Salem doesn't have a Burgerville. Why is that?
This is part of an on-going series answering "Why is that?" questions about Salem and the Mid-Valley.
The question: Why doesn’t Salem have a Burgerville? We have the answer. But first, a little history.
The background: Burgerville is a family-owned fast-food chain in Oregon and southwest Washington.
The late George Propstra was the founder after taking over his father's creamery business in 1956. The butter and egg business had evolved into an ice cream company, then expanded to offering cheese sandwiches at a restaurant.
The first Burgerville opened in 1961 in Vancouver, Washington. It featured hamburgers garnished with a secret sauce, fries and beverages, with walk-up service only.
The secret sauce reportedly was whipped up the night before the first restaurant opened, after Propstra and a friend decided the hamburgers were a bit dry. As the story goes, they threw together a few ingredients, and the secret sauce was born.
The regional burger chain steadily grew to more than three-dozen locations — all within a 90-mile radius of its Vancouver headquarters — while banking on serving fresh food made with local ingredients.
Like some other chains, it developed a cult-like following, not necessarily because of its burgers.
The Burgerville faithful still eulogize its shakes, rosemary fries and halibut fish and chips. The restaurant continues to capitalize on local flavors and produce, such as shakes made from Willamette Valley berries and onion rings made with Walla Walla sweet onions.
Some of its menu items are available only in season, adding to its allure.
People who move away from the Pacific Northwest often complain how much they miss Burgerville, and it is one of their first stops when they return for a visit. The company once used that for an advertising campaign, with Propstra reading letters from actual customers.
As iconic as Burgerville is in Oregon and Washington, it was and still is unfamiliar to most of the country. A small venue at Portland International Airport since 2014 may have helped spread the word.
The company has often turned its limited market into a positive, from its “inconveniently located” campaign to its billboards on the edge of Burgerville territory warning drivers they would be passing the last Burgerville for more than 24,000 miles.
Innovative advertising has been a staple of the chain. One of its best-known ads in the earlier days showed Propstra whacking a frozen hamburger patty against a semi-truck, scoffing at national food chains for importing frozen meat from out of state.
Burgerville is proud to have served locally raised Pacific Northwest beef since Day 1.
One advertisement that even the most loyal of followers may never have seen was for its breakfast line, illustrating the need to eat breakfast by showing President Ronald Reagan dozing off. The company pulled it after the negative backlash.
The Burgerville territory today covers 39 locations, spanning north to Centralia, Washington, south to Corvallis, east to The Dalles, and west to Monmouth.
Why doesn’t Salem have a Burgerville?
Salem once had a Burgerville and did for 14 years.
The restaurant was at 1717 Hawthorne Ave. NE, on the northwest corner of Hawthorne and Market Street NE before the widening of Interstate 5 at that interchange.
That area looks a lot different today, so it is difficult to pinpoint its exact location. The company built a $100,000 building, according to city permits published in the Statesman Journal, in the vicinity of where the former Newport Bay restaurant was and where Bag o’ Crab is now.
The Salem Burgerville opened Dec. 6, 1977, immediately endearing itself to the community. The following spring, it sponsored a Parrish Little League team, which it did every year.
The restaurant became a go-to spot for locals and a fun stop for visiting families on their way to or from the Oregon State Fair. Children loved the train inside, where they could sit and eat their burgers and fries.
Location, though, would ultimately become its downfall.
The Salem Burgerville was a casualty of the I-5 widening project — from four lanes to six — in the early 1990s.
Officials armed with the state’s right-of-way mandate swept through the Market interchange area and swallowed about 40 commercial properties. Denny’s and Trachsel Buick were among other businesses forced to close or relocate.
Burgerville was in the middle of expansion plans in 1990, hoping to double in size within the next five years. It had 33 locations at the time.
The company president told the Statesman Journal for a business profile published May 27, 1990, that officials wanted to build more Burgervilles in Salem, although there were no immediate plans.
The article included how officials also wanted to remodel the Hawthorne restaurant into the new Burgerville prototype but had delayed the project while waiting to hear if the outlet would be closed by planned expansion of the Market Street interchange.
In less than two years, it had its answer. The Salem Burgerville closed in late January 1992.
Residents have been hankering for it ever since.
A 2011 online survey about downtown prompted this response from a Statesman Journal reader: “Why doesn’t the city put the money and effort into getting a Burgerville into Salem instead of wasting it on their fantasies of airlines in Salem? …”
The absence of Burgerville has long been a sore subject among many, with lengthy comment threads showing up every couple of years on Reddit and on the Facebook page, “You Know You’re From Salem, Oregon When …”
There is even a “Bring Burgerville Back to Salem!” petition on the website ipetitions.com. Comments show it dates to at least 2014. Only 84 people have signed it, with the most recent posted on Sept. 26, 2023.
Rumors about Burgerville’s decision not to rebuild or open in another location in the state capital have varied over the years. Several versions include chain management having a falling out with the city and vowing never to open in Salem again.
The city would not have been involved in the eminent domain process. The Oregon Department of Transportation would have been, and its right-of-way acquisition files were not readily available for this report.
Current company officials told the Statesman Journal there is no truth to Burgerville vowing to never return to Salem.
Some speculation has festered since the newspaper’s 2015 coverage announcing Burgerville would be opening a location in Corvallis at a former Wendy’s location. A Burgerville official at that time provided this explanation about leaving Salem:
"Market Street was widened and they condemned us and chased us out of there. What they actually did was stage construction equipment on the former Burgerville site. When it came back together they wouldn't sell that property back to us. That restaurant never did real well. It was just OK. So we weren't in a big hurry to replace it."
Company officials today say the location was not struggling nor surpassing sales expectations.
Salem-area residents have two Burgerville options within a short driving distance, Albany and Monmouth. The Albany location opened in around 1973 and Monmouth in around 1984.
Oh, by the way
Burgerville pursued a location at Keizer Station at least twice, once early in the development and again later. It is not clear why those potential plans never panned out.
But there is good news for Burgerville fans. The company is again exploring local options.
There has been chatter for more than a year about Burgerville being interested in the former Sonic Drive-In locations, one on Lancaster Drive SE and one on River Road N in Keizer.
Burgerville officials would not confirm or deny, but they did say the company has missed being in Salem, is looking forward to returning, and is pursuing many locations in and around Salem.
An expansion announcement is expected soon, as early as next week.
Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Email your "Why is that" questions to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Why doesn't Salem have a Burgerville? Dispelling the rumors
