Whataburger — Restaurant in Tennessee

Definitely going to get some grief over this review, but I tell them like they are. Don't get me wrong -- I like Whataburger. I really really do. In the future, though, I'll roll down to Murfreesboro (even though I live in Smyrna, could walk to the Smyrna Whataburger location). First, the wait was fairly annoying. This is where a lot of reviews will exaggerate - I was killing time, however, watching The Blacklist on Netflix, and I was through one episode and deep into another before I noticed that it had been 45 minutes before I made it to the window. 45 minutes. Not 25 minutes, and 'wow, this seems like a long time'. The initial person on the speaker was fairly rude - interrupted constantly, couldn't make out quite what she was saying, and when I asked her to please repeat, you could hear the 'harumph'. She disappeared. Fully ten minutes later, a very well-spoken gentleman came on, and apologized for the wait - it was like night and day. He took my order, no problem, and I rolled up to the window.

Here's where the review isn't so pretty, but this is exactly what happened. If you don't like it, oh well.

There are two lines at Whataburger in Smyrna; I was in the inside line, closest to the window, and behind me was a lady in a Range Rover, and another gentleman in a Camry or similar behind her (I'd had 45 minutes to look around at this point). While waiting one car back from the window (and this was also going on while I was waiting for my order to be taken at the speaker), the outside lane was smoothly rolling along - order - pay - food - gone - rinse - repeat. Our side? Nothing. Note that I ordered a combo meal, and a sandwich - no special order, nothing to make us wait and additional 15 or 20 minutes. Except that I was a white guy in a sports car. And behind me was a white lady in a Range Rover. The outside lane? Populated with people who, apparently, got the Stamp of Approval from those working inside. Oh well.

You can hate on me all you want - I'm not a racist, and I've never done anything to anyone that could be construed as racist, and my family came over here from Greece just a generation ago - but today, Whataburger in Smyrna, TN played 'make the white guy wait'. Maybe you think it's funny, maybe somehow you'll find a way to make me the Bad Guy™ (believe me, I could fall asleep trying to care), but that's what happened. That's how it is, and after everyone posts all of their sordid opinions and comments, it will still have happened exactly as I described it above. It wasn't 'oh, we've got two different people on the line', or 'ooops', it was seeing people talking and pointing and giggling.

Great job keeping that stereotype alive, Whataburger. I won't be back. But I sure...

I visited Monday 9/23/24 around 10:00pm. I put in a mobile order for 3 meals and arrived when it told me to arrive. I check in at the front and the woman just goes to the back so I am under the impression she’s going to check into it. I keep waiting and waiting and nothing. At that point there had been several groups come in, order, and receive their orders pretty quickly. I go to sit down because I figure it’s still being prepared. Nothing. By then I had already been waiting for 20+ minutes past the time the app said the order would be ready. I walk up to the register to ask about my order and there were about 3 employees and what appeared to be a manager in the front just talking to each other about employee meals and non work related things. I figure someone will eventually acknowledge me but I was wrong, they all walk back to the kitchen without saying a word to me. Eventually, I had to ask for my order and informed them I had been waiting almost 30 minutes and nobody would help me despite a full crew. Another employee apologized to me and quickly got my order out to me. This leads me to believe that my food was forgotten about. By the time I get home, my food is cold and soggy. Terrible customer service and whoever they call a “manager” needs to be fired because evidently there is no emphasis on customer service. I would understand if it were busy and they had a skeleton crew, but it was slow and there seemed to be people just standing around instead of helping customers. Lots of teens who seem to not care. Food is incredibly way too expensive to not be acknowledged and shouldn’t take 30+ minutes for a mobile order. The employee who helped me seemed apologetic but the others didn’t care and couldn’t be bothered to actually do their jobs. All the whataburgers in the area have the same exact problem. Just skip entirely.

If it’s worth anything, the food was alright after taking a spin in the microwave since...

I went inside to eat as there were no other customers inside the restaurant surprisingly at 8:00pm. I was never acknowledged as I stood at the counter. Two employees walked by me about 6 minutes into me arriving one of them with a broom in hand. God forbid they try to multitask and at least find some one to take my order. But again acknowledging that there is a paying or willing to pay customer at the counter was not communicated.So I looked at my clock. As I stood there I could see in the kitchen several teenagers having a really good time. At the 14 minute point I just left never being served or asked for an order. It's a shame because this Whataburger is so new to our city and their employee training or management training program is obviously lacking. I called the store on my way home and when I ask to speak to a manager the young employee said that they weren't available which seems to be a standard go to today. When I said it's ok that I will arrive in the morning and speak to that manager when magically the current Manger became available. I got the standard apology but it went on deaf ears. When I drive from Brentwood to Smyrna specifically for your restaurant and treated as if being a customer is just not that important to your team is disheartening. I generally do not do reviews however this is the 2nd bad experience I've had at the Smyrna location in a matter of weeks. I should of stayed loyal to the burger place down the street which is were I ended up and was served promptly. I will also add this. While sitting and eating at a competitors location one of their emoyees saw that my drink was low and took my cup and got me a refill before I even new that I needed one. Sad to say I don't believe that would ever happen at the Whataburger in Smyrna, TN. I go back 25 years with Whataburger and whatever they brought from the mid west to Tn is not how...