Next Level Burger

In 2014 Matt and Cierra de Gruyter were on their way to Portland to open the first Next Level Burger, but they made a stop in Bend on the way and fell in love with the city. So that is where America’s first 100% plant-based burger joint began. Their motto was “Burgers for a Better World.”  

Their journey began in 2006 when Cierra decided to become vegetarian and then vegan. Matt, who was eating eight to ten pounds of meat a week said that he would support her but “don’t guilt me into becoming vegan!” and, “don’t get too extreme on me.” But then in 2010, he says he did something very dangerous—he picked up one of Cierra’s books, The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone and read it. Then he kept reading more vegan books that were in the house. While Matt was learning about the link between health and diet, his mom died at age 56. His son was turning three, and Matt said he wanted to be around for a long time for his son. He felt he couldn’t ignore all that he was learning, so he decided to try being vegan for 30 days, and within two weeks he was feeling lighter and had more energy. It wasn’t long before his diet was 100% plant-based. 

Matt and Cierra talked for several years about creating a healthy place to take their family out to dinner. Finally, in 2013, Matt was ready to quit his job as a private equity executive to completely reinvent the American burger joint. A year after they opened the Bend restaurant, they opened a Next Level Burger in Portland on Hawthorne Street. 

Their goal has always been to serve 100% organic produce, to use no GMOs, and to pay livable wages. They hoped to attract everyone from vegans to carnivores, so over the years they have developed an extensive menu of burgers to appeal to everybody. The house-made Signature Burger, made from quinoa and mushrooms, is their most popular. But there are also handcrafted Beyond Burger Patties, Smash Patties, and Chick’n Burgers. And for that dedicated meat eater, there is The Animal (plant-based of course). 

Like other burger joints, they have fries (sweet potato and regular), amazing shakes made from soft-serve ice cream (either coconut or soy), salads, and some sides like onion rings and coleslaw. And just about everything can be made gluten-free. So indulge yourself with decadent-tasting but healthy food. 

Matt and Cierra’s vision is for a complete transformation of the food system, where people have learned that eating a plant-based diet will help heal the planet, our health, and save the animals. They see Next Level Burger as a vehicle for this, and their long-term goal is a thousand Next Level Burgers all over the country. Though they had to close the Bend store after five years because business was so seasonal, there are now ten stores in the U.S.: three in the Portland area, two in Seattle, two in the Bay Area, and one each in Denver, Austin, and New York City. 

To hear an hour-long, fascinating interview with Cierra and Matt recorded in 2017 on the Eat for the Planet podcast, click here. You can learn more about their origin story and how they have partnered with Whole Foods for some of their restaurants.