Whataburger is a familiar haunt for students; a place to grab a bite on weekends and a gathering place after sports games. We’ve all got our usual orders, whether it’s a Number One, dry, with cheese and no onions (my meal of choice), a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, the classic Double-Double, or some other greasy concoction. There’s the usual table, the same number of ketchup packets, the drink that goes perfectly with every burger, it’s all part of the ritual. But for patrons of the Whataburger on Stacy Road, an additional and just as important part of the burger ritual is Karen Pitts.
Pitts, a cashier/server at the Stacy Road location, is a familiar face for most kids and on a first-name basis with many of them.
“Karen is seriously my favorite part of Whataburger,” Whataburger customer Erik Waldbauer said. “My experience just isn’t as good if she’s not there.”
Often sticking around at a table after she delivers food, Pitts is friendly and talkative, asking about a customer’s day or catching up with regulars.
“She always remembers my name when I come in to order since I come here a lot, and she’s good at checking on us during our meal,” customer Sam Epson said.
Pitts posts on the Whataburger Facebook page frequently, discussing the excitement of working busy football nights and normal Thursdays alike. She even has a Twitter account where she gives shout-outs to people she has recently served and lets the world know when she’ll be working.
“She tweeted me about the Super Bowl one time, and it might be weird for someone else, but personally I think she’s really great,” junior Riley Bevan said.
Though Pitts is popular among students and it seems that everyone knows her, not all know her personally. There are some who have never met her, even though they have been to Whataburger multiple times before. Their knowledge of Pitts is through other students or social media.
“I go to Whataburger occasionally but I’ve never seen this fabled Karen Pitts,” freshman Jak Barth said. “I’d like to meet the legend, but I guess I’m just unlucky.”
This popularity among students is uncommon, as not many local food servers amass such a large and positive following. However, her local celebrity status makes sense even to those who aren’t students swept up in the craze.
“It’s sort of crazy to me that so many students could know about her and talk about her, but I’m really not surprised,” Waldbauer said. “She’s willing to put herself out there and she works hard, so I think she deserves her popularity.”
