Thanksgiving at the Beach Turns Whataburger Feast

When most people think of Thanksgiving dinner, they usually think turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and dozing off to football. But for Carol Hays from Spring, Texas and her family, it’s more like burgers, fries, and watching sunsets by the beach.

It started six years ago, when they spent Thanksgiving together on Okaloosa Island in Florida. They were staying in condos, none quite big enough to host the whole family for dinner. So the original plan was to have a traditional turkey dinner at another restaurant.

But with a three-hour wait and hungry kids in tow, they turned to one of the only other options: Whataburger. Turns out, it was a hit.

“The next time we went, they all said, we want to go back to Whataburger,” Carol says. “So that’s what we’ve done.”

Whatasizing the tradition

They’ve gone back every other year since, traveling 16 people deep to Okaloosa Island for WhataThanksgiving. They even make matching t-shirts, and Carol brings festive paper plates to make the feast feel a little bit more like Thanksgiving.

“It's good family time,” Carol says. “And it's funny how quickly it turned into a tradition that we have to do. The kids would not have it any other way.”

The tradition has grown to include Whataburger Christmas ornaments and gift card stocking stuffers. Back at home, Carol’s husband has made his own Whataburger ritual. Almost daily, he and his friends go for an early morning workout and then chat over biscuits.

“They go every day, and they sit there and solve the world's problems,” Carol says. “We call them ROMEOs: Retired Old Men Eating Out.”

What started as a convenient burger run turned into something the whole family looks forward to together. Even on off years, Carol says, sometimes they wish they were just eating Whataburger by the beach.