Gerald Hanks
A recent story on a prank news site sent lovers of Texas’ best hamburgers into fits of rage and disbelief.
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The site proclaimed Whataburger would be “closing the doors at all their restaurants as of February 2018.”
The parody news site claimed Whataburger CEO Preston Atkinson made the announcement in June that the distinctive chain would shut down all its locations across the South and Southwest.
Representatives for the chain posted messages on the company’s social media sites, refuting the story:
An article is being circulated stating that Whataburger will be closing all stores. This article is a hoax, and we aren’t going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/Y6dF97urBO
— Whataburger® (@Whataburger) June 28, 2017
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This incident was not the first time the chain was targeted by internet pranksters.
Last week, a Facebook post promised, “Whataburger coming to Wichita in late 2017.”
The company also had to release an official statement to refute the article:
“We love hearing that we have so many fans in Wichita…(but) we’re not currently pursuing any locations there.”
Earlier this month, a similar story claimed the chain would open a store in Oxford, Mississippi, the site of the University of Mississippi, aka ‘Ole Miss, but the company also had to refute that claim.
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The burger chain with the iconic A-frame roofs and orange-and-white stripes was founded in 1950 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Today, it has more than 800 locations in 10 states, stretching from New Mexico to Florida – at least for those places lucky enough!
