Burger Bench

What Burger Bench does

Burger Bench is a privately held, family-owned casual restaurant chain operating two dine-in locations in North County San Diego, California. Founded in 2015 (per the company's operational timeline), the original Escondido location opened in late 2015 at 237 E Grand Avenue in a historic 1924 building that previously housed the Escondido Times-Advocate. A second location opened in early 2025 at 230 Main St in Vista, housed in the 1940 Shelhoup Department Store building. The restaurants serve local families, general diners, craft beer enthusiasts, and group event customers with a menu centered on handmade fresh Angus burgers on brioche buns baked daily in Poway, alongside sliders, melts, salads, sides, kids menu items, hand-mixed milkshakes, and a 20+ San Diego craft beer tap program. Pricing follows a pay-as-you-go unit model ranging from $5.90 for individual sliders to $16.90 for premium salads, with burgers priced $11.90-$15.90.

The core product is the customizable handmade Angus burger, with options including grass-fed, gluten-free, Beyond, Impossible, lettuce-wrap, and Halal preparations, and proprietary menu items such as the Bench Burger, Chorizo Diablo, and Sunrise. The craft beer program features the Bench Revolution collaboration IPA produced with Burgeon Beer Company. Digital infrastructure consists of Square-based online ordering for takeout, ChowNow for third-party delivery, and dedicated iOS/Android mobile applications. The company sources ingredients from a network of 15+ local San Diego County vendors including O'Brien's Boulangerie, Esperanza's Tortilleria, Fluegge Egg Ranch, and West Coast Tomato Growers.

Revenue is generated entirely through food and beverage sales via dine-in service at both locations (daily 11:30am-9pm), takeout orders, third-party delivery, and group dining reservations (15-30 guests) at the Vista location. There are no subscription, recurring, or licensing revenue components. Ownership is held by Derek Loranger with Aly Jeffery serving as general manager; no institutional venture capital, private equity, or disclosed funding rounds have been documented in the source material.

Name

Burger Bench

Legal name

Burger Bench

Website

https://burgerbench.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Burger Bench is a family-owned casual restaurant chain operating two locations in North County San Diego, California. Founded in 2015, the company serves handmade Angus burgers, craft beer, and milkshakes to local families, craft beer enthusiasts, and group diners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Handmade burgers
• Craft beer taps
• Family friendly dining
• Local sourcing partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Escondido

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Traditional dine-in service at two locations (Escondido and Vista) with full lunch and dinner menu including burgers, sandwiches, salads, sides, and beverages
2. Online Ordering and Delivery: Takeout orders via Square site and delivery via Chownow platform at both locations
3. Group Dining Reservations: Private group dining at Vista location with minimum 15 guests, pre-ordering available, up to 2-hour reservations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Burger Bench operates casual dine-in restaurants in Escondido and Vista, California, serving handmade fresh Angus patty burgers on brioche buns, sliders, melts, salads, sides, wings, milkshakes, and floats. The restaurants feature 20+ San Diego craft beers on tap and source ingredients locally from over 15 regional vendors.

