SAN ANTONIO — A three-word tweet from one of Texas' most-beloved burger chains has set off an age-old debate here in the Lone Star State.
Whataburger tweeted March 9 "It’s pronounced 'WAT-ER-BRR-GRRR'", obviously aiming to set the record straight on the proper way to say its name and addressing those who choose to pronounce it "What-a-burger" and other ways.
The tweet quickly went viral, with many people on both sides of the epic debate weighing in, along with those who don't care how it's pronounced, as long as they get their sandwich favorites.
By Thursday afternoon, the post received more than 5,700 likes and 440,000 views on Twitter.
At least one Twitter user agreed with the burger chain's tweet, and even got a custom license plate to show the world:
The Speech and Language Center at Stone Oak is weighing in. According to clinical director Madeleine Paul, ‘WHAT-A-BURGER’ is the proper pronunciation, based on its spelling.
Paul believes ‘WATER-BURGER’ is regional slang. She says Texans are going off what their ears hear instead of what the sign says.
At the end of the day, though, Whataburger pronounced however you want to pronounce it.
At a westside Whataburger, a father-daughter duo told KENS 5 it’s not how it sounds but how it tastes that matters.
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