Excerpts from the Educational Programs at the 2008 ICCA Summit in Portland Jack Graves, Chief Cultural Officer for Burgerville Restaurants, shared information on their nearly 20 year mission to be a truly sustainable restaurant chain. Burgerville USA was founded in 1961, but it was in 1989 when increased competition from national chains arrived in Portland that the mission changed. They began researching what their customers liked most about Burgerville and what made them unique. The facts lead to their fresh ground beef from a local supplier, locally made Tillamook Cheese and milkshakes made from real ice cream and locally grown berries. The mission was crystal clear, Burgerville would begin marketing these unique features and expanding the process across the entire menu. Today Burgerville has 39 restaurants and is continuing to grow. They use only one source for their no-hormone, antibiotic-free locally raised natural beef. They feature unique products like Walla Walla Onion rings when they are in season and they only use fresh, locally grown berries in their milk shakes. When berries are out of season, they feature special seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Milkshakes in October and Chocolate Hazelnut in December. They now use locally made Rogue Creamery Cheese on their salads and even their dry goods include purchasing cups, lids and paper goods from local suppliers. As these initiatives lead to more success and recognition from the media and their customers, Burgerville began to look into additional ways to become more sustainable and even green. They began with renewable energy sources that resulted in paying fees to local farmers for renewable wind power and with 20 percent of the energy bill going back to the county they could lower taxes for residents. This garnered an award from the Environmental Protection Agency last year. They now recycle their oil waste into biodiesel fuel for use in their trucks transporting goods to the restaurants and began a complete recycling and composting program chain wide. They have even created a new affordable healthcare plan for all employees that has helped to retain employees longer and has boosted morale to record levels. It was almost overwhelming to hear all of the initiatives they have been able to accomplish, but again they have been working at this for many years. The feeling from ICCA members was one of excitement. “To just select one or two of these great programs and try to begin the process toward sustainability would be great for any chain,” stated Kevin Ryan, ICCA Executive Director. “Knowing that it can be done in the QSR arena is proof that it is not cost prohibitive.” View PowerPoint Presentation
