Thanks to Patrick Mahomes, Missourians will soon see the incredibly popular Whataburger restaurants spread throughout the western and southern portions of the state.
In 2018, the NFL all-pro quarterback announced his desire to have Whataburger restaurants in the Kansas City area. That order was filled last November as two locations opened up in Independence and Lee’s Summit.
Although the franchise was able to secure two KC locations, Mahomes is an investor in KMO Burger, which has pledged to bring 30 additional franchises to Kansas and Missouri over the next seven years.
The town of Republic, Missouri near Springfield announced in November it would be getting a Whataburger location. This was directly followed by an announcement from Ozark’s Mayor Bradley Jackson declaring the same.
According to the mayor’s Facebook post, the Ozark location is planned for construction on Marler Lane near South Street and Business 65, next door to Arby’s. The Republic location is planned for 1371 U.S. Hwy 60 on the north side between Macadoodles and Andy’s Frozen Custard.
Springfield noticed the excitement from its neighbors and quickly jumped on board to bring three locations to the “Queen City.” Plans have been filed with the city to bring a Whataburger restaurant to 3880 West Sunshine Street near the entrance of the new Springfield Plaza Shopping Center.
Two other potential Springfield locations are up for review at 2825 South Glenstone in front of the Battlefield Mall and at 2337 North Glenstone at the intersection of Kearney Street.
Springfield Councilwoman Angela Romine told The Heartlander she feels it will bring a lot of new visitors to the city and is happy that Springfield residents are just as excited as she is.
“I think people from surrounding communities will travel to Springfield to have Whataburger,” said Romine. “I’ve driven to Arkansas to specifically get Whataburger. For me it has to do more with childhood memories. I grew up in Texas and my dad loved Whataburger. That’s my personal reason for why I am excited.”
Construction for the Springfield locations reportedly will begin in May of 2022 and could be complete by September.
