The End of An Era: The Original Burgermaster Forced to Close
January 9, 2025
Upon returning home from WW2, Phil Jensen, a US Army veteran from a meager upbringing, was searching for a way to serve healthier, higher quality food to the city of Seattle at a price that was more affordable to the average Seattleite. In early 1952 Phil was approached by two brothers who owned land near the University of Washington and wanted him to open a restaurant. With the support of his wife, Mary, Phil jumped at the chance and in April of 1952 the original Burgermaster was opened on the corner of NE 45th St.
The classic drive-in restaurant was an instant hit and quickly became the place to go for high quality burgers with the family or to been seen in your finest vehicle on a Friday night.
Though the building has seen a few remodels and was transitioned from a drive-in to a sit-down restaurant in the early 70s, our flagship location has stood the test of time for nearly 73 years. Unfortunately, we were recently given notice that our lease will be terminated and our small slice of Seattle history will close toward the end of February.
Phil passed away in 2009, but his guiding principles and vision still runs strong in our business today. At 105 years old Mary is still with us and has a say in how her garden looks at University. And yes, we still make our famous tartar sauce in-house from the original recipe that Phil perfected in the kitchen of flagship location.
For our loyal customers, fear not! Burgermaster will continue to thrive at our locations in Bellevue, Mill Creek, Mt. Vernon, Issaquah, and Aurora. The business is still owned and operated by the Jensen family. Phil and Mary’s grandson Alex, who is currently the third-generation owner plans to continue to grow their vision with new locations across Western Washington.
Though we are reeling from the loss of our lease, it warms our hearts to know that generation after generation, our Burgermaster family has been a welcoming spot for the people of Seattle. We’re very thankful for the 73 years that this Burgermaster has had, and we’ll keep feeding folks their favorite burgers, fries and shakes from of our 5 other locations.
From all of us at Burgermaster… Thank You for 73 amazing years.