Roughly two months after opening its first restaurant in the Tampa Bay region, in Pinellas County, Whataburger made its Tampa debut Thursday with a grand opening celebration.

The Texas-based fast-food chain opened its second location in Tampa’s Lutz neighborhood, at 25340 Sierra Center Blvd. To celebrate the grand opening, the first 80 guests in line and first 20 cars in the drive-thru received a gift bag filled with exclusive Whataburger merchandise, according to a release.

The popular burger chain opened its doors at 11 a.m. Thursday and plans to keep them open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the release says. Whataburger serves up a custom, made-to-order menu of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast items and hot apple pies or chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Diners can eat in the restaurant or opt for drive-thru service, with digital ordering through the Whataburger app and website rolling out in the coming weeks, the release says.

Whataburger’s Largo location opened Feb. 12 at the corner of Ulmerton Road and 101st Street Southeast. The chain also announced Friday that there are plans to open a third restaurant in Hillsborough County, in Brandon. Details on the Brandon location, at the corner of West Brandon Boulevard and North Hilltop Road, will be announced soon the release says.

The Whataburger brand is committed to growing its footprint in Central Florida, the release says. As part of its major Florida expansion, the brand plans to open eight restaurants across the Tampa Bay region by the end of 2027, bringing new jobs and made-to-order burgers, Fancy Ketchup and friendly service.

Founded in 1950 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Whataburger has now grown to more than 1,100 restaurants across 17 states, with headquarters in San Antonio. The burger chain’s original-recipe products can also be found on grocery store shelves throughout the U.S. 

 

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