Preface:
Despite deciding to balls deep on $OPES and $FMCI (full disclosure: I sold all my other stocks to go all-in on the two’s warrants, currently sitting with 30k OPESW and 17k FMCIW), I haven’t actually tried out either of them personally. Unfortunately, there’s no BurgerFi joints in Washington state, so I asked one of my internet friends living in Texas to give it a try and help provide some honest thoughts. He decided to turn it into a fun day trip with some more friends and wrote up an awesome and detailed review post (he writes for a gaming news site). The full review is shared below (with his permission of course) in nice new-Reddit-markdown formatting.
Intro:
At the request of a friend, I checked out BurgerFi, which was around an hour drive round trip from downtown Austin at their Parkside Village location. I’ve heard hype about this place and also skimmed this previous review, so I was also personally curious about how it stacked up given the wide selection burger chains in Texas.
I was unable to visit the location for a dine-in experience, so my friend picked up the order and brought it over. According to Google Maps/Reviews, the location looks like this. The rest of the review will be focused on the food and value.
Tenders (5 pcs): ($7.07)
The first thing I tried out while waiting for the rest of the squad was the tenders. Like the classic cheeseburger, tenders are a pretty decent benchmark. As expected, this is not your average emaciated, dry, fast food tenders. The meat inside is solid light chicken meat that separates nicely when you bite into it. I wouldn’t call it juicy, but it was pleasantly moist enough in a gustatory sensation, with the word moist trending on pleasant connotations. Moist. The light breading had an equally mild crunch, but the insides still had a slight batter taste. They’re still perfectly palatable and easy to eat, unlike the sad affairs that require chugging down with soda.
The accompanying sauces I ordered were the Garlic Aioli and Bacon Jalapeno ranch. Both sauces seemed too mild on first taste and lacking the punch I was looking for. The Jalapeno ranch wasn’t particularly zing-y for a ranch sauce, even with what I think were pickled Jalapenos. Bacon didn’t seem to add much outside of texture. The Garlic aioli had noticeable garlic chunks on closer inspection but not the strong need-to-brush-your-teeth concentrated flavor I expected, though both sauces seemed to taste slightly better on subsequent tastings.
Cheeseburger: ($7.37)
A solid, honest-to-goodness cheeseburger. Overall, it felt very balanced compared to peers like Five Guys or Shake Shack in that the meat-to-bun ratio seemed just right: neither were overwhelming. I wouldn’t exactly call it light, but it does a good job of less is more in terms of toppings when they don’t threaten to ooze over your hands with a light touch. Like all BurgerFi burgers, it comes with a cute branding on top. This doesn’t really affect the taste – I didn’t notice a burnt taste at all.
The crust on the patties wasn’t particularly noticeable, and the BurgerFi sauce is milder compared to other house sauces. The American cheese melted right into the sauces but augmented them nicely. Lettuce and tomato existed, much the way excessive condiments didn’t. The lettuce itself was slightly wilted from what I assume was the burger heat, but somehow it ended up blending in better than I expected. I could’ve used a bit more contrast on the sauces to cut through what is still a meat patty, though that’s probably just my bias. Perhaps some slivers of red onion, too, or the slight sharpness of cheddar would make it pop even more, but might also take away from the original vision.
As it is, the burger was still very easy to eat. I never felt overwhelmed by it and the whole time I was thinking, “Yep, this is a good burger.” If I didn’t hack it in half to continue sampling other burgers, I probably would have finished it there and then.
VeggieFi Burger: ($7.37)
Crunchy. Lentils, black beans?, carrots, zucchini for moisture, in a starchy-yet-moist quinoa base. It comes with both American and Swiss? Cheese, which both meld into the experience for a convincingly satisfying burger. It’s not trying to replicate the taste of meat (which I imagine the Beyond Burger is for), but rather offer a compelling vegetarian option, which it does well. The patty itself is a subtle medley of its ingredients that is savory without being bland. It manages to ride the balance well without any individual overpowering component.
