Local Restaurant chain strives to do good while serving the best food.
By Veronica LeMaster
Photos by Kimberlee Miller
“Welcome to Good Burger!” might be a phrase you heard back in the 1997 movie Good Burger, but now you can expect to hear it more in the Treasure Valley with the local restaurant chain’s newest location in Downtown Boise open and featuring the first self-pour beer wall of its kind in Idaho.
Good Burger, founded by Nicholas Jones, opened its first location in March of 2018 in Boise Towne Square Mall. Since then, Jones partnered with Brady Gaschler to open two more locations, has one in the works, and plans for five more in the next year.
The two met at Boise State University when Gaschler attended one of Jones guest lectures. After sharing some entrepreneurship ideas he had with Jones, Gaschler decided to keep in touch and would meet with Jones every three months bringing along new ideas until one finally stuck: a self-serve beer bar.
At the same time that idea stuck, Jones was founding Good Burger.
Jones asked Gaschler if he wanted to join in on the business, and after having his first Good Burger, Gaschler couldn’t help but say yes.
They joined forces to create Good Burger and The Drop, which can be found at their location on Tenth and Main as Gaschler’s flagship restaurant. The Drop, was inspired from a Southern California bar, Pour.
“I stopped in there one morning and thought the idea was fantastic,” Gaschler said. “I also spend some time at Bodovino, and thought if they could do this with wine, I can do it with beer.”
Good Burger strives to provide the best tasting burger you’ve ever had while doing good. All of the food is locally sourced and delivered fresh to every Treasure Valley location and made with passion by locally expert chefs. Eating a Good Burger doesn’t only taste good, but it does good by giving back to the local community and others in need.
“Our burgers, in my opinion, are the best burgers around,” Jones said. “But it’s not just the burgers that are good, it’s the good we do with the profit from that burger you buy.”
Both founders being born and raised in the Treasure Valley found importance in doing good for the community while serving good burgers. After finding many of their own employees needing some kind of housing assistance, Jones and Gaschler came up with the idea to provide temporary housing at minimum rent for employees in need. They also helped with transportation in Nigeria by purchasing motorcycles, allowing for that community to have reliable medical transportation. Most recently, they sent hygienists to the Dominican Republic at a Haitian refugee camp to pull abscess teeth, clean teeth, and give out 250 hygiene kits.
“Our mission isn’t just burgers, are mission is far greater. We’re Good Burger because of the mission we’re behind, we want to do good in the world for our employees and for communities that need help, Gaschler said.
The next Good Burger will be found in Meridian on Magic View Dr. with five more planned in the Treasure Valley and Utah in the next year. In those five, only one more will feature The Drop, while other locations will have Dirty Soda, a self-serve soda bar where you can make your own milkshakes and customized sodas.
For more information, visit itsagoodburger.com.