Two beloved regional fast food chains are heading east — and setting up shop in Kernersville.

Texas-based Whataburger and California’s Del Taco are both joining the rapidly growing stretch of Union Cross Road just north of Interstate 40, bringing new flavors — and jobs — to the Heart of the Triad.

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Construction is ongoing this week at 1152 Solomon Drive, where a corporate-owned Whataburger is expected to open within a couple of months. While an exact date hasn’t been confirmed, a company representative told Scope News that the restaurant will likely employ 70 to 85 people.

Typical opening-day activities include giveaways to the first 100 customers and a family-friendly celebration later in the day.

For those unfamiliar with the Lone Star State staple, the company emphasizes its large, never-frozen burgers and a community-first culture that aims to make each location feel like a neighborhood hangout.

Now in its 75th year, Whataburger is expanding at a rapid pace, opening an average of roughly one new location per week across the country.

Just down the street, in the former Burger King building at 1551 Union Cross Road, staff training is already underway for Kernersville’s first Del Taco — and the Triad’s only location of the West Coast chain known for pairing tacos with crinkle-cut fries. The only other Del Taco in North Carolina is in Durham.

Del Taco confirmed the location would be opening this month.

Earlier this year, Town Manager Curtis Swisher spoke to Scope News about the commercial and residential boom along Union Cross Road.

“I think it’s due to the services that the town provides.”

In addition to competitive tax rates and relatively low crime, Swisher pointed to Kernersville’s “small town community feel” paired with “all the amenities of the larger cities.”

As for why the south side of town is attracting so much development, he said: “Our location — especially in the Union Cross area — you’re right there at 40, so you can go east or west pretty easily, pretty quickly. I think that’s a big draw.”

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