FORT SMITH, Ark. — Whataburger officially opened its first location in Fort Smith on Monday, Nov. 28.
The restaurant will open at 11 a.m. and is located at 8120 Phoenix Avenue. It has a dine-in and drive-thru which will operate 24/7.
Officials say the restaurant is bringing over 100 jobs to Fort Smith.
“We’re thrilled to share that our location at 8120 Phoenix Ave in Fort Smith is officially open, and we can’t wait to serve up our fresh, 100% made-to-order meals and extraordinary customer service. We look forward to welcoming in new friends and hope to see you soon,” said Tina Reagan, Whataburger Venture franchisee.
Harmon Dobson opened the first Whataburger in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1950. The name came after he envisioned a burger so big you had to hold it in two hands and so good you couldn’t help but say “What a burger!”
There are over 900 Whataburgers in the U.S. across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Arizona Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Texas.
Whataburger recently broke ground on restaurants in Little Rock, Poteau and Tahlequah and says it is looking forward to its continued expansion in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Due to the grand opening, traffic delays in the area are expected. The Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) says all traffic entering Whataburger should travel east on Phoenix Avenue within the outside lane. There will be three lanes of traffic on the Whataburger property. One is for dining in and the other two are for the drive-thru.
FSPD says the inner drive-thru lane will be directed back to Phoenix and should continue east on Phoenix. The outer drive-thru lane will be directed to Massard and then should continue south on Massard. Left turns will not be allowed for those entering or leaving the property.
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