In Texas, Whataburger is not just a restaurant. It is an institution.
Since 1950, the orange-and-white A-frame has been as much a part of the Texas landscape as highway overpasses and mesquite trees. And right now, that iconic brand is building faster than it has in years - planning to open at least 40 new locations in 2026 alone, after adding 88 locations to its portfolio in 2024.
Anchor Construction is leading this vision to life. We are currently under construction on a new Whataburger location at 333 Centerpoint Rd in Weatherford, Texas - a city that sits at the western edge of the DFW metroplex and is growing faster than most people outside of North Texas realize. In this post, I want to talk about what it takes to build a restaurant like this, why Weatherford is the right market for it, and what restaurant construction in DFW demands from a general contractor.
Whataburger is one of the most actively expanding restaurant chains in Texas, with 40+ new locations planned for 2026 and 1,180 locations nationwide as of early 2026. Building a Whataburger - or any high-volume fast food restaurant - in the DFW market requires a general contractor who understands food service construction standards, brand specifications, and the compressed timelines that national chains operate on.
Whataburger Expansion Plans for 2026
Whataburger told reporters it plans to open at least 40 new restaurants in 2026, after adding 88 locations in 2024. As of October 2026, the chain operates roughly 1,210 restaurants across 17 states, with about 784 of them in Texas. Growth is happening in two directions at once: deeper into Texas suburbs and further into newer markets like Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
In Texas, 2026 openings have landed in San Antonio, Laredo, Odessa, Killeen, Pearsall, Georgetown, Liberty Hill, Round Rock and Shenandoah, among others. The pattern is consistent: new stores follow new rooftops, highway corridors and fast-growing suburbs rather than dense urban cores.
New Whataburger Locations in DFW in 2026
Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the clearest examples of that strategy. 2026 projects across the Metroplex include:
Every one of these sites reflects the same bet: North Texas population growth is pushing demand outward along I-20, US-75 and SH-121, and the brands that move early into those corridors capture the customer base before competitors do. For operators and developers, that pace also means more pressure on schedules, subcontractor availability and brand-standard execution - which is where the general contractor becomes a deciding factor.
Why Whataburger Is Building in Weatherford Right Now
Weatherford, Texas is not a random site selection. It is a deliberate bet on where population growth in the DFW metroplex is heading.
Situated about 25 miles west of Fort Worth on I-20, Weatherford has been absorbing residential and commercial growth from the expanding western edge of DFW for several years. Parker County - where Weatherford is the county seat - has been one of the fastest-growing counties in North Texas, attracting families and businesses priced out of closer-in suburbs like Arlington, Mansfield, and Burleson.
For a brand like Whataburger, the site selection logic is straightforward: new rooftops create new customers. A new Whataburger location follows population density, traffic counts, and daytime population - and Weatherford checks all three. The I-20 corridor through Parker County sees consistent commercial traffic that makes a 24-hour operation viable from day one.
It is the same pattern we have seen in restaurant and retail construction in North Houston - national chains follow rooftops, and right now the rooftops are moving fast across North Texas.
Why Weatherford, Texas Is the Right Market Right Now
Parker County added over 20,000 residents between 2020 and 2023 - a growth rate that consistently outpaced the state average. Weatherford itself has seen new residential developments, retail additions, and commercial investment that reflect a market in active transition from rural county seat to genuine suburban destination.
That transition creates a specific kind of opportunity for restaurant brands. Weatherford already has the traffic infrastructure - I-20, US-180, and a strong network of farm-to-market roads that pull in customers from across the county. What it has been building over the past decade is the population density that makes a full-service, 24-hour operation like Whataburger sustainable.
The 333 Centerpoint Rd location sits in a commercial corridor that reflects this transition directly. It is the kind of site that works for a brand because it serves both the established local population and the growth that is still coming in.
Weatherford is part of a broader pattern of retail construction across Texas moving west along I-20 as DFW population growth pushes demand into markets that were secondary just five years ago.
What Restaurant Construction in DFW Actually Demands
Building a restaurant is not the same as building a retail box. The requirements are more specific, the tolerances are tighter, and the coordination between trades is more complex than it looks from the outside.
