No, Whataburger isn’t coming to Oxford.

Published 12:25 pm Thursday, June 1, 2017

A phony news story is making the rounds on social media leaving Oxonians and Whataburger fans disappointed.

The link appears to be an announcement that the Texas-based fast-food chain Whataburger is coming to Oxford. However, when the link is clicked, the user is directed to a picture of a clown with the text “You got owned!”

Earlyview.net is a website made specifically for users to generate fake headlines in hopes of pranking social media users. It’s the same site that yielded the viral (and extremely fake) headline, “All Taco Bells to close by June 1st,” in which over 13 million people got trolled.

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Whataburger coming to Oxford would be a believable scenario given the recent surge of popular food chains in the area. Within the last two years alone, Cook-Out, Five Guys, Chipotle and Popeyes all set up shop on Jackson Avenue.

Oxonians have been vocal on Twitter over the last several months about their desire for Whataburger to come to Oxford, including the Oxford Police Department account. A petition was also created in hopes of attracting the attention of the Texas burger joint.

https://twitter.com/madi_kieferr/status/861464374749392896