Colorado Springs' third Whataburger opens this week, while a 7th location is planned north of city

Nov. 15—A third Whataburger opens this week in Colorado Springs, and the local franchisee for the Texas-based hamburger chain now plans a location in Monument in addition to three more sites already targeted for the Springs.

Whataburger's newest restaurant debuts at 11 a.m. Friday at 5905 Constitution Ave., east of Powers Boulevard and Constitution on the Springs' east side.

It follows February's launch of the city's first Whataburger, northwest of InterQuest and Voyager parkways in northern Colorado Springs, and the September opening of the chain's second location, east of Powers and Dublin boulevards on the northeast side.

The third Whataburger will have something the first two don't have: more space.

Typical Whataburgers are about 3,500 square feet, but the Powers-and-Constitution location will be about 4,000 square feet, said William Tamminga, who heads BurgerWorks Colorado, the family-run franchisee based in Lufkin, Texas, that has brought Whataburger to Colorado Springs. The franchisee also operates 10 Whataburgers in Texas.

The extra space was made possible because of the size of the building that BurgerWorks remodeled to house its newest restaurant, Tamminga said.

BurgerWorks purchased a roughly 13,500-square-foot building that was home to a Big 5 Sporting Goods store until it closed in 2019. The building was constructed in 1999 as a Rite-Aid pharmacy, though the chain closed up shop in the Springs just two years later.

The franchisee remodeled the building to accommodate the new restaurant, which will have a larger dining room and kitchen than other locations, along with a patio, Tamminga said. BurgerWorks also transformed the pharmacy's drive-thru into one for the restaurant, he said.

It's the largest Whataburger restaurant that BurgerWorks has done so far, he said.

"We've turned this big old vacant building into a great big Whataburger," Tamminga said.

"It will be very nice to have more space to maneuver," he added, saying the larger digs will have more employee work space and more customer elbow room.

Most of the rest of the building houses BurgerWorks' offices, an employee training center, a conference room and storage space. The building's offices and training center were up and running long before the restaurant, and were integral in helping BurgerWorks prepare for the opening of its first Whataburger in February, he said.

"It's been an adventure getting the rest of it turned into a Whataburger, but it has really come together and we're excited to finally open it," Tamminga said.

In 2023, BurgerWorks plans to open Whataburgers at 1105 Garden of the Gods Road, west of Interstate 25 and Garden of the Gods on the Springs' northwest side; at 702 E. Fillmore St., northeast of Fillmore and El Paso streets in the north-central part of town; and at 2495 Montebello Square Drive, where BurgerWorks will remodel a vacant Chase bank building at Academy Boulevard and Montebello in northern Colorado Springs.

Also next year, a seventh BurgerWorks' will open southwest of Colorado 105 and Jackson Creek Parkway in Monument; it recently was approved by town planning officials, Tamminga said.

Based in San Antonio, Whataburger was founded in 1950 as a roadside hamburger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas, according to the chain's website. The restaurant's name, the website says, was taken from customers who took a bite of a hamburger and exclaimed, "what a burger!"

The chain now has more than 900 restaurants in 14 states, its website says. In addition to made-to-order burgers, the expansive Whataburger menu includes chicken sandwiches, patty melts, fries, onion rings, salads, desserts, soft drinks, shakes and breakfast items.

Whataburger is among the latest familiar national and regional restaurant chains that have opened in Colorado Springs.

California-based In-N-Out Burger expanded to Colorado and opened its first restaurant in the state on Colorado Springs' far north side in November 2020. Its second restaurant opened a year ago on the east side and a third is planned along Garden of the Gods Road.

The three In-N-Out Burger locations all are within a short drive of Whataburger; in fact, the two chains are directly across from each other on Constitution Avenue.

Shake Shack, Torchy's Tacos, Slim Chickens, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers and Old Spaghetti Factory are among the national and regional restaurant brands that have opened in the Springs in recent years or said they're on their way.