After closing during the pandemic, CHOW Burger is making a comeback. Originally located near The Lot, the burger joint has re-opened inside CHOW on Newport Avenue in the evenings. Owner David Touvell says the menu is the same as before with burgers, fries and milkshakes. CHOW Burger is currently open 4:30-9pm Wednesday through Sunday, but Touvell says he does plan on opening seven days a week soon.
He explains that CHOW Burger closed in 2023 because it was too expensive to keep upgrading the property at the time. “During Covid they kept changing requirements for outdoor seating and sidewalk tables, so we lost our ability to seat outside tables and grow,” he told the Source. “There was also a sushi bar we built that we were never able to open right next to CHOW Burger because of the changes the city kept making. This was very difficult for us.”
He acknowledges the restaurant business in Bend is quickly changing. “We are aware of too many new seats and a tourism industry slowdown consistently in the last three years.” He says other obstacles include higher costs for product, labor, utilities and rent as well as road construction and no direct route from the east.
Touvell also owns Cottonwood Cafe in Sisters and has a consulting company that builds designs and supports hotels, restaurants and breweries. He says community support for CHOW Burger has been strong so far and he’s optimistic about the future, saying he’s working to keep prices low for customers.
This article appears in Source Weekly May 29, 2025.
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Lord knows this town doesn’t have enough places to get a burger.