Chain known for peanut-butter-pickle-bacon burger to open locations in Tacoma, Olympia

A Portland-based burger chain that has been eyeing Tacoma for several years will open six new restaurants around the South Sound, the company announced in a press release last week.

Killer Burger has partnered with Cascade Dining , a local franchise company that operates 26 Papa John’s Pizza shops, on the Washington state expansion, The Olympian reported on Friday. Reached by email on Tuesday, franchisee Dave Edwards said it would happen “over the next five years.”

Cascade Dining opened its first Killer Burger last spring in Salem, Oregon, and recently took over the Gresham restaurant. Its Bend location should open by next summer, confirmed Edwards.

He had already agreed to open six other locations in the Pacific Northwest. This recent development will bring its total footprint to 12 stores in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Exact sites in this South Sound push are not “set in stone quite yet,” said Edwards, but he and his team are “aggressively searching ... all over the South Puget Sound region, including but not limited to Tacoma, Puyallup, Olympia, Silverdale, Maple Valley, Auburn, Kent and Federal Way.”

They anticipate the first to open by the second half of 2025 or in early 2026.

Boise, Idaho, is also high on their list, added Edwards.

A marketing representative at the Portland headquarters of Killer Burger responded to The News Tribune’s email but had not yet provided additional information.

Killer Burger first shared its intent to expand via franchising to Tacoma and the South Sound in 2020. The company’s development director at the time described the region as “a big-time market” that felt ripe for the brand, which espouses a “better burger” made with fresh beef. Signatures include a third-pound burger with peanut butter, pickles and bacon and the Bender with spicy barbecue sauce, crispy jalapenos and grilled onions.

The first restaurant opened in 2010 in Portland’s Hollywood neighborhood, expanding to 11 locations over the next decade.

CEO John Dikos said in the news release that the company was “incredibly impressed” with Edwards and his team’s management of their first outpost in Salem.

Today there are 23 Killer Burgers in total, including a few in Vancouver, Washington. Guests order at the counter, but the dining room has a restaurant vibe. Many locations also sell wine and beer — usually six to 10, mostly craft taps plus a few cans, said Edwards.

“We don’t plan on any full bars but never say never,” said Edwards about Cascade Dining’s beverage plans.