The whole-wheat bun doesn’t subtract from the experience, and crunchy contrast from crispy crust is essential to avoid becoming a 3rd rate veg option with 4th rate fillings. Even for people who aren’t into the whole vegetarian lifestyle it stands on its own as a worthy burger.
Cry+Fry: ($5.97)
The fries are well done (as in this batch was fried dark), yet genuine tasting and not too salty, just barely avoiding a burnt taste. They were a bit stale due to the commute but I imagine they’re better fresh. Each fry was about 1.2 cm thick and the potato skins are visible, which really emphasizes that these are actual factual hand cut potatoes. Despite the staleness, they still maintain their flavor, though like most normal fries the texture begins to suffer. A true potato experience.
The onion rings held up better due to their batter shells. They appear to be double battered but the shell was decently light and crisp, yet pretty oily. The onion rings are huge – calling them rings is an understatement; they’re more like sauce cups if cups had holes in them, for lack of a better descriptor. The inner onion was as expected: softened and juicy.
The one thing to note is that contrary to what the site would have you think, the serving size is surprisingly large. In the picture you can see that the box is bigger than the burger box and measures about 14 cm lengthwise (almost 1.25 large white onions). You get 3 onion cups and a small heap of fries.
The CEO: ($10.57)
My friends ordered the CEO burger and I had a few bites – it had a strong beefy flavor, with the brisket emphasizing the pleasant patty crust. The wagyu is probably harder to compare to standard beef when mixed with the brisket, but overall the flavors came together nicely in a Melty Burger.
Outsourcing the American cheese to Swiss combined with the truffle aioli added a complementary creaminess that profited the brisket’s flavor. Whereas the Cheeseburger was about balance, this one was about being rich. No wonder they call it the CEO. Like some managers, the bacon-tomato jam was there but I didn’t really notice it or what it did. Maybe it was part of the rich tartness, or did it make the burger heavier?
From my friends who finished the burger, they do note it is very hearty and heavy, not something you’d eat in a bathroom at 3 am but rather when you want to feel like a boss. Or when you want procured meatiness and have the appetite to match.
Service:
As can be seen, the presentation and packaging of the burgers was pretty nice – each burger came in a box and was half-wrapped with wax paper, and then neatly stacked in the large paper takeout bag. I was surprised that none of the fries spilled out during transit.
Value Proposition:
The price range is around the mid-gourmet level premium burger joints like Five Guys, or Shake Shack, and the burgers definitely register as “Premium Burgers.” If you’re already set on getting lunch at this price point, it is definitely worth visiting. Although it’s admittedly been a while, I do feel like BurgerFi’s cheeseburger is lighter compared to the likes of its peers, but equally if not more satisfying.
In comparison to premium offerings from the average corporate fast food chain, the price for a cheeseburger at BurgerFi is about the same as a premium burger meal from say, McDonald’s. While BurgerFi would noticeably win in quality and taste every time, it is undeniable that to the average consumer it comes across as “pricey.” Although price and quality are tradeoffs, BurgerFi is priced well enough to be very satisfying for its cost.
Summary Points:
- Burgers are solid, quality, and competitively priced within the premium burger market. Personal favorite was the Cheeseburger.
- Dedicated Vegetarian options that don’t suck.
- I need a third point, so I’ll talk about the weak sauces. They’re not terrible/unpalatable, just not as BOLD as I expected. And maybe that’s a good thing so they don’t overwhelm the base food but complement it like Mr. Rogers.
I’m not saying it’s the second coming of Hipster Burger Chain Jesus only for people to be disappointed (aka the In-N-Out Effect), or that I will exclusively eat here from now on (it’s too far), but as far as things go it’s a solid burger at a solid price, well worth checking out if you can visit one and going multiple times if you like it.
Originally posted on Reddit
