DO NOT CONFUSE THIS PLACE WITH WHATABURGER... THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!! We saw a review of this place on YouTube and decided to try it out because it's "sorta" on our way through NC. "Sorta..." means the exit is off 85 but the restaurant is 8.5 miles off the exit. That said, we would do it again. And that should tell you mostly what you need to know because it's not super convenient to get to, but it is worth it. It also says a lot that this place was PACKED! Founded in 1955 in Kannapolis, NC, I see some similarities to what the big chain Whataburger USED to be. Which got me thinking that someone copy-catted someone. I had to know so I looked it up and saw Whataburger was founded in 1950, five years before this business.... I can only assume the founders of this restaurant visited Texas, tried that famous burger restaurant and brought the idea back to NC with them. And I'm not mad about that because, where the "famous" Whataburger has dropped the ball and failed, What-A-Burger has continued to succeed when it comes to quality. As a matter of fact, if I closed my eyes and took a bite of the What-A-Cheeseburger.... It instantly reminds me of my childhood days in Texas. The bread was fresh, the lettuce crispy, the tomato juicy, the cheese not old or congealed and the patty was fresh, juicy and had that amazing true grilled taste. We also tried the hotdog. Coming standard with chili, slaw, onions, we added mustard. And while I loved the What-A-Cheeseburger a lot, I was surprised to find (because I don't generally care for hotdogs) that the hotdog was my favorite item. The chili had a great flavor. The slaw was creamy and crisp, the onions were also crisp, and again the bun was very fresh. The hotdog itself had good flavor and snap to it. We did have a few minor negatives. The fries had no seasoning on them and the onion rings were just okay. Not bad by any means but not stellar. Neither of these are a dealbreaker for us, though. I saw after ordering that they have curly fries so maybe next time we'll give those a try. The drink selection is definitely quirky but I like quirky. While they serve some Pepsi products, they do not sell Mountain Dew. Their Pepsi lineup is limited to Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and Starry. They also offer Patio Red Cherry (I don't know what that is) SunDrop, and Cheerwine; along with what they call, "The Witch Doctor." I got that and while I'm not sure what's all in it, I loved it! Definitely different and I'd get it again. Sweet and unsweetened tea are also offered. The staff were friendly and helpful and while waiting for our food, I struck up a conversation with an elderly man who said he's been coming here for as long as they've been here. Building is a bit dated, but I like that about it. It adds to the experience. They are both a drive in and a dine in place with the old carhop order stations, which again, I thought was pretty awesome. Overall, our experience here was great. This place has almost no social media presence, which while it makes finding an updated menu a challenge, I'd rather them keep putting the focus on their great food, rather than pandering to the masses. 8/10... would absolutely come back. read more

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$3.30 burger? Yes I'm absolutely coming back! We have heard of What-A-Burger before but it's our first time stoping there while on a road trip. MENU: They have all our American favorites: burgers, hot dogs, fries and cookies and also some southern options like hushpuppies, bbq with slaw, fish sandwich. The biggest reason we came here was for the sundrop on tap! Got a cherry lemon sundrop for $1.70! SERVICE: They have a drive in or you can order and eat inside. We ordered inside and it didn't take long for them to call us with our food. They have self serve ketchup available. FOOD: The burger was great for the price. Looked and tasted like backyard burgers. And for the price this will be our road trip stop from now on. Especially for the sundrop. My husband also got a cinnamon oatmeal cookie ($3.85) available on the counter and he loved it. AMBIENCE: The place is old but it wasn't dirty. I used the bathroom and it does need some update but it wasn't the worst. Overall would come back. Affordable American food, great option for our road trips. read more

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Ooooo just opened and only 3 stars. Not good but I can see why. Lines are long. Many employees Not friendly Not smiling Parking is HORRIBLE Security guys are not helping ONE BIT. I waited for a friend for 20 minutes because she got caught in the drive through line. That is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE Sun shine in eyes of people eating BUSY BUSY Too bad Wonder if it will last read more

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Hamburger was good. Staff was very nice. The bathroom was clean so was the restaurant table was clean.

Came here and (like many others) thought it was the Whataburger franchise. I personally think it's better! I ordered the double what-a-burger and my girlfriend ordered the ranch burger and they both came out delicious. It reminds me of a very retro 70's burger joint which I love. Needless to say we were not disappointed by the surprise of this establishment. read more

Updating because the past few times we have came the burgers have been awful! They are so thin now and full of gristle. I've thrown out my food twice now other than the fries. I don't know what patties they are using now but it definitely isn't doing them any favor! I've ate here my entire life and I have no desire to return other than for a cherry lemon sun-drop maybe some fries. I don't know if they are cutting corners saving money or their resources changed but please go back to what you had because these are just nasty. On top of the prices have doubled..such a shame because we loved what a burger so much. read more

This is What-a-Burger #1 and we've eaten here for years. They have the most amazing salads. You can get just a salad, a chef salad with cut up ham, large crispy slices of cucumber, tomatoes, red onions on iceberg lettuce, topped with shredded cheese. You can get a salad with chicken and all of the above and they are all huge!! Salad dressing comes on the side. You can eat in, eat in your vehicle, or take it home. They also have awesome Cherry Lemon Sundrops or a Witchdoctor (if that's your thing). Their chocolate milkshake is made with real Hersheys chocolate and is so delicious!! read more

