Killer Burger is growing thanks to pizza—at least indirectly.

Cascade Dining, a 26-unit Papa Johns franchisee, plans to open 12 restaurants over the next few years. It’s the biggest development agreement in company history; these committed restaurants—to debut across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho—would increase Killer Burger’s footprint by more than 50 percent. That’s in addition to Cascade recently buying a company-owned unit in Gresham, Oregon.

“Dave Edwards [Cascade owner] and his partners had been looking at the Killer Burger brand for some time,” said CEO John Dikos, who joined Killer Burger in July 2021. “They met the brand before I did and had been huge believers and loved the product. And they were circling and watching the brand develop and grow and were hoping for a chance to become a part of it at the right time.”

Cascade’s introduction to Killer Burger was a six-unit agreement that began with an opening in Salem, Oregon, in April 2023. Dikos and the leadership team saw a maniacal focus on people, systems, discipline, and execution. Not only was it a successful opening, but it significantly changed Killer Burger’s back-of-house operations.

This particular restaurant was so popular that it was met with more demand than it could supply. So Cascade and Killer Burger worked together to change how the brand thinks about the kitchen and throughput. The fast casual changed its cooking methods and the way it tracked speed. It had never used kitchen display systems until they were installed at the Salem location; now they’re in all 23 stores systemwide. Because of this technology, Killer Burger has cut production time out of each order. Meals are now consistently ready in under 10 minutes almost every time.

“It used to be on a Friday night, you might wait 40 minutes between waiting in line and waiting for your food at Killer Burger,” Dikos says. “And that’s a long time to wait for even a great fast-casual meal. I don’t care how good you are. And again, these guys were just in it with us in the laboratory as we worked out this new speed method. So we gained a ton of confidence.”

After this collaboration, Cascade signed on to build another six restaurants in three new regions—Tacoma, Puyallup, and Olympia, Washington. The partnership is emblematic of what Killer Burger expects with all of its franchisees. Besides wanting them to be restaurateurs and operators at heart, along with ample capital to grow and sustain a business, the better burger concept wants those interested in building a brand. Killer Burger doesn’t look to franchisees to drive everything while it sits back. Rather, the company works as a co-author.

“That was a really cool thing to work with them. Frankly, I learned a lot from them—what works, what doesn’t, what do we need to improve and tinker,” Dikos said.

Of Killer Burger’s 23 stores, 15 are franchised. Among the existing base of operators, all are looking to grow in some fashion, Dikos says.

The brand is currently tracking around 10 locations in various stages of development—from letters of intent to lease negotiations. He expects that number will increase. The CEO stresses the importance of slipping into second-generation spaces at reasonable rates, securing tenant improvement allowances, and maintaining tight CapEx budgets. He credits founder TJ Southard’s creative approach to CapEx as one of the factors that attracted him to the brand. The founder’s hands-on approach in building the first few restaurants, including laying floor tiles himself, and reusing materials and equipment, has influenced how the company continues to operate.

Killer Burger still prioritizes bringing in new cooking equipment but reuses other ancillary items, helping it keep budgets within the $500,000 to $600,000 range after tenant improvement allowances. This has yielded strong volume results.

But the environment remains challenging. Dikos recalls an instance where a landlord, after signing a lease, returned to request a significant rent increase due to rising construction costs. It’s an example that landlords, too, face complexities with interest rates and other issues. That’s why Killer Burger finds it crucial to be patient and form long-term relationships with brokers and developers instead of purely transactional ones. This strategy has allowed the chain to secure locations in high-profile developments that were previously beyond reach.

The company is preparing to announce additional growth stories soon, as it continues to land in markets with reputable developers.

“It’s been tough and you got to stay really on top of every little detail,” Dikos says. “We have one architect, we have one general contractor, that’s built most of our restaurants. He’s willing to travel. There’s some things we’ve done to pull variables out of it that help us. But you know, these are things you can’t really do on a national scale, but you can certainly do regionally and we’ve taken advantage of that to keep variables to a minimum.”

As for customer headwinds, Dikos says Killer Burger has been relatively fortunate in maintaining traffic and guest interest. He notes that consumers, including his own family, are becoming increasingly cautious with their spending. The goal is to protect hero products while still offering compelling deals. One such initiative was the introduction of a $10 deal featuring a pint-sized burger, a small fry, and drink. This particular offer is available only from opening until 4 p.m., helping to drive lunch traffic. The chain is also looking to expand its catering channel. Killer Burger is collaborating with a major industry partner to develop this aspect of the business, offering party boxes that include multiple pint-sized burgers.

The chain’s definition of value extends to hospitality too. Killer Burger has differentiated itself by providing a higher level of service than typical fast-casual establishments. Instead of calling names at the counter, it delivers food directly to guests’ tables and minimizes the presence of trash cans in the dining room to reinforce its commitment to bussing tables.

To further enhance the guest experience, the company has restructured its organizational model within the restaurants, introducing the roles of guest experience leader and kitchen leader. This is a departure from the traditional model, which often relies on assistant GMs. Recently, Killer Burger closed a store for a full day to conduct comprehensive training for all guest experience leaders, kitchen leaders, and GMs across the company. This training is expected to have a significant impact, with guest experience leaders now responsible for overseeing both the dine-in experience and digital guest recovery efforts.

The loyalty program, launched about a year and a half ago, is another way to acquire customers. The company was pleased with the initial sign-ups, and the program has proven helpful in engaging guests. Dikos emphasizes the importance of encouraging restaurant teams to remind customers about the loyalty program at the register. For a small brand like Killer Burger, most opportunities for growth exist within the four walls, as external media is costly.

The company is currently testing different communication methods. Killer Burger was cautious about turning on expensive SMS features but has started testing them to gather results. The open rates for email communications have been exceptionally high, reflecting the brand’s fun, cheeky, and slightly anti-establishment personality. This playful approach, combined with quality burgers, has helped them engage with guests and draw more people into the loyalty program. The chain plans to elevate the program over the next six to 12 months. The fast casual has relied on Nick Scarpino, CMO at Portillo’s and board member, to provide guidance.

“We think that’s what it’s going to take to be competitive,” Dikos says.