Crystal Albert walked into a Whataburger on E. Parmer Lane in Austin months ago and said she waited 45 minutes for her chicken sandwich.
When it arrived, “I was given a completely raw chicken” between a bun and some lettuce, Albert wrote in a recent Google review. She included a photo of her half-eaten meal.
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Albert added: “Not just slightly raw – it’s like this chicken wasn’t even touched by any sort of heat. Unfortunately, I ate it in my dark car so I didn’t realize it until it was too late. Be wary about this location.”
Austin has the highest percentage of below-average Whataburgers in Texas, according to an Express-News analysis of Google data. The best are in El Paso.
In search of the best and worst Whataburger locations in and around Texas, the Express-News pulled Google Map ratings on 905 restaurants listed in the company’s directory. Locations needed to have at least 100 ratings to qualify for our analysis.
For this story, the Express-News identified seven Texas cities with at least 20 Whataburger restaurants.
Among the cities with the highest percentage of average or better Whataburgers, Corpus Christi is ranked second, followed by San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas, respectively.
The average rating of a Texas Whataburger is 4.1 stars on Google.
The classic single-patty Whataburger comes with mustard, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and onions.
Mike Sutter/StaffAt 80 percent, Austin has the highest percentage of Whataburgers with a below average rating on Google. The city has 20 locations.
By comparison, just 10 percent of San Antonio’s Whataburgers were below average.
In Austin, among the major issues noted by customers on Google were concerns about long wait times and cold food. Others complained that their orders were incomplete or incorrect.
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After Benjamin Shepherd’s visit to the Whataburger on 2800 Guadalupe St., he wrote: “It is no longer fast food, a 10 year old who runs a lemonade stand is more organized and efficient than this Whataburger.”
The Guadalupe Street Whataburger has a 3.9 star rating on Google.
The lowest-rated Whataburger restaurant in Austin is the one located near the intersection of E. Parmer Lane and Dessau Road, according to Google. At 3.4 stars, customers have lambasted the store for its poor curbside, drive-thru services and long wait times.
El Paso has 22 Whataburger restaurants and enjoys positive feedback for its cleanliness and prompt and friendly service. The highest rated El Paso Whataburger is on E. Paisano Drive and has 4.4 stars.
Charles Debczak said of his recent visit to a Whataburger in El Paso: “Nothing says the American Dream quite like getting some Whataburger! This place is great! YEE HAW!”
While El Paso can claim that none of its Whataburgers are below average, three of the highest rated Whataburger locations in Texas can be found in Laredo.
The Laredo Whataburgers on McPherson Road and Shiloh Drive (4.6 stars); NE Bob Bullock Loop and East Point Drive (4.6 stars); and San Bernado Avenue and Calton Road (4.5 stars) are the top-rated in Texas.
Customers lauded the McPherson Road location for its customer service, its cleanliness and food quality.
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For the worst Whataburger location in Texas, it might be best to steer clear of the one on US 75 and FM 455 in Anna, north of Dallas. This Whataburger has 2.8 stars.
Chelsey Vasquez recently lamented on her Whataburger experience in Anna: “I ate this Whataburger two days in a row just because everyone deserves a second chance … the biscuits were so freaking hard (they) almost broke my tooth.”
Outside of the Lone Star State, the Whataburger on E. 22nd and Wilmot in Tucson, Arizona, has the highest rating at 4.4 stars. That’s followed by the restaurants on Philips Highway and Bonneval in Jacksonville, Florida, and the ones on Highway 49 in Gulfport, Mississippi. These Whataburgers both have a 4.3 star rating on Google.
A man named Chris, during a recent visit to the Whataburger in Tucson, said the manager gave him a free cookie to make up for his long wait.
Evan Robbins said of his recent visit to the Jacksonville Whataburger: “Whataburger has been a family favorite for three generations in my family. We stop whenever we see one, my mom even asked me to deliver a burger to her in Virginia from Jacksonville whenever I drive up.”