What-a-concept

Texas' favorite fast-food chain offers delivery for first time ever

Love Whataburger but hate leaving your house? Now you can order it from your couch.

Courtesy of Whataburger

Good news stay-at-home diners: Whataburger will deliver directly to your door. That's right — Double Meat Whataburgers, Texas Toast, Dr Pepper shakes, etc. — can all be ordered up without leaving the couch.

Whataburger's new perk is a first for the 70-year-old chain, and it's offering delivery in San Antonio, Texas, and the other nine states it services. Keeping with current safety precautions, the delivery is contactless and orders are packaged in sealed bags.

For delivery, users must place an order using the Whataburger app, select "delivery" at checkout, and input an address. Users may also include special delivery instructions and provide a tip. (Seriously — add a tip.)

Diners can also schedule orders up to 24 hours in advance, a particularly useful feature if one is, say, imbibing during quarantine and wants to plan a little post-party snack.

As an incentive to get people to use the Whataburger app (the company really, really wants you to download the app), Whataburger is rolling out incentives and freebies. The current one runs now through June 7 and is a buy one, get one Dr Pepper shake at participating locations.

The chain's new app is among the first innovations made following the Dobson family selling the majority share of their San Antonio-based company to the Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners. The deal, finalized in June 2019, came amid major expansion plans for the Texas chain.

For the purists among us, never fear; Whataburger is still offering drive-thru and curbside delivery.

burgers

news you can eat

Growing national pizza chain will bring halal pies and pastas to Katy

Vocelli Pizza/Facebook

Vocelli Pizza will open its first Houston-area location in March.

A Pittsburgh pizzeria has set its sights on Houston. Vocelli Pizza will makes it Bayou City debut next year with a location in Katy.

Scheduled to open in March 2026, the restaurant will be located at 2941 W. Grand Parkway. Although pizza is part of the restaurant’s name, the menu also includes wings, pizza rolls, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and more. Specialty items include mac and cheese pizza, spinach mushroom rolls, and a chicken parmesan sub.

"We are thrilled to continue our growth into new communities that share our passion for quality, service, and authentic Italian-inspired food," Vocelli Pizza CEO Toni Bianco said in a statement. "Our expansion into Dalton and Houston reflects the strong demand for our brand, and we look forward to delivering an exceptional experience to guests in both markets."

For its expansion into Houston, Vocelli’s will debut an all-halal menu that’s designed to appeal to Houston’s diverse community.

"The team is excited to introduce Vocelli Pizza to Houston with a full halal menu," Bianco added. "There is a clear demand for high-quality Halal pizza and delivery options, and we are proud to meet that need while bringing our brand to a new and dynamic market."

Founded by Turkish immigrant Varol Ablak in 1988, Vocelli began franchising in 1993. The restaurant currently has more than 80 locations.

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