Whataburger is edging its way back into the Denver metro, filing plans for a new Castle Rock outpost that would operate around the clock. The land-use application outlines a freestanding Whataburger with a drive-thru near the Outlets at Castle Rock and signals what would be the chain’s first metro-area return since the early 1980s.
According to Denver7, the application was submitted in November 2025 and describes the next step as construction "near the Outlets at Castle Rock," although no start date has been set. The filing also notes that the restaurant is planned to run 24 hours a day.
Where the Site Is Planned
The Town of Castle Rock’s Development Services office included the proposal in its December 2025 monthly report under the listing "Promenade, Whataburger," describing a roughly 3,380-square-foot fast-food building with a drive-thru east of Promenade Parkway and the Alpine Vista Circle roundabout, according to Town of Castle Rock Development Services. The report classifies the plan as an administrative project, meaning staff from departments such as Castle Rock Water, Public Works and Fire will handle the review and guide permitting rather than sending it to a public hearing.
Whataburger already runs several locations in the Colorado Springs area, including Monument, per Whataburger’s Colorado locations page. The Castle Rock plan lines up with the chain’s broader push to expand beyond its Texas roots in recent years.
What Comes Next
If the administrative review moves forward, the usual sequence would involve detailed engineering submissions and building-permit applications before any dirt is turned. The town’s December report and application listings still do not include a construction timeline, according to Town of Castle Rock Development Services. Town staff is expected to coordinate technical reviews, from utilities to access, before issuing any permits.
Why Castle Rock?
Castle Rock has been steadily stacking up outlet and big-box retail that pulls in shoppers from across the region, making it a natural target for quick-service brands looking to catch highway and shopping traffic. The Outlets at Castle Rock are located at 5050 Factory Shops Blvd, according to Visit Colorado Springs. The Promenade site planned east of Promenade Parkway would slot into the same busy corridors that feed the outlet center and nearby Interstate 25 interchanges.
So far, neither Whataburger nor the project applicant has put a construction date on the calendar. For now, the town filings remain the most detailed public sign that the plan is real. If it advances, metro Denver drivers who remember Whataburger from decades past could be rolling back into its drive-thru lanes for the first time in more than forty years.
