Southwest Florida’s first Whataburger opened Sept. 10 in south Fort Myers, drawing customers who camped overnight and long lines for the chain’s regional debut.
David Dorsey
Daniel Rodriguez asked his son of the same name if he wanted to make the road trip from Immokalee to south Fort Myers to be the first in line for Southwest Florida’s first Whataburger.
“I thought he would forget about it,” said Rodriguez Sr., who works in a tire shop. “He didn’t forget about it.”
On Sept. 9, Rodriguez took his son to Immokalee High School first thing in the morning. But by 9:30 a.m., he had picked him up and taken him 35 miles and about 50 minutes west to the new Whataburger at 12916 S. Cleveland Ave. in south Fort Myers, more than 24 hours before the new restaurant’s 11 a.m. grand opening Sept. 10.
A crowd gathers outside Southwest Florida’s first Whataburger before its Sept. 10 grand opening in south Fort Myers. The chain plans to open its second regional restaurant Oct. 22 in Estero.
David Dorsey
“I got the spicy chicken sandwich with fries,” said Rodriguez Jr., an Immokalee High senior who also was celebrating his 18th birthday. “And probably a Sprite.”
Rodriguez Jr. camped outside the Whataburger, which previously had been an Aussie Grill and, prior to that, a Boston Market. Declan Walsh, 18 and a dual enrollment student at Florida SouthWestern State College, arrived at noon Sept. 9, the second person in line.
Rodriguez Sr. said he spent Wednesday night in a nearby hotel before returning Thursday morning.
The Rodriguez and Walsh families each received a box full of Whataburger gear. Rodriguez Jr. will be enjoying 52 vouchers for free meals, one a week for a year, as part of the grand opening promotion.
The line wrapped around the building, and a line of cars brought adjacent Kenwood Lane to a standstill.
“It is a little bit normal,” Whataburger President and CEO Debbie Stroud said of the grand opening scene. “Fort Myers is going to give us a really warm welcome, I can tell.”
Stroud, who has a 35-year career in food and beverage, worked at McDonald’s and Starbucks before joining Whataburger as chief operating officer in 2023. She was promoted to CEO in January 2025. She said she can’t make it to every grand opening, but she traveled from corporate headquarters in San Antonio for this one.
Although this will be known as store No. 1690, it’s roughly the 1,203rd Whataburger, Stroud said. The store numbers don’t run continuously, as some locations have closed over the years.
Whataburger President and CEO Debbie Stroud, left, presents a box of Whataburger gear to Daniel Rodriguez Jr., 18, of Immokalee during the Sept. 10 grand opening in south Fort Myers. Rodriguez arrived more than 24 hours before the restaurant opened and was its first official customer.
David Dorsey
“We’re not chasing a quantity as much as we’re chasing quality,” Stroud said when asked how the chain could compete with, for example, Culver’s, which has 21 locations across Southwest Florida. Whataburger plans to open its second in the region Oct. 22 in Estero. Port Charlotte could follow later in 2027. “We want the experience to be differentiated and special.”
That expansion comes with a sizable investment. Stroud said building a new Whataburger restaurant costs roughly $2.4 million.
Stroud said her go-to burger order is a junior double. She customizes it, removing the pickles and adding ketchup, mayonnaise and Monterey Jack cheese.
“It’s made to order,” Stroud said. “It’s fresh beef. Never frozen. Our chicken is phenomenal. But it’s really about the experience. There’s a reason why we’ve been around for 76 years.”
Whataburger originated in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1950. Harmon Dobson started the original burger stand. An avid pilot, he made orange and white the restaurant’s color scheme so he could easily see his restaurants while flying.
Customers line up Sept. 10 outside the new Whataburger at 12916 S. Cleveland Ave. in south Fort Myers. The restaurant is the Texas-based chain’s first Southwest Florida location.
David Dorsey
Dobson died in 1967 in a plane crash. Joel Dobson Halberstadt, one of the late Dobson’s nephews, lives in Estero and attended the grand opening.
At about 10:45 a.m., Greg Dunn, who will be managing a team of about 100 employees at the restaurant, cut the ceremonial ribbon. Stroud stood beside him as Rodriguez Jr. and his father awaited their moment to finally walk inside Whataburger as the first official customers.
“It is an iconic brand to be a part of,” Stroud said. “It’s really exciting.”