We still use 100% pure, never-frozen beef and serve it on a big, toasted five-inch bun. 1 of 6. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. The new CEO and president of Whataburger was Tom Dobson, the son of Harmon and Grace Dobson. Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks celebrated a ground-breaking ceremony with Grace throwing out the first pitch. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. The plane was bound for Love Field in Dallas when it went down at 5:16 P.M. according to Mitch Barket, a Federal Aviation Admistration spokesman. I found this sad and interesting. It was very smart of Dobson to drop flyers and coupons to potential customers so that his business to boom even more. Their family complete, the Dobsons embarked on the happy, golden age of Whataburger. [4], Dobson and Burton business venture was short lived when their partnership ended 1951 because of a dispute over Dobson's price raise of the burger from 25 to 30 cents. With time, they started to expand more outside Texas because Texans gave this restaurant a gold star. She was very excited about that." And while we now serve hot, fresh food at more than 890 Whataburgers across the country, that burger stand in Corpus Christi is never far from our hearts. Its a brand built on pride, care, and love. The. For many years the Andrews family has been instrumental to Whataburgers success. I hope to become a successful journalist in the future. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Try again. And it is crazy to think how it was once only 35 cents and burger and not they are like 4-5 bucks for the same burger that they sold back then. This is a terrible time to risk messing with the Whataburger brand. With his massive profits, he dabbled in oil speculation and mining diamonds in South America. The purpose of this is to explore expansion plans in the northern area of the United States while staying true to the brands message.15 Some of the brand messages can be found in The Whataburger Difference. The Whataburger Difference is what separates the company from every other competitor that they have and one of the five points of focus is to protect and serve the best products in the industry.16 With this said, hopefully Texans will stay true to the family brand as changes occur, which would surely make Dobson proud of how his company has grown. In the early years, Graces oldest son, Tom, enjoyed helping Harmon make the root beer at Whataburger. It was also surprising to me that Whataburgers exists in other states. It consists of a grilled quarter-pound beef patty, fresh lettuce, four dill pickles, three slices of tomatoes, chopped onions, mustard and ketchup. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. This, I believe, will turn out to be a very profitable investment, which is something up until May 1, I was very unaccustomed.3, Dobson aimed to make a better burger a burger so good that it would require two hands to hold it. Unfortunately, Coy was protective of Grace and had warned her about dating his unsettled, gallivanting brother. Whataburger is bigger than all of those, and that may be the point. The History of and Story Behind Whataburger Logo - Money Inc Harmon Archibald Dobson (October 8, 1913 - April 11, 1967) was an American entrepreneur best known as one of the founders of the fast food chain Whataburger. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. [2], Dobson moved to Texas, where he co-founded the first Whataburger with Paul Burton, who was looking to open a hamburger restaurant. In June 1950, Dobson was granted the Whataburger name trademark. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. He kicked off New Year's Day 1950 with a. Es Cuaresma y Whataburger lo sabe: El Whatacatch, est de regreso! By the mid-60s, there were over 40 stores in fifteen Texas cities and four states. By 1951, Dobson was an official Texan. Tragedy struck the Whataburger family in 1967 when a plane crash took the life of Harmon Dobson. Wow! Unique 30-foot-tall A-frame design spiked interest in Whataburger Great article! Following his success, Dobson began dabbling in oil and purchased a small well in Mountain Home, Arkansas. [4] Burton and Harmon decided that Burton would own the Whataburger franchises in San Antonio, Texas, while Harmon would own the rest of the company and its franchises. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Serving it hot and fresh, 24/7. Plane hit power line before crash near Edmonton that killed well-known Thomas Mark Harmon, 50, of Laurel, Mont., died at the scene Monday after crashing his small plane . Other franchisees settled their disputes in a separate agreement as part of Whataburgers efforts to repair its strained relations with them. Year should not be greater than current year. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. He charged a pricy 25 cents since the burgers were better quality than the competitors burgers. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Dobson revealed that in Fast Food magazine in 1957 that flying over a Whataburger in Bryan, Texas led to more customers buying burgers. Learn more about merges. It isnt a small business anymore, and to keep ahead of the competition, it may have to start acting its size. Dobson and Burton's goal was to make a burger that took two hands to hold and that tasted good. Geographical origins This time, however, it indicated that it wasnt inclined to do so. Rocky Mountain House airport manager one of 2 dead in plane crash - CBC The location of the first Whataburger was 2609 Ayers Street, across from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. The plane went up 100 feet off the runway and came straight back down. 0 cemeteries found in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA. Cant tell much yet.6, August 11, 1950- Nice day today $97. