Burger, fries and a cold drink capture the classic comfort-food appeal that has made Nation’s Giant Hamburgers a longtime favorite in Orinda – where fresh ingredients, exhibition cooking and deep local roots keep customers coming back.
There’s always a local angle. That’s been a maxim in journalism since the first papyrus described the new pharaoh’s coronation, but it really hits home at one of Orinda’s long-time favorites.
After all, with a name like Nation’s, and outlets all over the Bay Area, the word “franchisee” pops immediately to mind, and so, really, how local can Nation’s actually be?
“I coached the all-star team one year for the Orinda Baseball Association,” said Grant Power of Nation’s, “and my four kids went to Del Rey and Stanley.”
OK, a local guy runs the local Nation’s. Big deal.
Think again. No, that guy with deep local roots runs the entire chain. Power, who now is overseeing Nation’s expansion in Dallas, is the chairman of the privately held company, and its roots run deep into the East Bay, and even deeper into Lamorinda.
But of course none of this would matter if Nation’s wasn’t a go-to for a classic burger, or a comfort-food breakfast, or that late-night piece of cherry pie. And without crowd-pleasing food, there wouldn’t be 40 Nation’s in Northern California, from Gilroy to Napa, from Daly City to Sacramento.
“We have the freshest produce in the industry,” said Power. “We bake our pies every night in El Cerrito. We are obsessive in testing our beef. We use local suppliers.”
And it shows. The burger is not only large but tasty. The lettuce has crunch, the onions are fresh and the beef patty covers the whole bun. The cheese and bacon are perfect complements, but of course that’s not all that’s on the menu. There are classic breakfasts, and of course, the pies and shakes. And all taste fresh and are cooked to order.
“The two biggest aspects of Nation’s are our ingredients,” said Power, “and exhibition cooking.”
That’s right, the open kitchen in full view of those ordering the food is part of the plan.
“We look at the customers,” said Power, “and about a third of them stand and watch the cooks. We want everyone to walk in and feel this is their dining room.”
And then, of course, to enjoy the American standard fare that has fueled Nation’s rise from a single store in 1952 to 44 now. And by the way, that first store was founded by Russ Harvey, who lived in Sanders Ranch in Moraga until he passed last December, at the age of 102.
Power’s father, Dale, started as a janitor in the El Cerrito Nation’s, and rose through the ranks to take over the company. Dale, now 80, is still involved, and makes an appearance at every ribbon-cutting for a new store.
And there are a lot of new stores. Grant Power has embraced Harvey’s original idea of a nationwide presence – hence the name – and has opened 18 new restaurants in the past 24 months.
Not only that, all of them are focused on standards that are “absurdly precise,” said Power. “We have a very tight, homegrown operations staff,” he said, and the company culture of hard work and attention to detail can certainly be seen in Orinda.
Juana Piedra is the manager of the Orinda location, which shifted across the street in downtown Orinda in 2022 – and that move has yet another local angle.
“We bought the whole building,” said Power, “a $6 million investment. We also got a slightly bigger grill and we have more elbow room.”
And even though Power is now based in Dallas, he still considers Orinda his home town, and the local Nation’s a key piece of the company’s identity. “We entered a new era in Orinda” with the purchase of the building, he said, “and we love the community. We’re here forever.”
