For Whataburger fans, celebrating “just like you like it” means Whataburger is part of the birthday fun.

As we celebrate our 69th "birthday" August 8, 2019, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite orange-and-white celebrations! 

Celebrating her 95th in style

Bobbie Waugh celebrated turning 95 with 14 of her best friends and her Whataburger family at her favorite restaurant.

What’s the secret to having such a long life? “I eat lots of Whataburger,” Waugh says.

________________________________________

A fry fanatic turns 11

For his 11^th birthday, Jacob Lott got lots of what he loves: Whataburger.

Even Whataguy showed up to celebrate the fry-lover’s celebration at his very own Whataburger party, complete with all the orange party accessories anyone could want.

And check out that cake! The confectionary creation was designed to look like our orange-and-white bag, a Patty Melt and, yes, even French fries. Watch a video of his celebration here. 

________________________________________

Honoring two WWII veterans with birthday bling

C.J. “Red” Wallace and Wayne Palmer are both World War II veterans who love them some Whataburger. So, their families arranged parties to mark their 100^th birthday milestones at their local Whataburger restaurants.

Wallace received the royal treatment, rolling up to his Whataburger in a stretch limo and strolling in on a red carpet.

His usual order is a #1 Whataburger with mayo, minus onions and pickles. The best part? The bun, he says. We don’t disagree, Red.

For Palmer, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. At his hometown restaurant, the Whataburger Family knows his order as the “Palmer Special.” That’s one scrambled egg, one pancake and two pieces of bacon. Other customers ask for it by name too!

Read both stories here!

________________________________________

A birthday roadtrip

Santiago Paredes works as a construction company foreman, and although his home is in Pharr, Texas, he spends most of his days traveling across the state to visit jobsites.

Being on the road means Paredes has ample opportunity to stop by his favorite restaurant: Whataburger.

His family is well aware of his preferred meal spot, so when his wife wanted to surprise him for his birthday, she knew exactly what to do. She arranged for a custom orange-and-white striped van – dubbed the “WhataChariot” – to pick him up at home and take him for a birthday celebration at (where else?) Whataburger.

Too much? We don’t think so. You only turn 58 once!

________________________________________

A surprise celebration for a longtime fan

For his 90^th birthday, Bobie Miller got a big surprise from his family and ROMEO, a group of his closest friends.

They arranged for tables of all of Miller’s favorite foods and oodles of orange desserts.

And what’s the ROMEO group?

It stands for Retired Old Men Eating Out.

Pretty sure that’s a club we all want to join.

Instead, each wished on a single Whataburger-branded candle while family, friends and Whataburger Family Members cheered.

Both the World War II veterans love them some Whataburger, so their families arranged parties to mark the milestones at their local Whataburger restaurants.

Wallace partied down on his big day – April 13 – at Whataburger in Malakoff, Texas. Palmer celebrated on April 15, and even Whataguy came out to the store in Lufkin, Texas, to join the fun.

Each party was filled with sage advice from the guests of honor and plenty of orange.

April 13: Honoring C.J. “Red” Wallace

Wallace stepped out of a stretch limo and onto a red carpet rolled out in his honor at the Malakoff Whataburger. “If you want to live a long life, you’d better get plenty of exercise,” he says.

Wallace’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and Whataburger family fulfilled the WWII veteran’s wish of receiving 100 cards on his 100^th birthday.

After serving with the Air Force in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany during WWII, Wallace worked for General Motors for 27 years.

Wallace’s great-grandaughters were among the guests marking the milestone at one of their great-grandfather’s favorite places.

He says the bun is one of the best parts of his usual order: a #1 Whataburger with mayo added, minus onions and pickles.

“It’s special that he let Whataburger share his milestone,” says Shelly Lipe, the marketing director for Hablinski Investments, a Whataburger franchise.

April 15: Celebrating Wayne Palmer

Palmer, being greeted here by friends, agrees with Wallace about the key to a long life. “You gotta stay active, otherwise you’re not going to go very long.”

During steamy East Texas summers, Palmer keeps a half-dozen lawns mowed. Each of those takes about two hours. Whew!

Balloons, cards and banners marked Palmer’s big day.

He credits his faith for getting him through tight spots in life. One of those tight spots was D-Day on Normandy Beach in France.

At the Lufkin restaurant, the Whataburger Family knows Palmer’s breakfast order as the “Palmer Special.” That’s one scrambled egg, one pancake and two pieces of bacon. Other customers ask for it by name too!

Palmer’s cake was 100 percent Whataburger, even orange on the inside, and topped with a Whataburger French fry candle.

“We know how much Mr. Palmer enjoys coming to our restaurant,” says Maci Dover from the G.V.C.S. Whataburger franchise. “This celebration is just one way for all of us at Whataburger to show how much he means to us.”

In his work as a construction company foreman in Pharr, Texas, Santiago Paredes travels throughout the Lone Star State - which means he eats a lot of Whataburger.  

So his wife, Loida, knew just what to do when she planned his birthday surprise. With the help of the couple’s five children and extended family, they created a celebration that was over-the-top – and included an orange-and-white vehicle the family dubbed the “WhataChariot.” Hey, you only turn 58 once!

It all began with a surprise party at the family home. Santiago may have gotten a little teary. "It was so emotional for all of us to see how much he loved everything,” says his daughter, Lee Walls.

The team at the Pharr Whataburger, where Santiago is a regular, provided bags, cups, placemats and stickers to make the party extra festive.

A friend of the family made the cake and topped it with a table tent.

That’s when the photo shoot began.

Then, the family took this show on the road in the WhataChariot.

"We had to special order the orange tape for the van because we couldn't find it anywhere locally," Lee says. "This was two months’ worth of planning, but it was all so worth it.”

“Our neighbors got a big kick out of the decorated van,” Lee says. Santiago rode all the way to Whataburger with the windows down, waving at people on the street. “He thought he was part of the Presidential motorcade," Lee says.

After cruising through town, the WhataChariot headed to Whataburger, where the birthday boy ordered his favorite meal: a #5 Bacon and Cheese Whataburger with the bacon extra crispy, cut in half, on Texas toast, with no onions.

Why Whataburger? "They see him there several times a week, know what he likes to order and even where he likes to sit,” Lee says. “They are part of the family to him."

Manager Maria Alvarez, who helped the family with the surprise party, says Santiago is one of her favorite customers.

"I'm so happy he's gotten all this attention for his birthday," Lee says.  "He is the hardest working man I've ever known and he deserves nothing but the best."