Nothing Phony - Burgerville's new medical benefit
By The
Columbian editorial writers
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The 44-year-old Burgerville chain has given its customers and certainly its employees another reason to be loyal to it in the highly competitive world of fast food restaurants.
Burgerville initially won a place in the hearts of Clark County residents simply because it was headquartered in Vancouver and part of the Holland restaurant business operated by George Propstra. But over the years Burgerville has done itself proud in both the civic and the business arenas, including its generous sponsorship of local youth and charitable activities and the regional accent of its menu (Tillamook cheeseburgers, Walla Walla Sweet onion rings, fresh Oregon beef and Northwest blackberry shakes).
Longtime Burgerville fans still laugh about the TV commercials when Propstra went to a truck stop at Biggs Junction, Ore., to poke fun at competitors' frozen beef patties ostensibly trucked into the Northwest. He banged a frozen patty against the back of a semitrailer and said something like, "If it's not Burgerville, you don't know where that meat has been."
But Burgerville isn't just selling itself to its customers. It's also serious about doing right by its workers, while reducing employee turnover. Last week the company announced a new medical- benefits program that is rare, if not unique, in the fast-food industry. For its 600 employees with at least six months' service and who work at least 20 hours a week, Burgerville will pay 95 percent of the premium, and 90 percent for their dependents.
Burgerville's chief operating officer, Jeff Harvey, told The Columbian's Jonathan Nelson last week that the previous health- insurance package was cost-prohibitive for many Burgerville workers.
Tom Mears, chief executive officer, said Monday, "We've been working on this for more than a year. We say we are for sustainability and thriving communities. So how could we not do this? If we can't have our employees thriving, we're just being phony."