Whataburger — Restaurant in Brentwood

Ok, I've been waiting about 3 months to finally be able to eat at this brand new Whataburger in Brentwood, TN. I noticed it when in town for a monthly visit, and only because Brentwood traffic made it impossible for me to get where I needed, so I had to drive out of my way to get there. And there it was. That WHATABURGER sign in the front yard, only to find that it wasn't open yet. So I waited.

FINALLY the day came and I was able to visit. Yes, I could have visited the previous month, but the parking lot basically said "We're full. Try again later". I tend to wait until after the "A New Restaurant Has Opened" phase dies down so I don't need to battle a crowd.

The very first thing I noticed: This Is A Small Whataburger. I think the kitchen-to-dining-room ratio is about 2 to 1. Seriously. 2/3 of the building is kitchen/storage, and the front 1/3 is dining room and restrooms. As I recall there are less than 10 tables in the dining area.

There are two kiosks for ordering and a counter with two registers.

I visited on Monday and Wednesday of this week. Monday was a bit busier, but I had no problems.

On Monday I had the Jalapeño Cheese Burger meal and on Wednesday I had the Pico de Gallo burger.

In both cases I was able to order at the counter (I despise fast food ordering kiosks) relatively quickly. Less than five minutes after entering I had my drink cup and waited for my food. The person who took my order was friendly and courteous and was able to answer any questions. For as short a time as this location has been open it's nice to see that the staff has the product information down.

The kitchen is pretty well hidden away from customer view in this location. I'm pretty sure that's because of the way the existing building was when Whataburger took over.

Less than 10 minutes after ordering my food arrived. It was hot and accurate. Whataburger's Spicy Ketchup is exactly what their fries need. The fries aren't remarkable, but the Spicy Ketchup gives it just what it needs.

The (very small) dining room was relatively clean, but on both visits the trash bins were could have used some attention. On both visits I didn't see any urgency to clean up tables when they became unoccupied.

I'm glad I'll be able to get Whataburger on my monthly visit to Brentwood. I'm sure that, once it gets on its feet, this Whataburger...

Whataburger Review: A 22-Minute Journey into the Twilight Zone

Pulled into Whataburger tonight expecting a chicken biscuit. Left with 22 minutes of my life gone, my patience tested, and a front-row seat to managerial CPR being performed in real time.

Let’s start with the positives: Ryan and Clyde deserve hazard pay. Those two were holding that place together with sheer willpower and broken headsets. Clyde, in a blue polo, looked like he hadn’t blinked since 7 p.m., and Ryan was pacing like a man trying to keep the Titanic afloat with a mop.

Now onto the kid on the megaphone. Buddy had the confidence of someone who’s never spoken to another human before. I said “chicken biscuit” so many times I felt like I was in a poultry-themed fever dream. He couldn’t take my order. Couldn’t answer a question. I genuinely think he thought the intercom was a decoration.

I sat there, window down, AC blasting, just vibing with my regret. Eventually, Ryan came over like a war medic and got it handled — but by that point, the emotional damage was done.

Here’s the thing: this location should not have opened tonight. Corporate needs to fly down with a team of adults and let Clyde and Ryan take a damn break. You cannot run a restaurant with two managers, one confused teenager, and vibes.

Oh — and the biscuit? Lukewarm, mushy, and somehow already soggy. The only butter involved tonight was the one I got churned into, emotionally.

Will I be back? Honestly, probably. But next time I’m packing a Xanax and a...

Update: I previously said that this place had the freshest ingredients in town, but since the grand opening period has ended, quality has rapidly tanked. I just had a salad with the container less than half full, and the "greens" were all brown and transluscent – well over a day old. Last time they omitted my chicken altogether. Utensils and dressing were omitted as well.

If management thinks to pinch pennies by cutting corners, someone needs to tell them they are losing far more in sales due to customers not coming back, and will only suffer the same fate as the previous tenants of this location. Baffling and short sighted practice, the owner needs to come back and retrain.

Not to mention, you are still forced to use curbside pickup if you order during the day, which employees seem to be loathe to deliver. You will be left waiting indefinitely, at times 30+ minutes past the pickup time, and if you attempt to pick up your order in the drive thru anyway, they will refuse to hand it to you and tell you to go around and wait for curbside. When you inevitably go in to pick it up yourself, you will usually find employees standing around with your order sitting there.

At present, the only reason anyone should ever order here is if you get off work at 3am and nothing...