Whataburger breaks ground in Georgia expansion

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Whataburger officials were joined by representatives from the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce to break ground on the new restaurant located in Kennesaw.

Credit: Amanda Andrews / GPB News

Cobb County officials broke ground this week on a new Whataburger location in Kennesaw — part of a rapid expansion the Texas-based burger chain has planned for Georgia.

Right now, Whataburger has one restaurant in the state. It’s in Thomasville near the Florida state line.

Whataburger Senior Market Leader Jon Barideaux said the company has been considering Atlanta for a long time.

“We have some fanatical fans and I know that we have some Facebook groups saying, ‘Hey, you need to get down to Atlanta as soon as possible,’" Barideaux said. "So, here we are."

In addition to Kennesaw, the company plans to open eight additional locations in Georgia by the end of 2023. They include two in Athens, and one each in Woodstock, Buford, Cummings, Commerce and Dawsonville.

Dana Johnson with the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce said the new burger restaurant is great for the local economy.

“I think you saw there was a line of people waiting to get a burger because people know the Whataburger name," he said. “They’re excited about the opportunity to have it here metro Atlanta, and we’re just so excited to have them open their first one here in Kennesaw.”

The company has been expanding across the country with new locations in Memphis, Tennessee and Kansas City, Missouri.

Whataburger officials say they plan to hire nearly 200 employees at the Kennesaw location and more than 1,400 around the state by the end of 2023. The restaurant is estimated to open by August.