All right, I’m ready to be shouted down for saying this, but I believe that Whataburger makes the best hamburger.

How do I know this? Because I’ve lived in and traveled to places where there are no Whataburger’s, and I didn’t like being there.

I’ve heard arguments for Five Guys, Fuddruckers, White Castle and other places, but honestly, I’ve never been to or tried those burgers, so let’s take those out of the argument.

To back up my claim, I feel that I have to list what I believe are the criteria for a phenomenal burger.

  • 1) Fresh. The meat and ingredients must be fresh.
  • 2) Made where I can watch.
  • 3) Smell.
  • 4) Taste.

I believe that Whataburger beats its competitors in all of these areas, but they excel with #4. I’ve never been able to put my finger on why a Whataburger tastes better than it’s not-really-fast-food-but-not-really-restaurant competitors, but taste is where it won me over.

There is nothing tastier than a double-meat Whataburger with cheese, onions, jalapeños and mayo.

Where I grew up, there was a home-owned place called Texas Burger. I think there’s now a chain by the same name, but it’s not related. The Texas Burger in Texarkana was the first place I ever had a really good hamburger, but when I moved further south in Texas, I had to find a substitute.

That substitute was Whataburger.

Also, Whataburger has amazing ketchup for their fries. Now they have amazing spicy ketchup.

This is not a paid endorsement. I don’t even know anyone who works at or owns a Whataburger.

As a journalist, I value my credibility and would never want anyone thinking that I was for sale.

However, if you do own a Whataburger and feel the need to chastise me for giving a huge plug for your double-meat cheeseburger, tasty fresh ingredients, fries, ketchup, etc., please IM me and I’ll send you my mailing address.

You can write your complaint on the back of the free coupons.

More From 101.5 KNUE