Students on the University of North Georgia’s Dahlonega campus and residents of the city have a wide variety of fast-food and local restaurants. Soon, new dining options will make their way to the Gold City. 

Whataburger, an American fast-food restaurant chain, is currently being built at the corner of Riley Road and Morrison Moore Parkway. The restaurant will be located less than a mile from UNG’s Dahlonega campus, making it within walking distance and easily accessible for students. 

The Texas-based chain specializes in exactly what the name says: burgers. Whataburger has also garnered attention for its “fancy” and “spicy” ketchup. 

Last year, Whataburger expanded its franchise to Georgia, with the state’s first location opening in Kennesaw. Since then, Whataburger has opened its doors in Cumming and other Georgia cities. If the Dahlonega Whataburger follows suit with the other in-state locations, it will be one of the only restaurants in the city that is open 24 hours, while being close to UNG. 

The company announced the upcoming opening of the restaurant in 2023, with construction beginning shortly after. While there is no current confirmation as to when the restaurant will be open for business, the construction for Whataburger appears to be nearing completion, and should be ready by either the end of spring or beginning of the fall semester when students return to campus. 

Austin Hagle, junior criminal justice and forensics major, said it is a good idea to have Whataburger built in Dahlonega because it gives students another option for food at all hours of the day. 

“There are a few restaurants in town that are open past nine, but with Whataburger opening it gives students the chance to get food at a decent price and at any time of day.” – Austin Hagle, junior criminal justice and forensics major 

Whataburger may not be the only new dining option coming onto the Dahlonega scene. During this year’s spring semester, Moe’s Southwest Grill, previously open at 25 Morrison Moore Pkwy, permanently closed its doors.

While there is no official word on what will take the place of Moe’s, some UNG students have speculated that a Chipotle Mexican Grill is next in line. This would make sense because both fast-casual chains specialize in customizable burritos and bowls, which makes the transition from one restaurant to the other easier. 

Kayla Bumgardner, senior kinesiology major, said she hardly ever went to the Dahlonega Moe’s and would love to see Chipotle take it over. 

“In my opinion, [Chipotle] is a much better and higher quality take on a tex-mex style fast-casual restaurant,” Bumgardner said.