“Like to make people smile?” That’s the question that opens every job listing for Whataburger. And it’s that sweet, customer-forward sensibility that drives the organization’s HR strategy.

The popular, Texas-based chain is on the move, which calls for consistent training among its more than 50,000 workers to develop new leaders. The result is greater employee satisfaction and retention, while enabling the company to expand to more than 1,100 restaurants.

Whataburger is growing, opening between 50-75 locations per year. Peggy Rubenzer, the company’s chief people officer, shared during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Austin conference, that over the next five years, the organization anticipates hiring 8,300 managers and leaders across the brand. Because the locations are primarily company-owned with only a few franchises, most of the hiring and corporate development is “focused on scaling our culture. My belief is every single person you hire should concentrate your culture, not never dilute it,” Rubenzer said. 

Employees at Whataburger are known as “family members.” Rubenzer and her team want to make sure they are hiring people who are the right fit for the company’s warm, welcoming culture. “You don’t just open your door at your home for anybody who comes knocking, right?” she said. Their hiring strategy is focused on “filling the benches” of future leaders, with the hope that entry level workers will move up the ladder into managerial roles. “We have to build benches in order for our brand to be scalable,” she said. Local leaders, who do the bulk of frontline talent acquisition, are encouraged to hire with intention, not just to “fill shoes.”

Whataburger’s HR ethos is built around “the family member journey,” Rubenzer said. “We select you, welcome you, train you, develop you, support you, and thank you. And all those things circle around the center, which we call ‘the heart’ of our family member journey: engagement. Every person on my team participates in one or more of those parts of the family member journey, and our goal is to ensure that every piece of that journey is welcoming, inviting, and directed to that person’s growth.”

Cultivating a Strong Frontline 

“What we’re looking for is resilience, someone who’s a team player, someone who gets a kick out of making somebody else’s day. In fact, our mission is to make everyone’s day a little better,” Rubenzer said. This incremental approach (“a little better”) is deliberate–and attainable. Workers that enjoy making customers happy will in turn feel more engaged and satisfied when they are successful. 

Managers are instructed to call new hires the day before they start work to introduce themselves and build that welcoming, personal connection. “It might be the first job that person ever had. That could set the stage for the rest of their lives,” she said. Every new frontline employee receives an orientation with a “flip book” that describes the company culture, including “the things they ought to know and feel proud about on their first day.”

Then, every team member is given a roadmap for their first five shifts that allows them to check off what they have learned and accomplished. “Staying in touch with the individual’s growth and fulfillment is just as important as staying in touch with customers’ fulfillment and happiness,” said moderator Ross McCammon, editor-in-chief at Texas Monthly. 

Whataburger incorporates professional development into every level of the organization. Hourly team members can get certifications in both hospitality and production. Once fully certified, these workers have the opportunity to train others and even open new locations. “We’ve scaled that so that we can open restaurants at pace and we never have to slow down because we don’t have the people available to train,” Rubenzer said. 

A Look Inside the Corporate Office 

The culture within Whataburger’s corporate office mirrors the one in its stores. “The home office is a very supportive type of environment,” Rubenzer said. “We know that we are there to help support and drive our business out in the field.” The office has an ‘Orange Culture Committee’ that leads group bonding activities like football kickoff parties. Corporate employees make a point to visit the restaurants and spend time in the kitchens with frontline workers. 

While the company is focused on future growth, it also doesn’t shy away from its storied 75-year history. “We do a really good job of honoring our legacy. We do so much to remind ourselves of the humility and the humble roots and the beginnings that got us to where we are today,” Rubenzer said. “But we’re also firm believers in in the quote, ‘What got us here won’t get us there.’” Leaders are encouraged to engage legacy team members in conversations about branding, because they are so invested, and help them see how to bridge that history into the future of the company. 

With a historic organization often comes a major fan base–and Whataburger is no exception. The company has embraced fan passion by launching Whataburger Museum of Art, an online project with a physical installation at SXSW, celebrating the chain’s legacy of flavor and creativity. Think paintings of hamburgers, funky renderings of the logo, and even a motorcycle decked out in the brand’s bright orange hues. “Who does that other than huge champions and fans of the brand?” Rubenzer said. “And so, we wanted to highlight those people and thank them for the work that they do for us.”

Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Top Think, and several printed essay collections, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, On New Jersey, and CBS New York.

(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)