TINA CONDON STANDS in front of her new business, Steakburger on the Go. Condon’s family ran the much-loved Steakburger restaurant and miniature golf course that stood on Highway 99 in Hazel Dell for more than 50 years.
THE FORMER STEAKBURGER restaurant and Golf-O-Rama miniature golf course, which was demolished last June, was a part of the Hazel Dell community for 51 years.
GENERATIONS OF CLARK County residents may remember the classic Steakburger restaurant and Golf-O-Rama that used to stand on Highway 99 in Hazel Dell. Although the restaurant was demolished this past summer, a new Steakburger on the Go food cart is keeping the classic Steakburger flavors alive.
For more than 50 years, the Steakburger restaurant and its attached Golf-O-Rama mini-golf course in Hazel Dell were synonymous with good, old-fashioned fun.
Families came from miles around to play putt putt golf and eat a jumbo burger piled high with lettuce, tomatoes and that classic Steakburger sauce.
“People in Clark County have a taste for that sauce,” says Tina Condon, of Vancouver. “Everyone who grew up here remembers the Steakburger.”
For Condon, 53, the Steakburger was more than just a good memory – it was a home away from home. Condon grew up surrounded by Steakburger employees and loyal customers. Her parents, Bob and Merilyn Condon, purchased the restaurant from its original owners in the early 1960s and grew a small burger joint into a local fixture.
At one point, the Condons and their extended family owned seven Steakburgers in Clark County and Portland and boasted more than two dozen employees.
But people get older, children turn away from the family business and economies change. Last year, after Bob and Merilyn decided to sell the restaurant’s 2.3-acre site to a developer, all of those changes caught up to the Steakburger. By mid-June, the restaurant and miniature golf course were just a memory, part of Vancouver’s history.
But, Tina Condon knew there was life left in the Steakburger name.
“My parents asked us kids if we wanted anything and I said, ‘Yes, two things: the recipe for the sauce and the sign,’” Condon says.
With its huge red arrow and clean white lettering atop a cobalt blue background, the memorable Steakburger sign was a throwback to the early ’60s and a big part of what the public remembered about the 51-year-old restaurant. Unfortunately, the Condons had never owned the sign, so Tina couldn’t keep it.
“But I got the sauce,” Condon says. “My plan was to bottle it and sell it.”
Making a commercially sold sauce is a huge undertaking and Condon worried that, if she waited too long, people would start to forget about the Steakburger sauce.
“That’s when I thought about doing the food cart,” Condon says. “That way, people wouldn’t lose their taste for the Steakburger sauce.”
Food carts are nothing new. Neighborhoods throughout Portland have boasted food cart “pods” with outdoor seating for the past decade, but the craze hasn’t quite hit Clark County yet. Still, Condon had what it takes to run a successful food cart – name recognition, a loyal customer base and a sturdy truck she’d recently purchased to pull her small camper.
Instead of heading to the woods for some outdoor time, like she thought she would, Condon hooked her new truck up to a 16-square-foot food cart and Steakburger on the Go was born.
As Condon predicted, once Clark County folks heard that the Steakburger was back – albeit in a miniaturized, mobile version – they came knocking. In less than a month, Condon has had requests to bring the Steakburger on the Go cart to weddings, class reunions and tree farm lots.
The cart may be tiny, but the food Condon sells is not. Like the original Steakburger, the food cart offers all of the classics: the Jumbo, a ⅓-pound burger served with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and Steakburger sauce; the Double Jumbo; and, on request, the Triple Jumbo; fries and the Ultimate Dog, a hotdog with all the fixins. There are bottles of Steakburger sauce available for $9 and Condon offers a Daily Special like the Hawaiian Chick, a chicken sandwich with provolone, ham and pineapple.
After a few very rough years, which included the death of her husband, Otoniel Castano, in 2011, Condon says she finally feels like her life is coming together. She has discovered a new love of being in the great outdoors, is spending time with her youngest child, 16-year-old Tessa, and has found her niche with the Steakburger on the Go business.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Condon says. “It just feels right.”
Currently, the Steakburger on the Go cart is located about one half mile from where the original Steakburger was located, at 1015 NE 78th St., near the corner of Highway 99 and Northeast 78th Street in Hazel Dell. You can typically find the cart there during the week, but since this cart is “on the go” and Condon often caters local events, it is wise to check the business’ Facebook site, which lists daily specials and that day’s hours of operation.
For more information, call Condon at (360) 989-5291. For inquiries regarding catering, call (360) 989-5081.
