The Americana smashburger truck, now parked at The Podski in Bend, sold two cheeseburgers on its first day of operations, leading co-founders Jo Franco and with Tommy Fraiol to have hard conversations about whether the business would succeed.

Now, it sells approximately 600 burgers a day and is preparing to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant on Saturday.

Americana will open on Bond Street in the historic Downing Hotel. It occupies half of the building formerly home to Seven Nightclub; the other half is now Ken’s Artisan Pizza, which opened its doors in February.

What was once a nightclub now has dark teal booths lined up against clean, whitewashed walls with rectangular cut-outs that expose the rock beneath. Hung on the wall just inside the bright blue door is an old school menu with small black letters pressed into it, lending an air of retro modernity to the space. Below it, a roll of brown paper waits for specials to be scrolled across its surface.

The OG burger

Perhaps the best part: The OG burger is still $8. It features two patties, American cheese, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce, tomato and a secret sauce, all served on a toasted brioche bun.

And Franco, who owns the business with his wife, Olivia, said he has no plans to increase the price of the burger anytime soon.

“I will try my hardest to make sure that the OG burger stays $8,” he said, adding that the volume of the burgers he sells, along with some of the other elevated options on the menu, makes it feasible.

“I’m not trying to make as much money as I possibly can on one cheeseburger. I’m trying to feed as many people as I possibly can and make sure that it stays affordable and it’s a place that they could get a good meal. It’s simple. It’s a cheeseburger. It’s America’s food, you know? And we just try to do it as best as we can,” Jo Franco said.

The price point draws customers in, but Americana prides itself on consistency and working to make its burgers better, he said.

Eight burgers are listed on the menu (ranging from $6-10 for single patty burgers or $8-$12 for double), with staples that were once specials at the food truck, like the Cowboy with barbecue sauce, bacon and fried onions and the Sloppy Goat made with whipped goat cheese, bacon, onion, date jam and balsamic glaze.

The minimalist menu also includes fries ($3 small or $5 large) hand-punched on location, loaded fries ($10) and fried onions ($5), along with a milkshake ($6, just vanilla for now) and root beer on tap.

“Instead of reinventing the wheel, we’re just going to double down on what we do well,” Franco said.

Americana’s rise to success

That first day of selling two burgers at Redmond’s Farmers Market in the fall of 2021 is now long behind Franco. It was followed by a stint in 2022 when the food truck was at Bridge 99 Brewery, where someone told him Americana wasn’t going to make it, a comment that fueled Franco to work harder.

Later that year, the truck moved to Spider City City Brewing Co., until one day Mikel Lomsky, owner of The Podski, walked up and said he heard Americana had the best burger in Bend and wanted it at his food cart lot.

So on Nov. 18, 2022, Americana opened its truck at the food cart lot on Arizona Avenue. Not long after that, word got out about its $8 burgers.

The food truck will close this week as the team works together to ready the new restaurant for the grand opening, but it will otherwise be open normal hours. The restaurant is waiting on the approval of its liquor license, after which it will serve beer and wine.

“I never thought that we’d even get to this point,” Franco said. “I’m thankful for everything, for the ecosystem that has been built around Americana. It’s humbling. It’s also really cool to watch people come in for their birthdays, people come for their anniversaries, to a food truck. I’m just blown away, to be honest. I’m in awe every day with what has happened and I’m very thankful to the community.”

Details

What: Americana

Location: 1033 NW Bond St., Suite 100, Bend

Contact: eatamericanaburger.com

Hours: Opens Saturday; regular hours 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Price Range: Smashburgers $6-$12

Cuisine: American