Construction fences, heavy equipment and a scraped-clean lot now frame the corner where Burgerville once slung burgers at 3504 S.E. 92nd Ave in Lents. The long-quiet drive-thru is clearly gearing up for a new chapter, and all signs point to a national chain moving in where the local brand checked out.
Site signage and an early-assistance filing both flag Panda Express as the likely successor, while city records list building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire-system and sign permits tied to the address. The permit set includes a tenant improvement application and approval to add a canopy and rebuild portions of the existing drive-thru, which would keep the drive-thru lane in play instead of converting the spot to walk-up service, according to PortlandMaps.
The Burgerville at 3504 S.E. 92nd Ave has been mostly dormant since 2021, when the company temporarily closed the location and cited rising crime and vandalism, as reported by Willamette Week. Things did not exactly improve in the years that followed. In October 2023, a dumpster fire that spread into the attic and roof of the building was logged by Portland Fire & Rescue, according to KPTV.
Property-record listings show the parcel is owned by CFT NV Developments LLC. An SEC filing connects that entity to family trusts linked to Panda Express co-founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng. Panda Restaurant Group says it operates more than 2,600 restaurants worldwide.
Why a drive-thru can return
City zoning tends to discourage new drive-through facilities in some pedestrian-oriented zones, but Portland’s code carves out an exception for existing drive-thru sites that have not been discontinued for three continuous years. Recent land-use rulings spell out how that rule is interpreted.
A December 2025 decision from the city’s Planning & Permitting office notes that approved building permits and related records can be treated as evidence that drive-thru rights are still active. That reading helps explain why rebuild permits at the former Burgerville are advancing through the system. The land-use findings and code language are publicly available through the city’s Planning & Permitting site.
Neighbors and union history
The labor backdrop at this address is not a footnote. Burgerville #41 at 3504 S.E. 92nd Ave is explicitly listed as a unionized shop in the chain’s collective-bargaining agreement, according to the Burgerville Workers Union contract.
Coverage of the store’s 2021 closure and the talks that followed has highlighted a familiar neighborhood split: some residents focus on the promise of jobs and an active corner, while others worry about traffic, noise and what another national brand does to the area’s character, as reported by Eater Portland.
Timeline and open questions
Permit filings for tenant improvements and a new drive-thru canopy hit the city system in March 2026, and crews were reported demolishing parts of the building in June 2026 as the site was cleared for construction, according to permit records and local reporting. So far, neither Panda Express nor the property’s landlord has publicly confirmed a lease. For now, The Oregonian/OregonLive and city files remain the most concrete public trail.
Neighbors will likely find out in the coming weeks whether the orange-and-black signage is on its way and when the drive-thru might officially roar back to life.
