In this case, that meant getting his best buds together for a bro breakfast with a twist.

The crew has been friends since their college days at Texas A&M University, when – Josh says – “Whataburger was always there for us. Whether it was 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning or 2 a.m. on a Saturday night.” (Check them out in their Aggie gear!)

So when it came time to ask the old gang to stand up at his wedding, Josh knew just where to get everyone together. He worked with the Whataburger team at a store in Pearland, Texas (just outside of Houston) to take his event to the next level. “These guys are a huge part of our lives. I wanted to do this the right way,” he says.

After everyone sat down, Whataburger Family Members brought out special boxes for everyone – instead of all the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits the group was expecting.

Once they helped each other figure out how to get the ribbons off, each prospective groomsman opened the box to find a collection of Whataburger-branded items from Whataburger.com/shop, as well as some fishing gear. “When I think about good times with my friends, I think about fishing, and I think about Whataburger,” Josh says.

Josh picked out Whataburger socks for the groomsmen to wear during the ceremony, as well as Whataburger-branded Yeti tumblers to keep their drinks cold at the reception.

“We’ll be using these Yetis for the bachelor party. And it’s going to be awesome,” says Berkay Basagaoglu, who will be best man at the Sept. 22 event.

After “the ask” – and some reminiscing between the guys about college pranks involving turtle races, oversized donut pillows, and mosquito-ridden weekend jaunts – the Whataburger team brought out their real breakfast orders and let the friends dive in.

Life after college is a little more complicated … Josh works in San Antonio, his best man is in med school in Houston, and other friends are scattered around the state. But they stay in touch via Snapchat and, sometimes, “obsessively calling until they pick up,” says groomsman Devin Haley.

“These guys keep me accountable,” Josh says. “And on the flip side, they’re fun and caring – and if there is anything I need in my life, they’re always there for me.”

It all started with a letter.

“Jon will be retiring from the U.S. Air Force July 1, 2018, after 20 years of active duty service,” wrote Jennifer Sullivan. “He has been on 7 deployments and a 1-year remote tour throughout his career, spending a total of 1,210 days away from our daughter Isabelle.”

When Jennifer Sullivan heard that the Houston Astros wanted a veteran to throw out the opening pitch at Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by Whataburger, she took the opportunity to nominate her husband, Master Sergeant Jon Sullivan of Katy, Texas.

A retired veteran, a selfless father and a huge Astros fan, Jon was the perfect candidate.

“Hardworking, dedicated, selfless, and determined are just a few words to describe my husband,” she wrote. “He does whatever he can to help anyone especially his family.”

Jon and Jennifer are the parents of 11-year-old Isabelle and 2-year-old Brayden, both of whom were on hand the night of July 5 when their father walked out to the pitcher’s mound to open the game against the Chicago White Sox.

We’re not saying it’s OK to play with your food. But it might be OK to play inside your favorite restaurant. At least when it’s in playhouse form.

This Whataburger playhouse is one of more than a dozen structures on display at the 23^rd annual Parade of Playhouses at NorthPark Center in Dallas June 29-July 15. They’re all small in stature, but big in creativity – and fun!

From its miniature drive-thru window, to its picture-perfect orange-and-white stripes, the Whataburger A-Frame is everything you’d want a Whataburger playhouse to be. (BYO Fries.)

The fun starts before you even enter the front door, as kids can test the tread of their tennis shoes on a custom rock wall …

… scamper over the roof …

… and then zip down a built-in orange ladder back to the ground.

This backyard-Whataburger is just as welcoming as your neighborhood Whataburger.

Complete with a toy kitchen for the next generation of Whataburger chefs.

And, of course, a perfectly proportioned table where friends can gather to share a meal.

It all benefits Dallas CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization of volunteers who speak up for abused or neglected children.

The Whataburger structure is the creation of architects Ford, Powell & Carson, who embraced the iconic look of old-fashioned Whataburger A-frame buildings to concept the playhouse.

Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity took the plans and made them a reality – delivering a playhouse that is perfectly perfect in every way.

All of the houses, including the Whataburger one, will be raffled off Sunday, July 15. Raffle tickets, which benefit the work CASA does in the Dallas community, are $5 each or five for $20. Interested? Stop by the mall to buy tickets, or visit dallascasa.org. Good luck!

One of four children raised by a single mother in Uganda, his life was uncertain. “My mother could not provide

for us the basic needs: Food, clean water, shelter … we were really struggling,” he says. But being selected for the choir meant Timothy would be able to tour the world, receive an education through university, and – best of all – live safely and comfortably.

