Are the rumors true? Is Burgerville for sale?

Is Burgerville for sale?

The beloved Vancouver fast-food chain confirmed Tuesday that it is looking for new investment to aid in expansion.

Willamette Week reported Monday that the company had a possible deal with Portland investment company Sortis Capital, which is affiliated with the owners of Portland’s Bamboo Sushi, Sizzle Pie and Water Avenue Coffee. Willamette Week also reported it wasn’t clear whether or not that deal was still alive.

Burgerville said in a Tuesday statement its mission has always been to serve its communities with love.

“Burgerville CEO Ed Casey and the Mears family are currently focused on expanding that service to new markets across the (Pacific Northwest), including our new Wilsonville location,” said Clare Clancy, Burgerville spokeswoman. “To support that growth, we’re looking to bring in new resources and partners to translate our vision into reality.”

The company announced in January that it planned to expand. The new location in Wilsonville, Ore., is expected to open in June, with new stores to follow in Salem, Ore., and Renton.

The fast-food chain currently has 38 locations stretching from Centralia to Corvallis., Ore.

Its Vancouver Plaza location closed last month. But Casey said in January the company hoped to add at least six new locations over the next 18 months.

Since its founding, Burgerville has been locally owned. George Propstra, who died in 2004, opened his first Burgerville restaurant in Vancouver in 1961. Burgerville, a part of the family’s Holland company, later passed to Propstra’s son-in-law Tom Mears, whose daughter, Jennifer Mears, currently serves as Burgerville’s chairman.

Clancy said the company would be sharing more about its vision in the coming months.