Burgerville’s first Central Oregon location hosts a grand opening Monday with a ribbon-cutting and gift cards for the restaurant’s first 100 customers with a value of 52 of the brand’s original cheeseburgers.

The chain’s 40th location is located in the building formerly home to Del Taco on the corner of Bend’s Third Street and Wilson Avenue.

“We’ve been listening to the request from markets all around the state and Bend was really at the top of the list, right along with Salem, in terms of numbers of people making calls and sending emails and texts saying, ‘Please bring us Burgerville,’” said Ed Casey, CEO of the company.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, Burgerville has a reputation for a menu with local ingredients; 75% of which are sourced from within 400 miles of its home office, Casey said.

One of the company’s longest vendors is Country National Beef, a rancher-owned cooperative founded near Brothers almost 40 years ago. Burgerville also sources strawberries from Liepold Family Farms of Boring and has partnered with Sisters-based company Holy Kakow, which makes organic chocolate sauces and coffee syrups.

For the first 30 days, a beer cheese slider made in partnership with 10 Barrel Brewing Co. will be sold exclusively at the Bend location, with 20% of the proceeds benefitting The Giving Plate, a nonprofit fighting food insecurity. And if the slider is popular, it may be available longer, Casey said.

Seasonal items are available for a limited time on the menu, such as asparagus, blackberries and the Walla Walla onions used for onion rings.

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‘Something for everyone’

Burgerville stands out in the fast food landscape for its attention to customers with dietary restrictions, with offerings that cater to vegetarians, vegans and those who are dairy or gluten-free.

“A lot of fast food places want to be the best hamburger, the best taco or the best burrito,” Casey said. “Not everybody can have everything, but we want to have something for everyone that comes to Burgerville.”

A plant-based section of the menu includes a vegan Plantville Cheezeburger with a proprietary patty made by Beyond Burger, topped with vegan pepper jack cheese and aioli. Gluten-free burger buns are also available for purchase.

Prices are on the higher side of traditional fast food restaurants, but are reflective of the quality of ingredients, Casey said.

“One of the common trends in our industry — and I’ve been in the industry my whole life — the common theme over the years is people want better quality food. They want it more conveniently. They want it at a better price point. So the pressure has always been to provide as high quality as you can at a good price point and then throw in the convenience factor,” he said.

In addition to the demand for a Bend Burgerville, the new location was chosen based on how the community ethos aligned with the company’s brand, Casey said.

“People there really aligned with our local sourcing and our focus on sustainable practices. I think it just really pairs well with who we are,” he said.

Before the opening of a Wilsonville location last fall, the company hadn’t opened a new store in eight years. Additional store openings are planned for this year.

Details

What: Burgerville

Location: 612 SE Third St., Bend

Contact: burgerville.com

Hours: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. daily

Price Range: Burgers range from $4.69 to $14.69

Cuisine: Fast food, burgers