It’s hard to miss the full-on, unstoppable, in-your-face enthusiasm for saving the planet that’s everywhere you look when you walk into the new Next Level Burger (NLB) location, at 1972 West Burnside Street. It’s right in the heart of one of Portland’s most iconic neighborhoods, bustling West Burnside, in clear view of one of the city’s sports epicenters—Providence Park.

Right when you walk in, the neon dancing burger dude points the way to the mouthwatering plant-based burgers, chicken, shakes and fries—but even more than that, it’s pointing the way to a better future. The NLB team knows it well—they wear it on their sleeves, with a hearty ‘heck yeah’ attitude about the company’s big focus on supporting their employees with a living wage and more, a commitment to the community with campaigns underpinned in social justice, and a huge commitment to the planet and its people with organically sourced and non-GMO foods. NLB is where burgers are about something bigger.

“We’re all about serving up burgers for a better world. Portlanders have been so very good to us and we want to give back in every way we can,” said Matt de Gruyter, CEO and Co-Founder of Next Level Burger. “We’re so stoked about the new store and the West Burnside neighborhood has really shown up for us in a big way. We’re going to keep on offering up all the plant-based burger joint awesomeness our guests expect from us, all while doing good for the people and the planet.”

With this opening of its third location in Portland, NLB is deepening its Portland roots. Its first two locations in the Portland area, 4121 SE Hawthorne and 11 South State Street in Lake Oswego, have carved out a huge fan base among both vegans and non-vegans alike. Next Level Burger has a reputation for taking an egalitarian approach to its plant-based mission—no reason the food shouldn’t be just like the burger joint you remember growing up—only better for you and better for the planet.

The ‘saving the planet’ idea is a big part of the Next Level Burger mission, and with good reason. It’s well-supported and, at this point, widely held that consuming fewer animal products can slow the threat of climate change or even stop the progression—building a better future for us all. Switching to a more vegan diet is, quite simply, saving the world. It helps by reducing greenhouse gases, conserving water, protecting the soil, reducing energy consumption and habitat depletion. Embracing a plant-based diet is the single more important thing any of us can do to fight climate change.

If vegan food is here to save the world, then why not enjoy the best it has to offer? Burgers for a Better World isn’t just a catchy turn of phrase, it’s very real and delicious too—stacked up high, melty, juicy and packed with protein—we got this!

Next Level Burger is America’s First 100% Plant-Based Burger Joint, founded in 2014 by husband-wife duo Matt and Cierra de Gruyter. NLB is now coast to coast with locations in Oregon, Washington, California, New York and Texas. The plant-based burger chain started with one big idea—the right food can save the world—and today it remains consistent in its ethos and commitment to quality and sustainability. For more information about Next Level Burger, please visit www.nextlevelburger.com, and check them out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.