GREENWOOD — A small Upstate city that has long supported its locally owned burger joints such as the Dixie Drive-In, Garden Grille and Cheeseburger House has seen yet another chain burger place come and go.
Whataburger is closing its Greenwood location less than a year after opening it.
It is the second Upstate spot to shut down in recent months. In May, the company shuttered one of its five Greenville County locations, all built in the past two years.
In a statement, Whataburger said it was closing the Greenwood location “as part of our routine business reviews.” It did not elaborate further.
In 2024, Whataburger began opening a flurry of South Carolina locations. There now are 18 across the state, most of which are in the Upstate, according to the company’s website.
The restaurants opened to much fanfare. When the first South Carolina spot opened in Boiling Springs, loyal fans waited overnight to get free Whataburger for a year. Hours before food was served, the drive-thru line wound around the parking lot at the adjacent Target.
In a 2023 interview with The Post and Courier, company officials said they planned to open about 10 new restaurants a year.
“We’re gonna earn that right to be called ‘your hometown Whataburger,’” President and CEO Ed Nelson — a Simpsonville native — said at the time.
In a statement, Whataburger said its commitment to South Carolina “remains strong,” pointing to new locations in Pendleton and Rock Hill that opened this year.
Asked whether the restaurant plans to close any additional locations, it said, “We don't have any additional South Carolina restaurant closures to announce.”
The Texas-based burger chain has been expanding aggressively since a Chicago investment firm bought it in 2019. There are now 1,100 restaurants across 17 states, according to the website.
The company is known for its 24/7 operating hours, fresh beef burgers, patty melts and spicy ketchup, among other offerings.
On social media, people reacted to the news without surprise. While some mourned the closure in Greenwood, which is about 50 miles south of Greenville, many offered up other restaurants they’d like to see instead.