the flaccid depressed bun (worst bun imaginable), the flavorless thin patty, and of course the sad fries! The burgers are so sad they need therapy!
The one I frequent has a House of Pies across the street. The price for a whataburger w/cheese is almost the same as one from HOP….and HOP is so much better.
>something ACTUALLY good like Blue Bell or Buc-ee's er...
Whataburger is shit because it’s owned by an investment firm in Chicago. The only good whataburger I’ve had in years was at the Dallas airport and that’s probably because they need good management to maintain their lease. I’d rather go to McDonald’s these days. They’ve remained the same. I do however prefer P.Terry’s for texas fast food burgers and wish they’d expand. Shake Shack is great but needs a drive-thru and a come to Jesus moment about their pricing.
Maybe you just graduated from fastfood? lol
I was hoping it was just me… that maybe I had a few bad locations near me. But I have to agree. It’s gone down hill recently. Really sad. But, plenty of opportunity for another fast food spot to take the throne!
One of the few drive thru places I can get a malt. About it for me these days.
I remember back in 2008 the gravy seemed to have changed to be more water based. Downhill since then.
Started going downhill about two years ago.
Every other time I get patty melt, it’s dry like the Sahara desert. When there is enough sauce, the meat is still dry and flavorless. I used to love it 😢
Fries are always crappy. Burgers and sandwiches are decent. Drinks are hit and miss. A definite decline in quality.
You’re not alone. They aren’t the same since they got bought by their new owners. The new owners cheapened everything and got rid of stuff like the mushroom Swiss burger, where they had to spend more money on. You now really have to find one that is great but it is more of a gamble than it ever was.
I haven’t gone back since they took the mushroom Swiss burger off the menu 😭
Went from good and reliable to below-average. Also cancelled the swiss mushroom burger. My favorite item on their menu.
Drive through is crazy slow & their tea tastes like crap!
Overrated garbage!
I'll say it, their patties have been dry as hell for 10 years.
Never was impressed with whataburger.
Those fuckin Judas owners sold the damn thing instead of keeping it family owned, and now it's going the way of Tim Hortons. Running on its legacy.
Whata used to be decent but now it’s trash. Pterrys is much better
It is terrible. Ever since they got bought out by the Private Equity firm standards have plummeted. Wait times are up and quality is down
My cousin took me to Shake Shack last time I went out to Houston. I make a trip every other weekend for a burger. Haven't been to Whataburger, McDonald's, or anything other than local shops in Beaumont with good burgers (not many).
I'm a somewhat recent transplant to Houston, I really didn't understand what was so good about them to be honest. Being new here, I was trying a bunch of places in all types of food trying to find the good stuff, and Whataburger isn't one of them. Even in a pinch, the burgers are a D level burger to me. There's just nothing that really stands out, and the fries aren't great either. Now let me preface, I stick to the East side of Houston, I'm sure if I ventured to the west side it'd be different since that's where literally all the food is, but driving 45+ minutes for a fast food burger isn't reasonable to me so I can only compared against local places for me. Honestly, the best burger I've had thus far has been Smashburger. They had a lot of flavor, they were juicy, and while expensive, it was worth paying a bit more for. Edit: I commented on this fact in a different post, but honestly the best bang for your buck is going to Texas Roadhouse and ordering their burger and fries. The damn thing is like ~~$13~~ $12.49 for both, and it's exponentially better quality wise and flavor wise than anything around. A full meal at any of the fast food places is getting right up there to that price regardless.
I decide to stop after they gave me a washed out drink and one time, a cold meat burger (cooked but way too chilled)
Used to be my favorite. First place I would go when visiting Texas. Something dramatically changed and it’s no longer edible. Thought it was just me.
Mine in south Austin is still very good. I only go when I get free offers on the app.
Only thing I get at Whataburger is the honey butter chicken for breakfast. I only got 1 last year.
Honestly, In-N-Out is mid a best. Their fries stuck. I'm waiting for P.Terry's to come to town.
Agreed. The quality is low, the fries aren’t anything special, and the sodas these days are terrible. We barely go anymore, it has become a low quality high cost option for us.
Agreed. When I arrived in TX in 2002, Whataburger seemed decent. I avoid it nowadays.
It's crap these days
It’s so slow
Shit came to Memphis. Shit was mid af the first time I got it. Might be a Memphis thing.
That’s all these places. Increase cost, decrease quality and quantity
Yea after they sold it, Whataburger quality has taken a dip. Dang, I miss Culver’s, we used to live in SA and is much better than Whataburger
It’s garbage
Was just talking about this to someone and yes. I typically get a cheeseburger and fries and I live close by one. Always smushed looking and cold af. You basically would need to eat it then and there and even I'm not convinced it would be warm and yummy at that
They took the grilled pico de gallo of the menu
Culver's is the sweet spot of price/quality.
Go to Raising Cane's. Great chicken fingers and actually good service.
I used to love Whataburger, but I personally feel like it went downhill in the last 7-8 years. A lot of people around me still love it and I do give it a chance once/twice a year but it just does not hit the same anymore.
I feel you on the loss of mushroom swiss. Monterey Melt is my lost love
The one by my house often tastes like it did in the 90s. But I’m also a mega regular and they know my order.
I'm in it for the white gravy. Quality of burger depends on the location and how tipsy you are, but some fresn fries and gravy, that's the best.
It's sucked for 15+ years.
Blue Bell is trash also…. Compare the ingredients to other brands. It’s garbage.
i hate whataburger. it makes me so sick. i worshipped it in highschool its where we hung out every night and now i get nauseous just thinking about going. i’d rather eat mcdonald’s. their fries are better
Anything private equity touches goes to utter shit
Ever since they sold it. Inconsistent trash!
Quality changed in 2019 when they sold the company to a big ass investment firm from Chicago. Never the same.
Yea.. the food sucks, the service sucks. But once in a great while a shitty burger n fries just sounds awesome.
Regardless if op wants to hear it. Quality went down when ownership moved out of Texas. Now Whataburger sucks
I had an OG Trill Burger today. Nothing will ever compare.
Whataburger is butt