I have never seen a restaurant that sells BBQ run out of BBQ (Red) slaw like this What A Burger does. If you go in 10 times, I guarantee that 8 of those times they won't have it. How!?!? read more

We came across WAB while looking for local burger spots. We were glad this location is open on Sunday. It definitely looks like an original drive-thru restaurant (could use a little updating). The parking lot is a really good size and you have the option to go inside as well. We chose the drive-thru. The service was good. The staff was friendly and patient. Also, the food came out in a decent amount of time considering the crowd and the fact hat everything is cooked to order. We ordered what-a-cheeseburgers and fries. Both tasted pretty good. I wish they had a double cheeseburger option as the burger wasn't especially filling. Everything is a la cart, no "meal" options. My main complaint is how expensive the food was. For 2 basic cheeseburgers and fries (no drinks) we paid $20. I love supporting local businesses, but that feels like a lot for what we got. read more

What A Burger 1 - ows a sandwich wrapped in paper - Burgers Near Me - Kannapolis, North Carolina

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There are a chain of this burger spots throughout Kannapolis and Concord. It reminds you of an old school burger shop where you drive up to a speaker box and simply order you food. While they do have seating inside, I truly recommend living in the past and eating in your vehicle. The food was simply and a little pricey for what you get. I would recommend Bebos for good burgers (the food is made to order so you will have to wait a little longer). read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. How disgusting that we walk in and immediately notice the nasty sticky floors. Then we get our food and find a black curly hair cooked into one of our fried pickles. We then got a corndog which took 15 minutes to get to the table even though we were the only people in there and when we opened it, it was completely burnt!! read more

What A Burger 1 - Burgers Near Me - Kannapolis, North Carolina

In the area looking for something to do and started feeling a little snacky. W-A-B is one of those places you don't see 'em until you stop once and then you can't help but see 'em everywhere. Pulled in, parked away from the canopy, and went inside. Order at the counter to the right and seating options include cushy booths inside, patio furniture on the patio, or go back to your car... Was thinking about breakfast but since it was lunch time I went with what-a-salisbury: 4" burger on a 5" bun with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and a pickle on top plus fries and a red soda. Hard to complain about a complete lunch for less than $10 american with change back for pinball if there was pinball and a short draft if there was beer but there's neither so leave'em a buck. read more

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Order a hotdog. How can you mess up a hotdog. They managed to. The bun was stale and the dog wasn't even cooked . I won't be back

We tried to eat-and even ordered. When all the cars around us had gotten their food we pressed the button to check in-and somehow they had lost our order. We re-ordered, with no confirmation. We never received food and drove away after 25 minutes of order and wait time. read more

Great little drive in. Tasty burgers and the fries and onion rings were top notch. Crazy service. One woman running around to all the cars but she did it very well amd always had a smile on her face. read more

Meh...it's a dirty, overrated burger joint. Staff is friendly but that is about where it stops. The food does not impress and certainly does not leave a lasting memory. read more

This is a great spot for some quality fast food. I've been coming here since I moved to the north Kannapolis area. And although sometimes I hear a lot of locals say that the other location is much better. This is just more convenient, they are very quick, friendly, and they take Credit/Debit unlike the other locations. Also they are open on Sundays, as well as in the morning for Breakfast. The Dine In area is great too, very clean and homey. Definitely check this place out. read more

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I loved the food and the wings was very good. Only thing I didn't like no staff member had a mask on. Just please wear mask

THREE WORDS: cherry lemon sundrop. You can't find it better anywhere else! And the burgers are huge!

Called in the order at 6:46. Showed up to the store at 7:00 and paid. Paid an 18% tip(it's one of those flip around and they watch how much you tip places), plus a 5% service fee for using a card. Waited for 10 minutes for my food to have been sitting under the counter the whole time I waited. Burger and tots were cold. Normally slow service, but this time was just not what I expected.. read more

It's good food it's just expensive. I still come like 2 times a week for a witch doctor though. 7/10 only because it's expensive fast food.

All I wanted was a dang witch doctor..... Alas my thirst was not quenched and my dreams were crushed because of course I didn't have $2.50 in cash all I had was a debit card on me. It's 2017 this place needs to get with the digital era and not just accept cash. Who the freak even carries cash anymore!?!?! read more

After reading hundreds of Yelp reviews, I finally decided to write one. I'm happy my first one is for an old school burger joint you would expect to see on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives from Food Network. It is a drive-in and the burgers are delicious! Everything was made to order, hot and inexpensive. The service was great and the staff friendly. When it was our turn to order we explained this was our first time there and the lady working the counter was patient and explained our options. I got the double cheese burger and it was super juicy! Just wish I lived closer than Charlotte because I'd hit this place up weekly. read more

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No employees wore masks when they took our food to our car or when we went inside to talk to them.

