By Melanie Levi
The University of Georgia’s costumed mascot, Hairy Dawg, poses in front of a Whataburger food truck at the chain’s groundbreaking event in west Athens. The March 15 event took place on Atlanta Highway, where one of three proposed new Athens locations will open. (Photo/Melanie Levi)
Whataburger, a hamburger restaurant hailing from Corpus Christi, will be opening a new location that promises to provide 150-plus employment opportunities to Athens.
Athens-Clarke County’s unemployment rate reached 2.7% as of December, and has been on a steady decline throughout the past decade. Whataburger said they plan to help support this trend further. Spokespeople for the chain pledge to hire contractors, landscapers, general managers, team members and more for this location alone. Tally Baldwin, a talent acquisition professional for Whataburger, said that the brand hopes to establish a locally based workforce with longevity.
“This brings a lot of warmth to people. It lets people know that there’s hope,” said Baldwin at Whataburger’s Athens groundbreaking event. “This entire area is going to be job-driven.”
Although the restaurant will be placed in a relatively unpopular location, Whataburger personnel are hopeful that their business will thrive regardless. The building will be located at 3201 Atlanta Highway, adjacent to the almost-desolate Georgia Square Mall.
This area is attractive to Whataburger officials and county commissioners alike due to the recently approved redevelopment of the west-side mall, said David Bradley, president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. This housing initiative is being implemented to help draw more Georgians to the west side of Athens-Clarke County, which may effectively increase Whataburger’s sales.
“When you think about a half a mile down the road you’re going to have another two or 3,000 people who will be living at the mall redevelopment in the next little bit, it makes this piece of property much more valuable,” Bradley said.
The restaurant is set to open its doors in September and continue to develop two more locations in Athens. This will be the 941st Whataburger location in the United States.
Whataburger personnel, Hairy Dawg and David Bradley pose with their themed hard hats and shovels to break the ground of the lot, signifying the start of their expansion. This is the Athens area’s first Whataburger location out of a potential three. (Photo/Melanie Levi)
Source Info:
Tally Baldwin, she/her
404-402-2538
HR Talent Acquisition Professional
David Bradley, he/him
706-549-6800 ext. 225
Why I Wrote the Story:
I wrote this story to inform Athens residents of a new restaurant coming their way. It is unique because Athens has never housed this restaurant chain before.