This metro Whataburger will be like none other. See where it will be and how it is different
A new Whataburger is coming to the area, and it will be different than any other.
Madison developer Bridgforth Rutledge confirmed this week that Whataburger is going to move into the building previously occupied by Back Yard Burger off Grandview Boulevard.
As with anything else in Madison, Whataburger will be subject to how Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler wants things to look. In this case, Hawkins Butler doesn't want Whataburger to have its iconic orange sign.
"It will be the only Whataburger in the United States that is not orange," Hawkins Butler said.
Rutledge said it will have an all-white "Whataburger" sign out front and all of the outdoor signage will be all white. That is in line with many of the businesses already in place in the same area. It is notable that just around the corner from where Whataburger will be located, Hobby Lobby has a large orange sign on top of its big-box store.
The new Whataburger won't quite be the only one without orange in the U.S., however. There is at least one other in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that has a white sign against a red, brick building. However, the Madison location will definitely be one of the few without orange signage.
Whataburger is the Texas-based fast-food chain famous for its made-to-order burgers and iconic orange-and-white-striped roofs.
This will be the 13th Whataburger in Mississippi with locations already in Jackson, Flowood, Brandon, Richland and Ridgeland in the area.
Rutledge is the owner of both former Back Yard Burger locations in Madison and Flowood. Both locations closed early in 2023. He hopes the Flowood location will have a new tenant in the near future as well.
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"I sold the Back Yard Burgers business to a private equity firm in 2018, and I kept the real estate for a number of locations, including the locations in Madison and Flowood," Rutledge said. "In my opinion, the new owner of the business made a number of poor business decisions that eventually resulted in the closure of significant number of their stores both inside and outside of Mississippi. Ultimately, I reached an agreement with them to get them out of the Flowood and Madison locations so I could lease or sell them to different users."
Remodeling of the former Back Yard Burger building is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks with a completion day expected in early 2025.
Rutledge could not say exactly how many people will be employed by the new restaurant. However, other Whataburger openings in recent years have had announcements of as many as 150 full and part-time jobs associated with them.
It is the second recent announcement for Rutledge of a new opening in Madison on property he owns and develops as Jackson native Will Puckett is opening a Thai restaurant in a Rutledge-opened building on Madison Avenue in Madison after two years of success with Tuk Tuk Boom in Jackson.
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The first Tuk Tuk Boom location in Highland Village has been a roaring success.
While the Madison location will be similar, it will be larger near Madison Marketplace at 961 Madison Avenue.
Opening is still a while away as construction of a free standing building is expected to begin by the end of December. Puckett said he hopes to be open to the first guest by the Fall of 2024.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Whataburger opening in old Back Yard Burger in Madison MS