Burger was good and so were the onion rings. Nothing wrong or great about the food. Middle of the road. $6.50 for the size was actually a good deal read more

I love this little burger joint in Kannapolis, NC for lunch when I am in the area. I'm giving it 5 stars because for fast food restaurants it is a 5. I love the classic building and drive in style parking. Service is good, the place is clean, it's quick, and it's good food. I definitely recommend this place as it is both a good place to eat and a blast from the past architecturally. read more

The What-A-Burger... what an iconic establishment for the Kannapolis Concord area. And for those of you who have Texas roots or connections...no, there is no connection to the What-A-Burger that you are familiar with. The North Carolina What-A-Burger actually predate the Texas units. The best thing about the food I can say is that nothing has changed since I used to hang out here in my high school days back in the 1970s. Most fast food places have evolved through all these years, and most in a negative fashion. Not What-A-Burger. The burger I got here yesterday was the same as what I enjoyed back in the seventies. Good quality beef, & a great locally made bun. Not the cheapest, but quality costs. And really, is it not important to remember when something has always been good for 40+ years? Our North Kannapolis What-A-Burger isn't the slickest, the newest, the flashiest or the brightest in fast food today. What it does offer is consistent good fast food as it has been for years. And I, for one, truly appreciate this. read more

Great food all around! This location is open on Sunday unlike some of the others. This one also has a friendlier staff and the people working in the kitchen don't look scary. This is my favorite what a burger to visit and come here probably once a week. Can't beat the fountain cherry lemon suundrop, whata cheeseburger, fries, hotdogs, and anything else you see! read more

Great hamburger and Cherry lemon sundrop. We enjoy eating here. The service is great.

didn't read the order back to us, got half of the order wrong, when we called to say we had an issue, they couldn't even promise to fix it but rather said "we'll see what we can do if you bring all the food back" waste of time. read more

About the closest thing i can get to the orange and white whataburger out side of texas. And they take credit cards now

My husband and I have always enjoyed What-a-burger food, which is why we continued giving this particular restaurant (Store #1) "one more chance", but I think after tonight they're out of last chances. Since childhood, my meal of choice has been a chopped barbecue sandwich with red slaw, an order of fries, and of course a witch doctor. I still highly recommend these items (or anything on the menu, honestly), but from any location other than store #1. They are almost ALWAYS out of red slaw when we stop in (I'd say close to 80% of the time), at least 3 times they've been out of barbecue, and the quality of the food is inconsistent from visit to visit. But here's what did me in tonight. Hubby and I both ordered bbq sandwiches with red slaw (surprise, surprise... they ran out of red slaw yesterday), a large fry to share, and two drinks. Our ticket was printed at 6:19pm. People who came in after us got their meals and left, and FINALLY at 6:36pm, our two bbq sandwiches and french fries were ready. The fries were undercooked and the barbecue was, in my opinion, not up to What-a-Burger par. We got no apology for not getting slaw OR for having to wait almost 20 minutes for "fast" food. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt if it was the first time it took so long to get my grub, but they're always slow there and don't seem to care. Most casual sit-down restaurants don't take that long. There are a couple other locations that are tried and true, so apparently I'll just have to drive a little further for good food and good service. read more

Tonight will be the third time I've been to this location and they've gotten the order wrong and the food was cold. I spent a total of 20 mins sitting at the speaker waiting on them to answer and eventually had to press it a second time. Finally got the food I ordered close to 45 mins prior and it's cold. I ask the guy as nice as could be to get me a drink carrier and low and behold never got that. I drove off with my family's cold food to never return to that location again. #10 on Main Street is ALOT better on service and the food and above on everything compared to this place. read more

Stop here on the way to Asheville and men I'm glad we did! Delicious burgers curly fries and the shake where amazing!

Been several times. Cold hard burgers and soggy fries. Not recommended. Other what a burgers serve better food than this one

The customer service here is TERRIBLE . I ordered a What-a-burger with lettuce, mayo, and tomatoe To go but later found out when I arrived at my job I recieved a plain burger with chili and slaw instead. I decided to call and see if they could fix my order tomorrow or at a later date because of my work schedule i could not make it to get it fixed right away . The person I spoke to on the phone decline to write down my name so I could get my correct order on another day . They simply said since we did get a burger they can't fix it at a later date I would have o bring back the SAME messed up burger and then they would fix it that very same day , and said if I would come tomorrow they could simply just give me the missing condiments. I have never experienced this with any other restaurant . It almost sounded like a joke that they would only give me my condiments on another day. So at the end of the day I didn't get my meal and was neglected on getting it fix . I lost a meal , lost some money , but at the end of the day What-a-burger unfortunately lost a customer. read more

Pretty good. It's fast food but a little better than other chains. Really like the old school drive in and the lady who brought my food out was very nice. My order was just over 8 bucks with large fry and lg coke. The only real criticism is that the burger came with a lot of mayonnaise on it and that wasn't listed on the menu but it was pretty good. I will eat here again if I am close by read more

This place was good at one point. I went recently to check them out again . Order was messed up and they refused to fix it on my next trip there . I tried eating it anyways since I did not want to waste my money, the burger was cold, dry and flavorless . Worst burger joint around , don't waste your money here like I did go a little bit further down and a sonic is there that won't disappoint . read more