A popular Washington fast food chain is coming to the Tri-Cities with plans to set up shop in the former Sonic Drive-In locations.

Madeline Howard, a representative for the Vancouver-based company, confirmed in an email to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business that Burgerville is coming to Kennewick “but we don’t yet have a time frame or details.”

Burgerville already has posted online job listings for management positions in Kennewick, without naming a location.

The  fast food restaurant appears poised to move into the former Sonic Drive-In at 8600 Gage Blvd., which has been closed for nearly three years, once a lease is signed.

Marty Surby with Sortis QRS Holdings confirmed to the Journal of Business that he has filed building permits with the city of Kennewick to renovate the former Sonic restaurant at 8600 Gage Blvd. “for a future burger brand.”

“We think we’ve got a tenant, and I’m ready for a permit but we’re working on finalizing the lease,” he said, adding “the intent is to do the same thing with the Pasco (Sonic) location, but it’s further down the line.”

He did not have a construction start date for Kennewick but said the plan is to start as soon as the lease is secured and permits approved. Construction would take an estimated 13 weeks and would add an 880-square-foot dining room to the building.

The contractor and architecture firm listed on the building permit applications, T.J. Nisbet Construction Inc. and LLB Architecture, have worked with Burgerville in the past.

Surby said he had acquired the leases for the Kennewick and Pasco locations as well as eight other former Sonic locations in Oregon and Washington previously held by Olympic Cascade Drive Ins LLC of Poulsbo.

The local Sonic restaurants closed in 2022 in the wake of a federal lawsuit by Sonic Drive-Ins, the parent company, against franchisee Olympic Cascade for missed royalty and fee payments, as well as reports of unsafe food and drinks being served.

A roller skate appears to stand vigil above the boarded up drive-thru window at the vacant Sonic Drive-In in Kennewick.

| Photo by Kristina Lord

The lawsuit was dismissed more than a year ago following a negotiated settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed.

The restaurants have remained in limbo, with windows boarded up and some signs of vandalism. Both are in busy commercial areas, with the Kennewick location adjacent to Costco and the Pasco restaurant near Walmart on Road 68.

Burgerville was founded in 1961 by George Propstra in Vancouver. It is currently owned by The Holland Inc. and has 40 locations, most in close proximity to the Portland metropolitan area.

As its name implies, Burgerville is notable for its hamburgers but also for its fries and shakes. More than 75% of its menu comes from Pacific Northwest-sourced products such as Tillamook cheddar cheese and onion rings made from Walla Walla onions.

The company is also big on sustainability, having its used fry oil converted to biodiesel and buying enough credits for wind-generated power to cover the power needs of all its facilities.

Its newest location opened in June in Bend, Oregon. Burgerville also recently opened a restaurant in Salem, Oregon, at the site of another former Sonic Drive-In also operated by Olympic Cascade.