Burgerville has a new CEO.
Kyle Welch, who was already a board member and investor, has taken the helm of the 41-unit chain this month, taking up the torch from outgoing CEO Ed Casey, who had led the Pacific Northwest-focused brand for the past four years.
Welch is the co-founder of Chicago Scoops, the nation’s largest Cold Stone Creamery franchise group, which operates about 50 locations. Before that, he was CEO of Epic Burger, and he worked previously with multi-brand franchise group Sizzling Platter on the management team.
He is moving to the Pacific Northwest with his family and pledged to focus on the brand’s mission to Serve with Love and bring a more consistent experience to each location.
“Burgerville was built on people—our employees, our guests, the local farmers and ranchers, and the communities we’re a part of,” said Welch, in a statement. “My intention is simple: bring us back to those roots and strengthen them for the future. That means doubling down on community, the Pacific Northwest and bringing more consistency to our brand experience.”
Based in Vancouver, Washington, the fast-casual Burgerville in 2024 was acquired by a group of local investors, including former Dutch Bros CEO Joth Ricci, who became executive chairman. The Mears family that founded Burgerville remained as shareholders.
When Casey joined the company in 2022, growth had been on hold for about eight years. Casey said there were opportunities to fix certain “missteps” in operations needed to set the brand up for growth. From 2022 to 2025, Casey grew revenue by more than 50%, the company said.
Ricci thanked Casey for his leadership and said in a statement, “Kyle’s experience on the Burgerville board and as a people-first leader makes him the perfect choice to help us build on Ed’s success.”
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