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition. Sadly, in 2005, Whataburger Family Members mourned the loss of Lady Grace as she was called by many. Thats quite a success story to tell, though. In our eighth decade, we entered new markets including Kansas City, Nashville, and Colorado Springs, expanding our restaurant footprint to 14 states. If they cant settle their differences, its not clear where theyll be tomorrow. I love Whataburger and it is a Texas staple. The All-Time Favorites menu, featuring four of the most loved specialty sandwiches from over the years, made its debut and was greeted enthusiastically by Whataburger fans. I always found it kind of weird that Whataburger has mostly been a Texas obsession and it amazes me that when they expanded to Memphis and Las Vegas, business declined. The burgers were always cooked exactly how the customer wanted them to be. Please try again later. After hearing from a friend in Houston that Texas was teeming with both cars and oil, Dobson, whose business ventures now had him traveling halfway across the U.S., purchased a private plane and learned to fly it. Dobson wrote about this difficulty in his journal: Late May, 1950- Landed back in Midland April 21 to find that Henry Mode, my oil partner, had begun drinking again. Dobson was involved in the early growth of the franchise from 1950 until his death in an airplane crash in 1967. This tiny burger stand offered something people had never seen: a burger that was so big, they had to hold its five-inch bun with two hands. I had over 5000 dollars invested in a drilling deal in Loving County, Texas, and on May 18 almost lost the whole thing through his drinking by fouling up a deal only two days before the money would have been forfeited Am now interested in financing Paul Burton, a hamburger expert, in some small specialized hamburger joints somewhere in Texas. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. The Transportation Safety Board says a plane that crashed last year southwest of Edmonton killing the two people on board, had collided with a power line.. Today, Whataburger is a billion-dollar industry, all because of the efforts of Whataburgers saving Grace. The lawsuit, filed in San Antonio in March, traces the roots of the dispute to the earliest days of the Whataburger chain, which Dobson founded in 1950 after stints in shipbuilding, oil drilling, and diamond trading. [2] She ultimately refused to sell the company, wanting it to be kept in the family, and became chairwoman of the board of Whataburger until her death in 2005. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Yet, I find it insane that Dobson died so tragically and unexpectedly before he could see his fast food chain truly flourish and gain a big following from many Texans and others from different states. He was not afraid to tell people if they did not meet his standards.. 10 Infamous US Plane Crashes | Smithsonian Channel - YouTube Harmon was a stickler for cleanliness and very detailoriented, his sister LenaRae explained to biographer Greg Woolridge. The story of Dobson was well written here. Failed to delete memorial. There was an error deleting this problem. Otherwise, it wouldnt approve any new sites for WOA. By 1965, it was estimated that Whataburger was selling 15,000 hamburgers a day. Since his businesses were now at different locations, Harmon figured it was wise to visit them by plane. Oops, we were unable to send the email. As a devout Whataburger customer this article was fascinating. She was infuriated that people were telling her to sell off her husbands dream and just enjoy the money. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? This, I believe, will turn out to be a very profitable investment, which is something up until May 1, I was very unaccustomed.3, Dobson aimed to make a better burger a burger so good that it would require two hands to hold it. The location of the first Whataburger was 2609 Ayers Street, across from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Lady Grace and the Whataburger Legend - Texasliving Its competition is McDonalds and Wendys, not a boutique operation with three locations that offers grass-fed-bison burgers topped with arugula on a gluten-free bun. H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. The number of locations doubled to more than 200 restaurants. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. In short, Whataburger made it very plain that its position is that Whataburger never intended WOA would have the benefits that the 1993 Agreement clearly states that it does, the lawsuit says. What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative? However, over the years, Whataburger has become a legend in its own right. She lived simply and seldom spent the Whataburger money, aside from the many charities to which she contributed. Montana family mourning loss of pilot | ParkRecord.com Harmon Archibald Dobson [1] was an American entrepreneur best known as one of the founders of the fast food chain Whataburger. [3][2], In 1955, Harmon married Grace Williamson, a widow with a five-year-old son. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. She also gave copious amounts of her time and money back to Corpus Christi and the state. Harmon Dobson | Military Wiki | Fandom I think anyone who hasnt tried Whataburger definitely should because it is one of the best fast food places. One part of this strategy, the lawsuit contends, is to buy out franchisees with an eye toward taking the company public; gaining greater control over its franchise operations could provide greater value to future shareholders. The pragmatic Lady Grace rolled up her sleeves and got to work, teaching her children the family business along the way. Known for: Co-founding Whataburger with . The email does not appear to be a valid email address. [4] In 1993, her son Tom Dobson became the CEO and president of Whataburger. The University of Houstons Barth says such changes arent unusual in a company that has grown to Whataburgers size. Also on the board were Sam W. Main who was vice president, Laneil Andert who was secretary, Ray F. Miller who was treasurer, and Roscoe Smith and Tom E. Dobson as board members.13 During this time, Grace usually avoided the spotlight, but she attended almost every company event. Great article! My name is Courtney Pena and I am from McAllen, Texas.