Burger Bonus
Whataburger makes a move into H-E-B, creating a spicy partnership
Bolstered by the hype generated for its spicy ketchup, Whataburger has decided to start bottling the stuff. The burger chain will partner with H-E-B stores to sell it this summer. They'll sell the regular ketchup and mustard as well, and they are introducing a new potato chip product called Whatafries.
The ketchup will come in 20-ounce bottles; the mustard will be in a 16-ounce bottle. According to Whataburger, its mustard is a "one-of-a-kind" recipe dating back to the 1950s.
Whatafries — a potato chip version of Whataburger's French fries — will be made made from real potatoes. Those will be sold in 7.4-ounce bags.
In other condiment news, the spicy ketchup will graduate from its previous limited-edition status to become available permanently at every one of Whataburger's 740-plus restaurants in its 10-state service area.
Whataburger has gotten a lot of mileage from its spicy ketchup. The restaurant chain first released the not-really-that-spicy? condiment in January 2012 for a limited time, which helped ramp up the furor. When it went away, customers did what they usually do these days: created a Facebook page. Whataburger reissued it in March 2013 — which apparently resuscitated the enthusiasm sufficiently to persuade them to add it to the regular lineup.
As for the mustard, is it really one-of-a-kind? I can think of lots of mustards that are distinctive, but the Whataburger mustard doesn't seem that special.