Whataburger locations across Texas are finding themselves dealing with a rather interesting dilemma. Their fans can't stop themselves from stealing the chain's trademark numbered order tents.
Just how many are thieves taking each week? According to The Wall Street Journal, every restaurant has to reorder 96 tents every week due to theft. That adds up to about 1.2 million tents every year. While they only cost about 25 cents each, over time, that cost adds up for the stores and the company.
The restaurant chain suspects that teenagers are taking the majority of the tents as part of a game. A lot of athletes love having the tents with their numbers on them. However, this doesn't excuse the mischief and the trouble they are making for the company.
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Texas police are taking the crimes pretty seriously. Just a few months back, a Facebook post from the Northeast Police Department in Krugerville, Texas addressed the problem head on. The noted the thefts and reminded the public that teens caught removing them could receive some hefty fines. They even went as far as posting pictures of tents they had successfully confiscated.
Only time will tell if warnings from the chain and police officials will continue to fall on deaf ears.
