A retro, beach-themed burger shack opened its doors here in Gresham in early March. Since then, thousands of customers have come in daily to see what the craze was all about.

Because of its great location, chill atmosphere and amazing food at cheap prices, Boardwalk Burgers and Fries is a must go for high school students.

According to managing staff member Erika Vlledaa, Boardwalk had a soft opening on Mar. 12, which was a preview day before its official grand opening on Mar. 14.

“Business has been very good. So good that we’ve been running out of almost everything,” Vlledaa said. “The first couple of days especially were very crazy. We had more than one thousand people come in per day.”

According to Vlledaa, it was a complete surprise because she and the other workers were not expecting that many people to come, as it went way over their expectations. She notes that they were very happy with the outcome.

This crazy inflow of customers is partly due to Boardwalk’s clever beach theme, vibrant atmosphere and colorful interior designs.

“My first impression was that the place looked really nice, and [it] was bigger than I thought it would be,” junior Kyle Mueller said. “I liked the overall feel of the restaurant as well.”

Since it is always raining in Oregon, the beachy design offers an alternative warm atmosphere, according to Vlledaa.

“We want the pictures on the wall to let our customers imagine themselves on a boardwalk along the shore. The walls are full of pictures to allow customers to imagine and dream of being in a warm place,” Vlledaa said.

In addition to the overall theme of the restaurant, Boardwalk’s simple yet creative menu attracts many customers to come swing by and return for more.

Boardwalk allows customers to personally customize and create their own burgers, suited to their desire. This makes ordering fun and convenient for the customers, as they get to choose how they like their burger.

“I got a single burger with fries and a drink and put on every topping except for mushrooms. It was amazing food, and the burger was really juicy and flavorful,” Mueller said.

Boardwalk has a four step “Build-A-Sandwich” process. Step One is to choose a bun, the choices being between white and wheat. Step Two is to choose extras, including cheese and bacon, that comes at an additional fee. Step Three is to choose free, unlimited toppings, among which are lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, sauteed mushrooms, relish, onions, red onions, grilled onions, green peppers and jalapeno peppers. Lastly, Step Four is to choose free unlimited sauces, among mayo, chili, ketchup, A-1 sauce, hot sauce, ranch, chipotle sauce, buffalo sauce, mustard, bbq sauce, honey mustard and raspberry vinaigrette.

According to recent graduate Seiji Nanbu, he enjoyed the sauce assortment and the fact that they had whole wheat buns. He also recommends going to Boardwalk if one is in the mood for a good burger.

Many customers seem to like being able to choose what goes in their customized burgers.

In addition, Boardwalk serves guaranteed fresh and healthy food, as their 100% beef is hand-made daily and never frozen.

According to Vlledaa, the most popular item is the single burger because customers can build their own burgers and add as many toppings and sauces as they want on their hamburgers. She notes that these fun toppings and various options are what separate Boardwalk’s burgers from typical ones.

Their delicious burgers also come at a very reasonable and affordable price. The single burger (4 oz) is priced at $3.99 and the double burger (8 oz) is priced at $5.19.

“I would recommend this to others because if you’re in the mood for a delicious burger that is not too expensive, then this is the place to go,” Mueller said. “There’s also a wide variety of toppings and sauces.”

Boardwalk’s menu also includes other signature burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and salads. They also serve fresh cut fries, funnel cake fries and shakes.

A main component of Boardwalk is the great customer service that they offer. On Mar. 14, they gave out free hamburgers all day long. On Mar. 15, they gave out free fries all day long. On Mar. 16, they offered a kid’s entertainment day, where they had face painting, clowns and balloons for little children, and also gave out free kids’ meals. On Mar. 16, they had a fundraiser where 20 percent of proceeds from sales went towards SnowCap Community Charities.

“We always try to be welcoming and friendly for our customers. It was so fun to have so many people, and we wanted to make it fun for our customers too,” Vlledaa said. “We also wanted to give back to the community through the fundraiser.”

The healthy food, great customer service, affordable prices and lively atmosphere have brought in success for Boardwalk.

As a part of a chain that began in Maryland, this corporation is a family-friendly burger shack. According to Vlledaa, they always try to be friendly and please their customers because they want their customers to be happy.

“I think this place would be the perfect high schooler hangout spot. The air-conditioning is nice, there is a very friendly atmosphere and the place has great food,” Mueller said. “I definitely will go back. I had such a great time, had really great food and in the process made a mess all over my face–and when that happens, you know it’s good.”

The Gresham Boardwalk Burgers and Fries is located on 2067 NE Burnside Road Gresham, OR  97030 and is open Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.