By Melissa Wagoner
When Ibet Lopez opened the doors of her new restaurant, Mountain Burgers – located in the parking lot of Silverton’s Ace Hardware and Hi-School Pharmacy – she wasn’t sure what she should expect. But she needn’t have worried.
“It was insane,” she recalled. “We sold out twice.” And it’s been busy ever since.
Thankfully, Lopez is no stranger to restaurants. She grew up around Silverton’s Water Mountains Restaurant, owned by her parents, Obed and Angelina Lopez – since she was seven years old.
“It’s hard work,” Ibet said. “But we know how to do this.”
By “we” she means the many family members currently helping her with the business, including her father, Obed.
“My dad’s the brain behind it all,” Ibet confirmed.
And it seems word has gotten out.
“Right now, it’s a lot of my parents’ clientele,” Ibet said of the familiar faces she has seen coming through the door of Mountain Burgers. “They say, ‘We heard [your parents] are opening this.’ Which is a testament to my parents’ involvement in the community.”
It’s also a testament to her parents’ success as restaurateurs who appear to have opened not one, but two, successful restaurants in the same town.
“It’s completely different,” Ibet said of Mountain Burgers’ menu, which consists of burgers, fries and shakes. “But if you liked Water Mountains, and you know the type of family we are, you can expect the same here.”
Open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mountain Burgers offers customers both a dine-in and a to-go option.
“We’re working on getting our online ordering up,” Ibet added.
In the meantime, customers are encouraged to call 503-874-4014 and to pick up their order at the restaurant’s drive through window, both of which may help them avoid the line. Because, as Ibet happily related, “It’s been very busy.”
Mountain Burgers
402 McClaine St, Silverton
503-874-4014
Open: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Water Mountains Restaurant
1398 S. Water St., Silverton
503-873-6089
Open: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
