GREENVILLE — Whataburger is pursuing a second location in Greenville that would be less than 2 miles from one that’s already broken ground.
The Texas-based fast-food chain will ask the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals for permission to operate a 24/7 drive-thru at the former TGI Friday’s restaurant on Woodruff Road near Target, said William Runge, a commercial real estate broker representing Whataburger.
It’s one of the more than 60 restaurants Whataburger plans to open in the Carolinas over the next three years.
The chain previously named 10 other locations across the Upstate of South Carolina, including one that broke ground last month on Woodruff Road in the former home of a KFC.
The busy retail corridor of Woodruff Road crosses Interstate 85, the major connection between Atlanta and Charlotte that Whataburger representatives called a “growth pipeline” as they pursue their eastward expansion.
The zoning board previously denied the request for a 24/7 drive-thru on Laurens Road amid blowback from nearby residents.
In January, the chain expressed interest in re-applying for the Laurens Road location, which sits across from a Chick-fil-A, Subway and Cook Out, which is open until the early morning hours.
Runge said Whataburger is still working on plans for the Laurens Road location but did not provide more details.