A fast food restaurant build involves:
That starts with what developers and operators should look for in a GC - pre-construction experience, subcontractor relationships, and a team that understands the specific demands of food service builds.
What Anchor Brings to Every Restaurant Build
We understand what is at stake on a project like this - time, capital, and execution. For a brand like Whataburger, every location that opens is a reflection of the brand promise. A great build shows up in the guest experience. A poor one shows up in the punch list and the delayed opening.
What we bring to restaurant construction in DFW is the same thing we bring to every project: pre-construction engagement that sets the schedule and budget before a shovel goes in the ground, subcontractor relationships that hold up even when the DFW market is tight, and a team on site that knows what the brand standards require and does not cut corners to hit a date.
The Weatherford Whataburger is currently under construction. When it opens, it will be one more location in a brand that Texans have been loyal to for more than 70 years - and one more project where our job was to make sure the build matched the brand.
You can see that standard across our commercial construction projects across DFW and Texas - from Houston to Austin to North Texas.
The Bottom Line
Whataburger is expanding because Texas is growing - and the markets that are growing fastest right now are not the urban cores but the suburban corridors that ring them. Weatherford is one of those markets, and 333 Centerpoint Rd is exactly the kind of site that makes sense for a brand built on accessibility, consistency, and a 24-hour operating model.
For developers and restaurant operators thinking about DFW construction in 2026 and beyond, the market conditions are favorable - but execution is where projects win or lose. The timeline is fixed, the brand standards are non-negotiable, and the labor market is competitive. Choosing the right general contractor is not a secondary decision. It is the first one.
Anchor Construction is a Texas general contractor and construction manager that delivers multi-site retail, restaurant, multifamily and hospitality projects across Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Anchor runs preconstruction site by site, manages subcontractor networks in each Texas market and reports on every active location as one program. Recent work includes Whataburger locations in DFW, Burger Bodega in Katy and the AC Hotel CityCentre in Houston.
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FAQ
Is Whataburger expanding in Texas in 2026?
Yes. Whataburger is planning to open at least 40 new locations in 2026, following a year in which it added 88 locations to reach about 1,210 locations across 17 states as of October 2026. Texas remains the brand's largest market, with over 700 locations, and continues to be a primary focus for new builds and remodels.
What are Whataburger's expansion plans for 2026?
Whataburger plans to open at least 40 new restaurants in 2026. The chain operates about 1,210 locations across 17 states, with Texas as its largest market at roughly 784 restaurants, and continues expanding into Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Arizona.
Where are new Whataburger locations opening in DFW in 2026?
2026 DFW openings include Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Melissa and Weatherford, plus a new location in Terminal B at DFW International Airport. Anchor Construction is the general contractor for the Weatherford restaurant at 333 Centerpoint Rd.
What does it take to build a fast food restaurant in Texas?
Fast food restaurant construction requires food service MEP coordination (plumbing, electrical, hood systems, grease interceptors), strict brand specification compliance, precise drive-through geometry, and compressed timelines tied to opening schedules. A general contractor with restaurant experience manages all four simultaneously across civil, structural, and interior finish trades.
Why is Whataburger building in Weatherford, Texas?
Weatherford sits at the western edge of the DFW metroplex on I-20 and has been one of Parker County's fastest-growing markets, driven by residential expansion from closer-in DFW suburbs. New rooftops drive demand for food service - Whataburger's 24-hour model and brand loyalty make it a natural fit for emerging suburban markets with strong traffic counts.
What makes restaurant construction in DFW different from other commercial builds?
Restaurant construction in DFW involves tighter brand compliance standards, more complex MEP coordination per square foot, and shorter build timelines than most commercial projects. The competitive labor market across the Metroplex also makes subcontractor relationships and pre-construction scheduling more critical than in slower-growth markets.
Who is building the Whataburger in Weatherford, Texas?
Anchor Construction is the general contractor for the new Whataburger location at 333 Centerpoint Rd in Weatherford, Texas. Anchor is a Texas-based commercial general contractor with restaurant, retail, and hospitality construction experience across DFW, Houston, Austin, and statewide markets.