“I cannot tell you how long I danced when I found out that I made it!” he says. “My mom, she just fell down on her knees, and she was in tears. This meant I was a beacon of hope for my family.”

Now an adult, Timothy is still a member of the African Children’s Choir – working as the head of the children’s school as the group travels.

This weekend, the choir will participate in the Bernstein100Austin presentation of Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece “MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers,” happening June 29 and 30 at Austin’s Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Interested? Here’s three things to know:

1. The Music Makers

Staging Bernstein’s “MASS” is a lifelong dream of Maestro Peter Bay, and will feature a cast and crew of more than 300 people and an unprecedented collaboration of performing arts organizations, including the African Children’s Choir.

Since 1984, The African Children’s Choir has provided opportunity to some of the continent’s most vulnerable children. The organization brings together children between 7 and 10 years old, many of whom have lost one or both parents.

The choir supplies the children with a stable home and education and prepares them for future opportunities. To date, more than 52,000 children have been educated through the organization.

Alumni of the choir now work in a variety of professions, from education to law and health care – and many return to their communities to make a difference.

“Our vision is helping Africa’s vulnerable today so that they can help Africa tomorrow,” Timothy says. “We love Africa. We believe in Africa. It’s always a joy when you have been empowered to go back and reach out to thousands more that need the help.”

The choir tours extensively, having performed thousands of concerts throughout the world. This summer, they’ll travel the American south, including several concerts in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico.

“I’ve seen thousands of concerts,” says Julia Barnett-Tracy, the group’s international choir operations director, “and every time I see them perform, I’m moved.”

2. The MASS

Debuted in 1971, Bernstein’s “MASS” is a unique mix of musical styles, incorporating classical and contemporary sounds, as well as theatrical flair.

Commissioned by Jackie Kennedy, the work premiered as part of the opening of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

This weekend’s production, featuring more than 300 performers, is the largest known, full theatrical staging of the piece, according to the Long Center. “They’ve put together such a special group of people from all over the world, literally,” Julia says.

Staging the MASS has been a lifelong dream of Maestro Peter Bay, who has been the music director and conductor

of the Austin Symphony Orchestra since 1998. As a child, Bay watched a televised performance of Bernstein conducting and also attended the 1971 premiere of MASS at the Kennedy Center.

3. The Movement

The show is the culmination in Austin of B100A – Bernstein100Austin – a celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.

Arts organizations across the city, including the Austin Symphony and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, are bringing attention to Bernstein’s legacy through outreach workshops, exhibits, and concerts.

“Mr. Bernstein has a wide variety of music that he’s done … some is simple, some is more complex, but it appeals to different people,” Timothy says. “There are great lessons to learn in some of the words in his music. There is so much faith, there is courage … our struggles and our victories. It’s a story of humanity.”

To date, more than 150 of them.

What started as a casual ritual has turned into a serious commitment for this college student. “My best friend and I started going to Whataburger every Tuesday a couple of years ago,” Mohning says. It was their time to catch up despite the hectic pace of college life.

One day, he walked out of the restaurant with his cup full of iced tea – as people do – and realized how much his friendships were built around time spent at Whataburger.

So, he used a ballpoint pen to scribble the date on the lip of the cup, and took it home.

Then, he did it again. And again. And again.

Now, two years later, he has more than 150 Whataburger cups stacked in the corner of his bedroom. Each one with the date of the visit written on it in ballpoint pen.

Don’t worry; his collection is washed. Well, OK, rinsed.

Friendly Rituals

For Mohning, saving the cups is about documenting the memories of good times with friends. It isn’t just the burgers and fries (or the iced tea); it’s the people.

He and his best friend still meet up for their Tuesday catch-up whenever they can, and now he’s expanded his circle to include colleagues at a retail electronics store. The work crew has a standing Friday date to unwind together to begin their weekend.

“We started hanging out on Friday nights after work, and now it’s something we do,” he says.

The Whataburger team greets them by name each week – their orders queued up and ready for the grill as they walk in.

And Mohning, of course, saves his cup each week.

Mohning stands at 6-foot-seven-inches, and two of his three cup stacks tower over him. His third is well on the way.

The stacks are leaned against the wall, commanding a corner of his bedroom all the way up to the ceiling. It’s a unique way to decorate, but Mohning is committed. “I’ve moved twice,” he says. “I just broke down the stacks and brought them with me.”

The only trick to keeping the collection on track? He has to buy a large drink – a whopping 44-ounces – each time so the cups stack up.