Product overview

Burger Bench is a family-owned restaurant with two locations in historic Escondido and Vista, California. The core offering consists of handmade fresh angus burgers on brioche buns, mini sliders, melts (including patty melts and cheese melts), crispy chicken wings, sides (fries, tots, onion rings), salads with house-made dressings, kids meals, hand-mixed milkshakes, and floats/desserts. The restaurant sources ingredients locally and features over 20 San Diego craft brews on tap, craft soda, local wines, and specialty shakes. Online ordering is available through Square and ChowNow delivery platform integration, with dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Burgers Handmade fresh Angus patties on brioche buns baked daily in Poway, with options for grass-fed, gluten-free, Beyond, Impossible, lettuce-wrap, and Halal.
• Sliders Mini burgers made to order using fresh ingredients, including cheeseburger, BBQ, fig jam, chicken, chorizo, and grilled cheese varieties.
• Melts Grilled sandwich offerings including classic cheese melt, patty melt, veggie melt, brie and fig melt, bacon cheese melt, and pestomato melt.
• Sides Accompaniments including natural fries, crispy tots, truffle parmesan fries/tots, sweet potato fries, beer-battered onion rings, mini corn dogs, half and half options, and fried chicken bites.
• Salads and Soup House-made dressings with offerings including blackened chicken Caesar salad, grilled chicken cobb salad, arugula apple salad, taco salad, western fried chicken salad, and house tomato soup.
• Kids Menu Child-friendly options including sliders with natural American cheese, mini corn dogs, and chicken bites, with choice of fries, tots, apple, or carrot sticks for ages 12 and under.
• Milkshakes Hand-mixed shakes with real ice cream in flavors including Oreo, mud pie, chocolate peanut butter banana, s'mores, strawberry banana, salted caramel pretzel, vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.
• Crispy Chicken Wings Signature seasoned crispy chicken wings with sauces including ranch, BBQ, sweet chili, chipotle aioli, buffalo, and sriracha aioli.
• Floats and Desserts Dessert offerings including root beer float with Stubborn Soda Classic Root Beer and beer float with premium vanilla ice cream and San Diego craft beer (age 21+).
• Craft Beer Program 20+ San Diego craft brews on tap at each location, including a collaboration IPA called Bench Revolution with Burgeon Beer Company. Local wines and craft soda also available.
• Group Dining Reservations Private group dining at the Vista location for a minimum of 15 guests, with pre-ordering available and reservations up to 2 hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only San Diego restaurant included in Yelp's Top 100 Family-Friendly Restaurants nationally for 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Burgeon Beer CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration IPA called 'Bench Revolution' created with Burgeon Beer Company, described as a crowd favorite at both locations
• James Coffee Co.coreOthersNeighbors around the corner who provide the perfect roast for espresso and coffee at both locations
• O'Brien's BoulangeriecoreOthersProvides hamburger and slider buns, sourdough bread, baked daily in Poway
• Vesper VineyardsminorOthersLocal wines on tap at Burger Bench locations
• Fallbrook WineryminorOthersLocal wines on tap at Burger Bench locations
• Mostra CoffeeminorOthersCoffee supplier who worked with Burger Bench to dial in the right roast for customers
• Esperanza's TortilleriacoreOthersNeighbors in Escondido providing fresh tortillas for nearly a decade
• Tortilleria Los ReyescoreOthersNeighbors in Vista that provide tasty chorizo and fresh tortillas
• Clue AvenueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEscondido Escape Room on same block as Burger Bench Escondido offering discounts to customers
• BRV Construction, IncminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor who built both Escondido and Vista locations, led by Brandon Verdon
• Melendez MechanicalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEquipment maintenance partner for years who maintains and fixes much of their equipment
• Surfrider FoundationminorOthersOcean-friendly restaurant partner certified by Surfrider Foundation San Diego chapter
• Fluegge Egg RanchminorOthersLocal eggs from Escondido
• Mountain Meadow Mushroom FarmsminorOthersMushrooms sourced from Escondido
• West Coast Tomato GrowersminorOthersFarm in Oceanside for over 70 years supplying produce

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Burger Lounge: San Diego-born casual burger chain emphasizing fresh, locally sourced angus and grass-fed beef with craft beer and a similar neighborhood-dining feel; most directly comparable independent-style burger peer.
• Slater's 50/50: Southern California casual burger chain with full bar, craft beer, and inventive burger menu; closest concept match on menu creativity, craft beer program, and SoCal casual-dining positioning.
• Hopdoddy Burger Bar: Multi-region casual burger bar concept with craft beer, house-made buns, and inventive toppings; highly comparable menu and craft beverage approach at slightly larger scale.
• The Habit Burger Grill: Multi-state California-originated char-grilled burger chain offering dine-in, takeout and delivery with a similar angus-focused, customizable menu; direct scale competitor in the casual burger category.
• Hodad's: Iconic San Diego casual burger restaurant known for generous portions, family-friendly atmosphere, and cult local following; competes with Burger Bench for the same North County/San Diego family diner occasion.

Broad incumbents

• Shake Shack: National premium casual burger chain with dine-in and digital ordering (app, delivery, kiosk) and a craft beer and shake program; broader incumbent in the same casual burger + craft beer category.
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers: National casual-dining chain specializing in gourmet burgers with full bar and family-friendly positioning; represents the larger incumbent in the casual burger + full bar segment Burger Bench operates in.
• Five Guys: Large national casual burger chain with customizable hand-made burgers and fries; competes with Burger Bench for the same casual family burger occasion at higher scale.

Regional players

• Plant Power Fast Food: San Diego-based plant-based fast casual chain offering burgers, sandwiches, and shakes; comparable on menu architecture (burgers/sandwiches/shakes) and overlapping San Diego footprint, though service model skews faster.
• URGE American Gastropub: San Diego County casual gastropub chain with extensive craft beer program and elevated burgers/sandwiches; directly comparable concept on craft beer focus and family-friendly casual dining, and a peer on the local North County dine-out occasion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/burgerbench
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burger-bench

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burger Bench