texas

Local Whataburger Team to Compete in ‘Whatagames'

Texans take their Whataburger seriously.

It turns out, workers at the Royse City Whataburger are just as obsessed.

Next week, more than a dozen of them head to Houston for the 'Whatagames,' three days of intense competition testing order accuracy, friendliness, speed and knowledge of Whataburger history.

"This is a big thing. This is a big deal," said Shelby Stiles, a team leader.

Out of 820 Whataburger restaurants nationwide, 132 make it to the semi-finals and just 22 are selected to compete in the Whatagames.

Todd Abshire is an area manager and coach competing in the Whatagames for the second time.

"It's the elite competition where you have the whole team coming together, answering questions, quizzing each other sharing knowledge, helping to build the team," Abshire said.

His team is nicknamed the "elite Mesquite."

Study sessions are an almost daily routine to brush up on everything from hash browns to booster seats.

"It's crazy, and it's crazy to think that like I'm going to do my job that I do every single day. It's a good feeling," Stiles said.

Call it the real life hunger games.

Employees earn bragging rights and $5,000 each for bringing home the gold, and ultimately mastering a Texas treasure.

The Whatagames started back in 1996.

This year's competition starts next Wednesday, March 27.

The Royse City team competes on Thursday.

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