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The Whataburger is located at 2060 U.S. Hwy 70 SE. 

According to a release from the burger chain, the first two customers in the dining room and drive-thru will receive Whataburger gift boxes with coupons for a year, Whataburger merchandise and "plenty of fancy and spicy ketchup.�

The first 100 customers will also receive gift bags with Whataburger merchandise.

At noon, Whataburger will host a grand opening celebration, which the company calls a Summer Whatabash, with its mascot Whataguy, a DJ, photo booth, face painting and games for kids.

Whataburger is a Texas-based burger chain known for staying open 24 hours a day. The chain has more than 1,100 restaurants across 17 states.

This will be the second Whataburger location to open in North Carolina. The first opened in Gastonia in May.

The company plans to open other North Carolina locations in Mooresville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Kernersville, Archdale and High Point.

A construction permit for a second Whataburger at the Northgate Shopping Plaza in the Viewmont area of Hickory was issued in February, but the company did not provide any information about that location.

According to the company’s website, Whataburger is hiring for its Hickory location on U.S. Highway 70. 

To learn more about Whataburger, visit .

Murphy gas stations on Center St., Big Lots parking lot

Two Murphy USA gas stations are under construction in Hickory shopping center parking lots, according to local construction permits.

One of the gas stations will be at 2391 N. Center St. in the shopping center formerly anchored by Deal Mart. The other station is at 575 U.S. Highway 70 SW in the shopping center anchored by US Foods CHEF'STORE.

Another Murphy gas station was built at 140 Highway 321 NW next to the Chipotle that was built in fall 2024.

According to the company, Murphy USA owns more than 1,750 stores across 17 states. The company does not have jobs listed on its website for any of the Hickory locations.

Pizza Inn progress?

A permit was issued in April for demolition inside the former Snack Bar that will be converted into a Pizza Inn. 

The address for the planned Pizza Inn is 1346 1st Ave. SW in Hickory. 

The permit says “Demo non-load bearing wall ONLY in front/glass block wall.�

Progress on the site had been stalled. Until February of this year, the last permit issued was an electrical permit to connect a new sign in March 2024.

The former Snack Bar was purchased in November 2023 by Rami Ba, LLC. The administrator of that company is Prakashkumar (Peter) Solanki.

Solanki did not respond to an email requesting an update on the progress of the Hickory Pizza Inn.