Mitch H.
Google
Outstanding burger with outstanding service!
I have been craving a really good burger for a while. My standard places (Five Guys or Habit) just haven’t been doing it for me. I was in the Berkeley/Albany area and decided this would be a good time to try a different burger place. Oh G Burger x Chimmelier was the best rated burger place in the area that I was in. It was also the most out of the way. But I never been to that area so I decided to go for an adventure. I am very happy that I did! 😃
I ordered the standard double smash burger with Oh G sauce and tater tots. The burger was thoroughly greasy in the best way possible! A hamburger is not health food. A good hamburger should be 20% fat and thus greasy. This is an outstanding hamburger! And I’m so glad that other reviews mentioned the tater tots. They were fluffy, crunchy pillows of potato delight. 🥹 I had forgotten how wonderful a tater tot can be!
And the burger and tater tots together were just over $18 before tip. That’s right in line with what I pay at the other places I go, but this is a far superior burger. I will be back again, hopefully soon.
An unexpected plus was the outstanding person working the front of the restaurant , Nivea (pronounced Ni-VAY-ah, NOT like the hand lotion). I’m a very observant person and my work involves increasing productivity (nerd alert!), and I developed as habit of observing how people do their work, especially in service jobs. Sadly, it seems that most people working in customer service jobs today have little to no interest in serving customers. That is not the case with Nivea. I came in at 7 PM on a Sunday night, so it was late in the shift the restaurant was full. She greeted me quickly and with genuine warmth and a smile. When I asked where the restroom was, she gave me clear instructions and also warned me that it might be a little wet in there. I watched her move around rapidly, serving all the different customers. Then she took the opportunity to clean up the restroom, then she was back filling up the water, pitcher moving rapidly to get it done quickly. When a large group that was seated at the counter, asked her what type of ice cream was used in the milkshake because they really liked it, she went to the back and got the information. I think there were only three workers in the restaurant at that time, two in the kitchen and Nivea in the front of the house. That’s a lot of work and responsibility to be on one person and most people in food service would not manage it, but she handled it with grace.
I’ve never met Nivea before, I just think it’s important to recognize outstanding work whenever I see it, as it is becoming increasingly rare. She was totally caught off guard when I told her what I thought about her work. The group seated at the counter agreed with my observation that Nivea is an excellent server and worker.
Nivea, if you happen to read this, there are many jobs in and out of customer service where your positive energy and diligence will take you far. Don’t sell yourself short.
And to other restaurant owners in the Berkeley/Albany area: if you’re looking for a good food server, come by Oh G Burger x Chimmelier, and ask is Nivea is working. If she is, order some food, sit down, and enjoy the food and the service.