Great job on your article Courtney! I always found it kind of weird that Whataburger has mostly been a Texas obsession and it amazes me that when they expanded to Memphis and Las Vegas, business declined. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. On June 23, 1950, the Texas Secretary of State office granted Dobson the trademark for Whataburger. Dobson then invested more time and more effort into developing the first Whatabuger.4, Eventually, on August 8, 1950, Dobson opened and sold his first Whataburger through the window of a little portable building. Harmon Archibald Dobson (October 8, 1913 - April 11, 1967) [1] was an American entrepreneur best known as one of the founders of the fast food chain Whataburger. By the end of the decade, Harmon would open Whataburger #21 in Pensacola, Florida. Its a place people count on in their communities. Whataburger was becoming what Dobson always knew it could, and his family was happy and successful. He wanted this burgers to be so delicious that it would make a person yell, What a burger! This inspired the naming of his company. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. The meat and vegetables were always fresh, never frozen. I had no idea that the founder of Whataburger started in the oil business! The next year, we awarded more than $90 million in bonuses to our Family Members (what we call our employees) in thanks for their extraordinary service during the pandemic. It is a place that feels like home to more than 50,000 employees, called Family Members, and millions of customers. [2] She ultimately refused to sell the company, wanting it to be kept in the family, and became chairwoman of the board of Whataburger until her death in 2005. Insiders still refer to this time in the companys history as the dead zone. Profits fell as the company overreached by opening stores in saturated markets like Las Vegas and adding menu items, like popcorn shrimp salad, that customers didnt want. At age 16, Dobson was accepted into the University of Missouri to study journalism, but was forced to return to his family farm soon after attending due to a family crisis at home due to the Great Depression. The Andrews family refused and in March filed its suit, asking a judge to order Whataburger to abide by the 1993 agreement. Today, in 2019, it has been 69 years since the first Whataburger opened up. The location of the first Whataburger was 2609 Ayers Street, across from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Sorry! Little did he know that he was going to be the founder of an epic fast food restaurant. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Shortly after arriving on campus, Harmon was called home to help with a family crisis. Charities like cancer research, childrens education, child abuse prevention, and hunger are still dear to the companys heart. This is a great article and very informative! Following that, he worked at the New York Shipbuilding Company, which, at the time, was the worlds largest boat-builder for the U.S. Navy. My name is Courtney Pena and I am from McAllen, Texas. As a standard for mythical tall tales and legends, it comes as no surprise that Texas holds the national corner on stories of lost treasure. Their family complete, the Dobsons embarked on the happy, golden age of Whataburger. After her husband died, Grace Dobson surrounded herself with a management team, became chairwoman of the board and grew the business to more than 600 company-owned and franchised stores - and raised three children as a single parent. However, if one thinks about it, if it were not for this incident, Dobson would not have gone down the road that he did to finance Whataburger. So proud & so tired.17. Harmon never lived to see his shack become a regional burger empire; he died in a plane crash in 1967. By the late eighties the company had begun to lose its way. You can count real friends on one hand. By 1990 Whataburger had 475 locations across the southern United States; WOA was running more than 30 of them, in Bexar, Bee, Jim Wells, and Webb counties. The purpose of this is to explore expansion plans in the northern area of the United States while staying true to the brands message.15 Some of the brand messages can be found in The Whataburger Difference. The Whataburger Difference is what separates the company from every other competitor that they have and one of the five points of focus is to protect and serve the best products in the industry.16 With this said, hopefully Texans will stay true to the family brand as changes occur, which would surely make Dobson proud of how his company has grown. The main reason for the move was for oil. The Whataburger, however, was a whopping quarter pound of fresh grilled beef loaded with fresh vegetables and served on a 5-inch bun, and in 1950 there was nothing like it. For Adler, the name on the stadium and the ball-throwing honor were small tributes to a woman he thought the world of. . I thought it was only a Texas thing and never heard of them existing anywhere else. Eventually, more people came to eat the fresh, large burgers. We still greet our customers with a smile 24 hours a day, seven days a week. By 1949, Dobson was done with diamonds and began searching for a safe place to land. Learn more about merges. Through the years, she also served in numerous philanthropic capacities including working for the USO, Coastal Bend Youth City, the Kidney Foundation and the Texas State Aquarium. In February 1955, Coy passed away, and Dobson and Grace turned to each other for comfort. By 1951, Dobson was an official Texan. [2] Harmon and his wife had two children, a daughter born in 1956 and a son born in 1957. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. This is such a great topic! January 1, 1950- I think this will be an eventful year for me.1. Wow! Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Tom healed the wounds that Peterson left on Whataburger by pulling together as a company, simplifying its message, shutting down less profitable locations, and putting emphasis back on its famous burgers.14. Dobson's journey started when he left Arkansas for Texas in 1950. In Jefferson, Kitts Kornbread Turns Familiar Fare Into Something Special. He was able to please his customers with a five-inch burger by making special arrangements with the Rainbo Bread Company to develop five-inch buns, which were an inch larger than the standard bun. There is a problem with your email/password. Its hard to ignore a burger that makes you say What a Burger!. Under the leadership of Grace Dobson, the company thrived and grew. