The Burger Dock, a locally owned and operated hamburger restaurant at 200 N. Fourth St. in Coeur d’Alene and 116 N. First Ave. in Sandpoint, is hosting its eighth annual free “Giving Thanks” event Nov. 25 from 4 to 6 p.m.  

“This is one of our favorite days of the year,” co-owner Claire Hartwig said. “Welcoming our Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint family to show our gratitude and feed the community is so special to us.”  

The restaurant opened in Sandpoint in 2019. 

“The Burger Dock goes back to before we opened our first brick-and-mortar store, Claire said. “My business partner, Savannah Pennington, started a food truck; actually, it was a trailer. She called it The Old Tin Can, which is now the name of our most popular burger.” 

Claire said The Old Tin Can would pop up at farmers markets and other events around Sandpoint. 

“Savannah also did weddings,” Claire said. “We met after she came out to my parents’ property for my dad’s 60th birthday nearly a decade ago. I wasn’t there, but I remembered my parents saying she made the best burgers. I met her in 2018, and we partnered together in 2019 and opened The Burger Dock in Sandpoint. We opened our Coeur d’Alene location in 2022.” 

Claire said the idea for their annual free Thanksgiving-inspired “Give Thanks” meal stemmed from her and Savannah wanting to give back to their community for its support. 

“Seasonal times are tough for people in small towns, so this is our way of saying thank you to all of the people who have supported us,” Claire said. “There are no strings attached and no need to bring a donation.” 

Her Harvest Burger meal features their signature house-pressed patty with meat from Wood’s Meat Processing, sage aioli, cheddar, orange zest cranberry sauce and spring mix, all on a soft, toasted bun. It’s accompanied by a side of crispy sweet potato fries, available for this event only, along with a mini PSL milkshake. 

“Most people think of that (PSL) as pumpkin spice — but it’s a perfect seasonal latte — it has a lot of those comforting fall spices,” Clair said. “The syrup is from Evans Brothers — it’s their seasonal syrup — and it’s delicious.” 

Claire said the special PSL shake will be available until the end of the month. 

“One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the shake go back to our local food banks,” Claire said. 

Claire said she and Savannah still run The Old Tin Can trailer. 

“We do,” Claire said. “It mostly stays up and around Sandpoint, but we do some events down here like weddings and parties. We’ll go up to Schweitzer for their various events.” 

The “Give Thanks” meal is being served at their Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene location from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25. 

“We want everyone to come enjoy the free meal,” Claire said. “It’s really beautiful when people sit and eat together.”