Whataburger’s corporate social media team was in Kernersville this week to celebrate an achievement for the local establishment while giving back to the community that has supported its leader through a difficult time.

The location, which opened last year along a rapidly growing stretch of Union Cross Road just north of Interstate 40, has been designated as the company’s first training unit in North Carolina.

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“For us to become a training unit, you have to meet and exceed all the company’s standards and metrics,” Jeff Hollifield, the store’s operating partner, told Scope News. “Now we’ll be training future leaders here locally and potentially sending them out to other areas.”

The designation coincided with a day of community outreach organized alongside the corporate team, which travels to various markets for “surprise and delight” events aimed at strengthening community connections.

Locally, that meant deliveries to groups including the Shepherd’s Center, the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce, and a nearby VA facility. The team also interviewed one of the restaurant’s most loyal customers.

For Hollifield, the outreach effort carried a more personal significance. 

“It’s a huge milestone for me personally because the town of Kernersville has rallied around my family,” he said. “We’ve been going through a child with a rare genetic disorder and a child that was diagnosed with cancer, and the community has supported us for the past year and a half.”

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Hollifield added that he now wants to ensure his team shows up for Kernersville in tangible ways.

“Once I was able to take over this unit, I wanted to do whatever I can and get the support from the company to give back to the community,” he said. “We do food drops, free giveaways, whatever we can to help. That’s what our values are about.”

More broadly, Tuesday’s visit from corporate highlights the Texas-based chain’s ongoing expansion into North Carolina. And Hollifield said the company’s culture fits right in. 

“We’re here because of this community,” he said. “And we want them to know we’re here for them, too.”

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