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. And it is crazy to think how it was once only 35 cents and burger and not they are like 4-5 bucks for the same burger that they sold back then. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. Sadly, in 2005, Whataburger Family Members mourned the loss of Lady Grace as she was called by many. Loved this article! With his massive profits, he dabbled in oil speculation and mining diamonds in South America. Franchisees and the parent company squabbled over products and promotions, and the once familial corporate culture deteriorated into an us-versus-them mentality. In 2017 alone, Whataburger partnered with over 600 charities across its ten-state service area, donating over $5 million. He charged a pricy 25 cents since the burgers were better quality than the competitors burgers. Really great article. To this day, giving is a huge part of the Whataburger dynasty. And as long as they can still get their Green Chile Double Whataburgers or Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits, they probably dont care. After handling freight to pay for his travel, nineteen-year-old Abel Head Pierce, a native of Little Compton, Rhode Island, landed at the Texas port of Indianola five months after leaving home. Whataburger Fancy Ketchup, Spicy Ketchup and Original Mustard became available at H-E-B stores and online at Whatastore in 2013. The men were killed instantly.12, About two years after Harmon Dobsons death, on July 10, 1969, Grace Dobson, the wife of Harmon Dobson, was officially elected chairwoman of the board with George W. Garrison named as the president. At first, Harmon was content to help his parents on the farm, but his wanderlust eventually returned, calling him elsewhere. [8] The crash killed Dobson and his business associate. The golden age of drive-ins and American automobiles was just getting started back on August 8, 1950, when Harmon Dobson opened Whataburger #1. After the settlement, the leadership of both companies changed. Along the way she made lifelong friends, including Bill Sheka Sr., 83, who knew her for 50 years. Dobson was involved in the early growth of the franchise from 1950 until his death in an airplane crash in 1967. They are memories Sheka said he will treasure. The location of the first Whataburger was 2609 Ayers Street, across from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. The menu grew as well, with French fries and hot pies being added in 1962. Harmon Dobson was sixteen years old on Black Friday, but this first Black Friday was no shopping extravaganza: it marked the most devastating stock market crash in United States history. He realized that he needed some creative marketing strategies to obtain new customers. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Many Texans still love and appreciate the food at this Texas treasure. Man dies after crashing his plane near U.S. 40. In June Dallas-based Brinker International, which owns Chilis and Maggianos Little Italy, unveiled a plan to buy franchises to boost earnings. Whataburger, which saw San Antonio as a key growth market, filed suit to block the sale. She is survived by two sons, Thomas and Hugh Dobson; a daughter, Lynne Dobson; three sisters, Lola Stettler, Louise Abbot and Jean Florie; and five grandchildren. By The Canadian Press Sat., Sept. 26, 2020 We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. Online ordering through Whataburgers app and website debuted in 2019. After World War II ended in 1945, Dobson returned home to his home state of Arkansas, where he worked buying and selling used cars. While passing through the Southwest United States, particularly Texas, one will probably encounter big, tall, orange and white signs with a Texas-sized W. This is the sign of the famous Texas fast food restaurant Whataburger. Is It Possible to Be Vegan Without Eating Vegetables? Te damos 5 razones para no perderte el Buffalo Ranch Chicken Strip Sandwich y la Buffalo Ranch Chicken Salad. However, news broke out in June 2019 that Whataburger sold a controlling interest in the company to Chicago- based investment banking firm BDT Capital. DeLaughters Is the Little Grocery Store That Could, The Daughter of a Barbecue Family Takes Tradition in a New Direction, The Old Orange Cafe Is a Piece of Local History, Gen Zs Homemade Tortillas Could Use an Upgrade. By 1965, it was estimated that Whataburger was selling 15,000 hamburgers a day. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. He wanted this burgers to be so delicious that it would make a person yell, What a burger! This inspired the naming of his company. I am an English & Communication Arts major at St. Marys University. Please try again later. She was very excited about that." On April 11, 1967, at around 4:30 p.m., Dobson and his business associate Luther John Sneed took off in Dobson's Cessna Skymaster from an airport in LaPorte heading for Victoria, Texas. Since his businesses were now at different locations, Harmon figured it was wise to visit them by plane. By the mid-60s, there were over 40 stores in fifteen Texas cities and four states. Before the Whataburger, the typical burger was a White Castle slider, a two-ounce beef patty on a 2-inch bun. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. We still use 100% pure, never-frozen beef and serve it on a big, toasted five-inch bun. A Douglas C-124C Globemaster II plane, serial 52-1062, was damaged beyond repair in an accident 10 km from Stephenville-Harmon AFB, NL (YJT), Canada. Harmon Dobson founded this famous Texas hot spot in 1950. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. It was an instant success, and Harmon began to expand the business to other markets. Spicing Things Up: Whataburger Buffalo Ranch Chicken Lineup Returns for a Limited Time, Get Ready for More Bold Flavors: Whataburger is Growing in Memphis, Whataburger Celebrates One Year of Delicious Dining in Colorful Colorado, MyWhataburger He flew to Texas to scout out the oil and auto possibilities in places like Witchita Falls, Dallas, and Houston. 9 Intense Plane Crashes Caused By Stalls Smithsonian Channel Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation 3.2M views 2 years ago 8 Bad Weather Plane Crashes Smithsonian Channel Smithsonian. By the company's seventh decade, Whataburger had grown from a single burger stand in Corpus Christi to an 800-restaurant chain that spanned every state from Arizona to Florida.