As Issaquah says goodbye to one iconic burger joint, Triple XXX, it welcomes another: Burgermaster.
This will be the sixth Burgmaster location as the company tries to “grow slowly and manageably,” said Alex Jensen, the third-generation CEO and owner of Burgermaster.
While the old-school drive-in and indoor restaurant will optimistically open in the first quarter of 2025, Jensen hopes to provide “burgers, fries and shakes for the summer to help support the car shows and for the local community.”
Burgermaster plans to do this with the help of a 30-foot-long trailer, currently being built in Portland, which will serve the Burgermaster starting in late June or the middle of July.
Jensen, along with his father, Bob Jensen, the former CEO and owner of Burgermaster, have kept an eye on the Issaquah location. They periodically spoke with Josè Enciso, owner of Triple XXX, for the past few years about purchasing the property, but nothing came to fruition.
However, once Ruby Investment Properties — the new property owner — reached out to Jensen, he said it was an opportunity “just too hard to pass up.” Now, Burgermaster has secured a 10-year lease with the opportunity to extend.
While Jensen recognized frequent customer requests that the burger joint move south, he said the mixture of history at the Issaquah location, the popular weekend car shows and the location’s proximity to the other Burgermasters made for an optimal sixth location.
As Burgermaster steps into Triple XXX’s place, its goal is to preserve the existing legacy of the location, according to the company.
If permitting allows, the Triple XXX sign will stay standing at the location, with a few alterations in color and the addition of the Burgermaster name and steer head logo.
Jensen said they also hope to continue the classic car shows, another factor that will hinge on permitting and the OK from Virginia Mason, which hosts a portion of the cars in its parking lot adjacent to the restaurant.
A hidden legacy Burgermaster plans to keep: the original Triple XXX drive-in infrastructure built in 1968.
Comparable to uncovering natural wood floors under old carpet during a home renovation, Jensen peeled back drywall from an office unit attached to the back of the restaurant to find the drive-in infrastructure intact.
“You can see these giant metal support beams. There are two on each side, kind of going up like a V… and a third pole in the middle as well,” Jensen said. “The size and thickness of the beams are unusual … a lot of the other drive-ins of the era were not built as solidly.”
After slowly peeling back the attached office’s drywall, glass and structural lumber, Jensen hopes the drive-in will only need a new coat of paint.
The rest of the remodel will be more intensive, requiring the inside to be gutted down to the studs. A kitchen rebuild and interior design updates are in the works, as well as new duct, plumbing and electrical work.
Jensen commended Triple XXX’s ability to “crank out” food during peak times — such as the car shows — in the former small kitchen and Enciso to work in a broom-closet-sized office.
“Josè really made it work. It’s a testament to him that he ran this place for as many years as he did,” Jensen said. “I know the community really appreciated everything that he put into this location.”
When the Triple XXX drive-in was recently uncovered, Alex Jensen said the sturdy V-shaped beams and curved canopy looked similar to the Mill Creek Burgermaster location. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Totey)
