Burgerville facts for kids
.png) |
|
Burgerville in The Dalles
|
|
|
Trade name
|
Burgerville |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Industry | Fast Casual |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | George Propstra |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, Washington |
|
Number of locations
|
47 (2016) |
| Products | Fast food, including hamburgers, french fries |
| Revenue | Approx. $75 million (2010) |
|
Number of employees
|
1,300 (2013) |
| Parent | The Holland Inc. |
Burgerville is a popular restaurant chain in Oregon and southwest Washington. It is owned by The Holland Inc. As its name suggests, Burgerville is famous for its hamburgers. Most Burgerville restaurants are located near the Portland metropolitan area. In 2010, the company made about $75 million and had around 1,500 employees.
Besides burgers and french fries, Burgerville also serves chicken and turkey sandwiches. They also have veggie burgers and fish and chips. Burgerville is known for using local ingredients. For example, they use Tillamook Cheddar cheese and fresh strawberries in their milkshakes. Throughout the year, they offer special seasonal items. These include milkshakes made with hazelnuts, pumpkin, fresh raspberries, or blackberries. They also have side dishes like Walla Walla onion rings and sweet potato fries.
Contents
The Story of Burgerville
.jpg)
Burgerville was started in 1961 by George Propstra. The very first restaurant opened in Vancouver, Washington. It was located on Mill Plain Blvd, a few miles east of downtown.
Being Green and Sustainable
Burgerville is a leader in being environmentally friendly. All of its restaurants and main offices use 100% wind power. This makes it the biggest restaurant chain in America to do so. Burgerville also uses only trans fat-free canola oil for cooking. They even send 7,500 gallons of used oil each month to be turned into biodiesel.
In 2004, Burgerville started using beef from cows that roam freely. These cows are raised without hormones or antibiotics. In 2007, the company began composting its food waste. This helps reduce waste by a lot and saves money.
Bike-Friendly Drive-Through
In September 2009, Burgerville made a cool change for people who ride bikes. After some requests from bicycle riders, they started letting cyclists order food at their drive-through windows.
Awards and Recognition
Burgerville has received special awards for its food. In 2003, Gourmet magazine said Burgerville had the freshest fast food in the country. They mentioned items like a salad with smoked salmon and Oregon hazelnuts. In 2007, Burgerville won the "Better Burger" award at the first-ever Food Network Awards. Their slogan in 2007 was, "Choose Fresh, Local, Sustainable. Choose Burgerville."
In January 2008, Jeff Harvey became the President and CEO of Burgerville. He took over from Tom Mears, who became the Chairman of the company.
Workers Form a Union
In April 2016, some Burgerville workers decided to form a labor union. This group is called the Burgerville Workers Union. They wanted to work together to ask for better pay and working conditions. The company did not want the workers to form a union.
However, in 2018, workers at one Burgerville restaurant in Portland voted to form the union. This vote meant the company had to officially recognize the Burgerville Workers Union. They also had to talk with the union about worker issues. This union is special because it is the only fast food union in the United States that is officially recognized by the government. As of October 2019, five Burgerville locations had successfully formed unions.
Where to Find Burgerville
As of October 2016, there were 47 Burgerville restaurants. They are located across Oregon and Washington.
If you are driving on major highways and leave the area where Burgerville restaurants are, you might see a special billboard. This sign looks like a highway warning sign. It tells drivers that there won't be another Burgerville for about 24,700 miles (39,750 km). This is the distance to the next Burgerville if you were to travel around the world in that direction! The exact distance on each sign changes depending on where the billboard is located.
See also
- List of hamburger restaurants
