Jurriaan Kamp, wrote in the April 2008 issue of Ode Magazine, "Our real challenge is to find ways to make our world a better place from the starting point of our current reality. That reality includes cars and fast food... We don't want cars to go away; we want cars to be sustainable-much more sustainable than today's hybrids."
Burgerville, a Vancouver, Washington chain of 39 quick-service restaurants (QSR), was founded in 1961 as a different kind of burger joint. From the beginning Burgerville's emphasis was and is on quality, fresh, local food - not price. The best example is their $3.29 Tillamook Cheeseburger, the most popular menu item, which is made up almost entirely of sustainable, locally grown ingredients.
So how does a QSR maintain a $7 check average while serving fresh, seasonal berry shakes, small-producer blue cheese and naturally raised beef? Commitment, caring and building relationships.
Beef, Buns and Cheese
Burgerville sources its vegetarian-fed and antibiotic-free beef from Oregon Country Natural Beef, a co-op of family ranches based in Antelope, Oregon. It's buns and bread come from Portland based Franz Family Bakeries, a family owned and operated business serving the Northwest since 1906. It cheddar cheese, used for its signature Tillamook Cheesburger, comes from 100 year-old Tillamook Creamery, a co-op of small dairy farmers that produces hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products.
Local Connections
Burgerville has partnered with local, sustainable business throughout the region for their year-round and seasonal menu items and services. They've taken the time and effort to find sources that share their values for french fries and pickles to eggs and yogurt to Walla Walla sweet onions, hazelnuts and fruit.
Seasonal Ingredients
The Spring Spinach and Chicken Salad uses Central Point, Oregon based Rogue River Blue Cheese, dried cranberries by Meduri Farms in Dallas, Oregon over a bed of local, organic baby spinach from Spring Hill Farm in Albany, Oregon. In the Fall, Burgerville's Pumpkin Milkshakes are made with pumpkins that come from Willamette Valley's Stahlbush Farms and local, recombinant bovine growth hormone free (rBST) dairy from Portland based Sunshine Dairy Foods.
Composting, Recycling and Bio Fuels
In 2007, Burgerville rolled out their employee-led composting and recycling effort. Within the next several yeard, the company expects all locations to:
- compost all food waste and food-soiled paper and packaging turned it into nutrient-rich compost that will return to nourish the soil.
- set up in-store back-of-the-house, front-of-the-house and consumer recycling of everything from plastic to glass to paper to tin.
Additionally, Burgerville has found a local company, SeQuential Biofuels, that reclaims their trans fat-free cooking oil and recycles it into biofuel.
People
Burgerville provides affordable health care for hourly employees (who work at least 20 hours a week and have been with the company for at least six months) and their dependents and offers a tuition reimbursement program to qualified employees for coursework.
Expansion
Burgerville is managing its growth cautiously. Even though they have national appeal, currently they have no plans to franchise or expand beyond their Northwest roots. Tom Mears, chairman of The Holland, Inc., parent company of Burgerville said, "We want to grow the business, focusing this growth north to the Seattle area and throughout the rest of Oregon as a starting point," adding that "new markets also are a possibility, but are dependent on sourcing local suppliers. "
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