10 Whataburger restaurants to open in SC in 2024. Here’s when and where
The signs of Whataburger’s impending march through South Carolina have been evident for months, not from the company itself but through local government paperwork such as development applications and a request for special exemption.
Now, actual signs are starting to appear.
Outside two former KFCs in Greenville County are signs saying “Your new Whataburger coming soon.” Those are located on Woodruff Road in Greenville County and on Butler Road in Mauldin.
Also under construction in South Carolina are Whataburgers in Anderson and Spartanburg counties.
Scottie Kay Blackwell, spokesperson for Spartanburg County, said a development permit had been issued for a Whataburger at 3647 Boiling Springs Road.
Company spokesman Victor Trevino declined to comment on a timeline for South Carolina locations.
“We’ll be prepared to confirm and share more details in the next couple of weeks for sure,” he said.
Whataburger has announced they will build 10 restaurants in South Carolina, all to open this year, from the Midlands to the Upstate.
One location in Greenville County is on hold for now. It’s within the Greenville city limits, where Whataburger sought permission for its drive-thru to stay open 24 hours but was turned down by the Board of Zoning Appeals last September
The company has appealed the rejection to the Court of Common Pleas, saying the board decision was improper. The company called the idea that the drive thru would have substantial adverse effects on the neighborhood “arbitrary and capricious.”
“The closest residential property is a distance of approximately 175 feet from the property line,” the appeal says.
Several neighbors appeared before the board to ask that the exemption be denied. Light, noise and smells through the night, they said, would have adverse effects.
The city has filed a record of the application and board’s proceedings to the court, asked for the court to find in their favor and has agreed to mediation as Whataburger has asked, the court record shows.
No court decision has been made.
Meanwhile, the company has resubmitted its application for an exemption, which the Board of Zoning Appeals will consider at its March 14 meeting.
WYFF television station recently published a list of projected openings for Whataburger locations. Trevino declined to confirm the locations or dates.
WYFF said opening this summer will be locations on Mauldin and Woodruff Road.
Late summer will be 1185 Dutch Fork Road in Irmo.
Fall: 1941 E Main St., Spartanburg; 2900 Main St., Anderson; Boiling Springs & Double Bridge Road, Boiling Springs; South Lake Drive and Industrial Drive in Lexington.
Late fall: 1510 WO Ezell Blvd., Spartanburg; 1537 E Main St., Duncan; and 5648 Calhoun Memorial Parkway, Easley.
Last year, Whataburger also sought bids for new construction for a location at Killian Commons Parkway in Columbia. Trevino did not respond to a question about whether that location was still viable.
Whataburger was founded in 1950 as a roadside burger stand by Harmon Dobson in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Dobson died in a private plane crash in 1967, and his wife Grace took over the company. By the time she died in 2005 at age 80, the company had grown to 600 stores.
The family sold its majority interest in the company In 2019 to Chicago-based investment firm BDT Capital, which began the expansion program.
They commemorated their 100th restaurant in January, when two locations, corporate-owned Atlanta, Georgia, and franchise-owned Yukon, Oklahoma.
