By Vanesa Brashier, vbrashier@hcnonline.com

Fire destroyed the Whataburger restaurant in Liberty on May 31.

Fire destroyed the Whataburger restaurant in Liberty on May 31.

Whataburger pledges to keep employees paid following Liberty restaurant fire

Employees of the Liberty Whataburger, which was destroyed by fire on May 31, may continue to be paid their average salary by working at one of several pre-approved non-profits in the Liberty area, according to Whataburger officials.

Construction of a new restaurant is expected to take five months. During that time, employees can volunteer at the non-profits and Whataburger will continue their paychecks, said William Tamminga, president of BurgerWorks Texas LLC, owner of the Liberty Whataburger.

"We have reached out to the chambers, schools, thrift stores and SpiritHorse about letting our employees volunteer for them," said Tamminga. "When the fire happened, we didn't even deliberate about it. It's one of the things Whataburger is all about -- family and faith. A family stands for each other and that is what we are doing for our family of employees."

For the company, it's is a win-win situation because it can retain trusted employees who would otherwise be forced to find other employment.

"All of our employees are excited to participate," he said.

Some of the Liberty Whataburger employees are familiar with the company's policy. A couple of years ago, a vehicle crashed into the building, forcing the restaurant to close for a short time while repairs were made. Employees then were given the opportunity to work for the non-profits to continue their paychecks.

"I couldn't sleep at night if I didn't take care of my employees," Tamminga said. "We don't want anyone to be hurt from the closing and are thankful that no one was hurt in the fire."

BurgerWorks Texas LLC is the owner of eight locations in Southeast Texas, including Livingston, Winnie, Cleveland, Groves, Bridge City and Orange.

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Whataburger pledges to keep employees paid following Liberty restaurant fire - Chron.com