restaurants founded toronto ontario canada in 2004 headquarters toronto ontario canada number of locations over 55 key people john lettieri president and ceo christopher weder 1 products hamburgers sandwiches french fries poutine and milkshakes website www.heroburgers.com hero certified burgers in toronto hero certified burgers is a quick service restaurant franchise chain that operates in canada with locations concentrated in southern ontario . the chain was founded in 2004 by john lettieri who opened the first store in hazelton lanes in yorkville ontario . 2 3 4 lettieri also owns the restaurant chain lettieri caf based in toronto . 4 the company was the first canadian franchise to focus on the provision of fast foods using food products from vendors that adhere to sustainable practices . 5 the chain has over 55 locations in ontario as well as an upcoming location in buffalo new york . 6 hero certified burgers are partners of maple leaf sports & entertainment and the official burger of the toronto maple leafs toronto raptors and toronto marlies . contents 1 fare 2 environmental stewardship 3 philanthropy 4 awards and recognition 5 see also 6 references 7 further reading 8 external links fare edit fare includes hamburgers and veggie burgers poultry and wild alaskan salmon sandwiches poutine ontario grown greenhouse tomatoes and gluten free food options . 4 7 8 among the gluten free options gluten free buns can be purchased for burgers . the company uses french fries but offers real cheese such as gorgonzola 9 smoked provolone and brie . many hero certified burgers locations have coca cola freestyle machines as well . environmental stewardship edit hero certified burgers uses 100 % heritage angus beef which adheres to sustainable agriculture practices . 4 5 the beef contains no preservatives or additives cattle are raised in a free range environment and are grass fed and no antibiotics or growth hormones are used . 5 10 the beef is seasoned during its preparation in restaurants . 7 in 2012 heritage angus ranchers won the 2012 canadian national environmental stewardship award tesa a national award that recognizes excellence and sustainable management and conservation practices . 5 hero certified burgers was the first canadian chain to use a new type of packaging for all of their products that is produced from 100 % post industrial post consumer recycled paper and uses 35 % to 70 % less paper per piece than traditional forms of fast food packaging . 4 the packaging created by greendustries won a foodservice packaging institute award in 2010 . 4 11 elements of sustainable design are utilized in the company s restaurants such as using led lighting non toxic cleaning products and reclaimed wood . 4 hero certified burgers also listed a number of food items that are non gmo some of which include their lettuce and onions . 12 philanthropy edit in 2010 the company donated 8 000 to the toronto sickkids foundation in a charity drive wherein a hamburger combination dish was discounted to half price for three days and 0.50 from each sale was donated . 1 from september 28 to october 25 2015 hero certified burgers donated to the ontario chapter of the canadian breast cancer foundation . 1.00 was donated for every pink bun purchased . the buns were coloured with beet juice . 13 awards and recognition edit in 2005 hero certified burgers was a finalist in the arc awards nominated for best new retail concept . in 2012 hero certified burgers won the top choice award for top burger shop in the gta greater toronto area . in 2013 founder john lettieri was a finalist in ernst & young entrepreneur of the year award . see also edit companies portal food portal toronto portal references edit a b hero certified burgers and sickkids a great combo . foodservice and hospitality magazine . february 11 2011 . retrieved 2 february 2014 . hero burger champions of responsible food . the canadian business journal . retrieved 2 february 2014 . arrivals & departures . west annex news . january 9 2011 . retrieved 2 february 2014 . a b c d e f g deveau denise june 28 2011 . you want eco friendly with that pdf . financial post . retrieved 2 february 2014 . a b c d hero certified burgers where sustainable is the name of the game . the canadian business journal . retrieved 2 february 2014 . sanders nancy june 2 2014 . poutine and burgers coming to elmwood village . wivb tv . retrieved june 2 2014 . a b ogilvie megan april 11 2013 . hero certified burger s patties a better choice than most fast food . toronto star . retrieved 2 february 2014 . canada hero certified burgers selects ontario greenhouse tomatoes . horti daily . september 18 2013 . retrieved 2 february 2014 . beer jeff november 9 2012 . food wings soon fast food invasion of the burger joints check url value help . canadian business . retrieved 2 february 2014 . ellwood mark april 2 2011 . toronto is often called new york north canada s answer to the big apple . ny daily news . retrieved 2 february 2014 . october 20 2010 foodservice packaging innovation award winners hero certified burgers non gmo promise . heroburgers.com . retrieved 2015 10 07 . http heroburgers.com menu think pink further reading edit staff february 25 2013 . hero burgers aren t super enough for city hall toronto snubs chain s bid to operate nathan phillips eatery . toronto metro . retrieved 2 february 2014 . peat don april 2 2013 . ford favours hero burger in nathan phillips square . toronto sun . retrieved 2 february 2014 . alcoba natalie april 4 2013 . mayor rob ford rallies councillors to bring hero burgers to nathan phillips square . national post . retrieved 2 february 2014 . church elizabeth april 4 2013 . burger meister ford wins debate to bring a hero to city hall . the globe and mail . retrieved 2 february 2014 . orman sasha . hero certified burgers on the rise . food digital magazine . pp. 76 83 . retrieved 2 february 2014 . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to hero certified burgers . official website heritage angus beef official website restaurant chain growth report 01 02 14 . restaurant news . january 2 2014 . retrieved 2 february 2014 . retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title hero certified burgers & oldid 714542817 categories companies based in torontofast food chains of canadafast food hamburger restaurantsrestaurants established in 2004restaurants in torontohidden categories pages with url errorspages using infobox company with unsupported parameterscommons category with page title same as on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version in other projects wikimedia commons languages add links this page was last modified on 10 april 2016 at 11 27 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view