Critic's Review
I was in this center for something else and I was in the mood for a Chicago Dog. While I've criticized BurgerFi's Chicago Dog construction in the past, there isn't anyplace else that has them in the area. As I was waiting on line, trying to read the overhead menu, I was horrified to learn that they no longer have chicago dogs. I wasn't paying $4.50 for a hot dog with saurkraut, so I decided to just get a coffee mocha shake.
There was a family in front of me that took a full 10 minutes to place their order. While waiting I noticed that they've raised prices 20% across the board; it's now $7.17 for their basic cheeseburger.
I said yes to the whipped cream and no to the sprinkles; it's not real whipped cream. I watched the girl make the shake and its all stuff out of jar.
Now BurgerFi is a Shake Shack copycat, and this shake, like the one at Shake Shake doesn't have enough coffee flavor to meet my fancy. They give you the fat straw, and it is quite thick. Not a great shake, but not bad either.
Not as good and half the size of a Dunkin Donuts Cappuccino Blast
Review 11/7/13
I'l preface this "review" but disclosing that I'm not a fan of BurgerFI. The reason is simple; they use every marketing gimmick in the book: "natural" burgers, "wagyu hot dogs", "Locally sourced"; but they've left out the most important thing; the burgers don't taste good. I don't like the burgers, or the fries or the shakes, and everything is way too expensive.
That being said, a new BurgerFi has opened on SE 17th street, so you now have a choice of Shula's, Five Guys or BurgerFi if you're in this area. This place is owned by the same "Franchisee" who owns the one on E Sunrise.
The first thing you notice is that the place is small; and I do mean small. This is by far the smallest BurgerFI I've been to. It's almost like a counter that you'd find at the beach; if it's raining or cold out this place won't have much room for customers.
Luckily it was a nice day, so I could eat outside. The big dilemma I had was what to order. I've had enough burgers in this place; no more. I wanted to try something I hadn't had before, so I figured I'd try a "wagyu" dog, which they claim comes with a choice of toppings. Of course the "choices" aren't generally free; sauerkraut is 57 cents extra. Really? $4.97 for a hot dog and it doesn't come with kraut or onions? Welcome to the world of franchising.
It looked like a regular hot dog to me. Deli Mustard isn't one of the "choices" and they only have yellow mustard at the condiments counter.
I wanted to order something I knew I liked, which was a challenge. I had a really good Orange Float with Fanta Soda at the E Sunrise location, so I ordered one of those; or at least I tried. The staff here is not even close to being trained; the person who took my order had ZERO knowledge of the menu. If there wasn't a button on the register, she had no idea what to do. I wanted an Orange Float; I didn't want it blended; it was like pulling teeth."Orange Float" didn't register; neither did "Cream-sickle". Orange Cow was the wording on the button.
$11.00+ for a hot dog and a soda with some soft serve ice cream.
They gave me a beeper, but it never went off. Stuff came out separately as always at these places; First the drink with no tray, then the hot dog on a tray. A girl brought them out to the table where I was waiting; the beeper is just an idea, apparently.
I found a table outside, where all of the "customers" were eating. This is strip mall with no foot traffic, so it's pleasant in this little nook.
When she brought out the "Orange Cow", I was obviously horrified and disappointed. Boylan orange soda. No Fanta here. No whipped cream at this location.
I can say with clarity that Boylan isn't as good as Fanta; Fanta is more Fizzy and Boylan has a lot more sugar. A major disappointment. This is like ordering a Coke and getting an RC Cola. Bah.
The hot dog was, well, a hot dog. I don't see any reason to believe that this "wagyu" hot dog was any better than a regular hot dog. It was a decent hot dog, but at $5.87 I'd rather have a double cheeseburger.
They play good music at BurgerFi; that's the only positive thing I have to say.
They've adopted a new slogan "Big on Taste, Light on your Wallet". Yeah right. Compared to what? A piain burger, small fries and a shake is over $12. Are prices 12 times higher now than in 1967 when McDonald's advertised "change from $1"?
This place is the opposite of Five Guys, which is all about taste without the Gimmicks. This place is all Gimmicks.
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