Whataburger opens in Joplin; Who was the first customer?
JOPLIN, Mo. — The Whataburger near 20th St. and Range Line Rd. in Joplin opened, Monday.
It’s the first Whataburger in the area the first of what will soon be two.
The first 100 customers in line on Monday had a chance at winning prizes and go home with some Whataburger swag.
We caught up with Ruby Winslow from Gainesville, Missouri, it’s more than 2.5 hours from Joplin. She and her daughter were the first ones in line. They weren’t passing through – they came here to be the first ones in line.
“I’m here to buy the first Whataburger sold in this new facility opening up. Woo!” said Winslow.
“Why would you want to do this?
“Because, a Whataburger fan, one of the biggest things they can do it buy the first Whataburger sold. It’s on their bucket list somewhere,” said Winslow.
“I love it. I love to see the line. I love to see all of the people that I’ve talked to in line so far, you know, they’ve traveled to the different markets around us, so that they could have Whataburger up until now. And now they can come straight here, in their home town,” said Kim Kannarr, Whataburger Regional Marketing Manager.
So what did Ruby Winslow order? A number one with cheese, jalapenos on the side, mayo and she also got it “Whatasized.”
For now, only the drive-thru is open 24-7. The dining room and the app will be up and running in the next few weeks.
There’s no exact opening date for the Whataburger off south Madison in Webb City but it’s expected to happen within the month.
