Michael S.
Yelp
OVERALL: 6.75/10 (Yelp Converted Score: 3.375/5). DISCLAIMER: I received a Yelp Elite perk for one free signature burger and a small shake, BUT I bought an extra burger in addition for my partner (same as the freebie).
Advice: Definitely order online (or at least not in person) for pickup. Ordering in-store is going to be quite the wait, and while they have a freezer to keep the shake cold while they make the rest of your food (kudos!), there's no open space nearby to wait around, so it feels pretty cramped.
We were notified on Monday that the Elite perk could not be redeemed online or via phone, so I had to go into the Whole Foods to order it. The line had two parties in front of me to place orders, but the food took a while to come out (more on that later). I went in and ordered in-person on April 14th, 2021, at around 5:40pm.
1) VARIETY/SELECTION: 7/10. If you haven't already figured it out, this place is 100% vegan - the cheese, shake options, "burger" options, etc - all of it is vegan. For example, the shake has the option to use soy or coconut ice cream to make it. The "chz" has different options, too, but I think those are using milk-alternative cheeses.
There's a decent variety on the menu. For example, for "burgers", they have "classic", "artisan", and "chik'n", as well as a half-page "go big" option; fries; baskets (chik'n); brats ("hot dogs"); salads; sauces; shakes; snacks; kiddos; and finally, drinks. They tout themselves as "America's first 100% plant-based burger joint", and yes, they're actually a chain!
(The next closest location is in Portland.)
2) FRESHNESS: 6/10. The shake was definitely indistinguishable from a milk-based shake, so kudos there. The burger wasn't as awesome - the ingredients didn't feel fresh, and even though I ordered in-person, for pickup, the burgers weren't that warm (only eight minutes later after we got home to eat).
One thing I found frustrating: The burger kept falling apart as we were eating it. I kept watching in horror as the crumbs were falling off of the burger after I took a bite of it. My partner noticed this too - the burger seemed haphazardly constructed - and we ended up picking up a bunch of pieces that fell off the burger patty or the rest of the burger from the floor or chair.
The signature patty mentioned the following: "Organic Mushroom & Quinoa Patty, Organic Avocado, Choice of Cheese & Roasted Garlic Thyme Mayo. 520 cals | 17g pro Allergens: Patty Contains Almonds"
The burger includes avocado, lettuce, thyme mayo, and tomato. The lettuce kept crumbling and I could not notice the thyme (but I did taste mayo!).
The main plus here is that this burger is only 520 calories.
3) VALUE FOR MONEY: 6/10. For a (non-meat-based) burger joint, this place is on the high-end of prices; at $10.95, it's definitely more than you would spend if you were to make non-meat burger at home (beyond meat, impossible burger, etc), even with the "signature" patty, or buy a fast-food non-meat burger at a competitor (BK, McDs, etc). That being said, the shake is heavily overpriced - for any order you can customize soy and coconut milk, which I went half-half, but the "cookies" part of the shake was quite realistic-tasting for what you got (it's around a 6-8oz) $6.45 small shake. This is more expensive than a customized Starbucks Venti (20oz) frappucino - which is a fair bar when considering "expensive non-alcoholic chain beverages".
4) SERVICE: 8/10. So, the person taking my order actually *forgot* that I was a Yelp Elite member, despite checking off my name, so I ended up paying full price for two burgers and a shake. Their coworker did end up voiding that transaction (I hope I don't find it on my statement), and I paid for the other signature burger that I ordered, and they were super apologetic, but it happened, and thus, I'm mentioning it (no harm no foul, mistakes happen, so no negative marks when it comes to the review).
The negative: The food took **a while** to come out - I waited a solid 20 minutes after I ordered to get my food, and my partner (who was waiting patiently in the car) actually texted me and wondered if I got lost in the Whole Foods (trying to find this place). Versus any comparably-sized competitor (fast-food, or Shake Shack, for example), this is way too long, so you really have to be bought-in to the vegan mission (and unable to dine out elsewhere as a result) to be all-in for this place.
I will give them a plus in one major respect: they were able to deal with my peanut allergy in stride. I mentioned it, they IMMEDIATELY started with the "we can't guarantee you won't have a reaction" spiel, and I countered with "as long as you clean it, it'll be fine, I just want things to be cleaned properly", which they gladly did. I did not have a reaction from the shake, which is the biggest culprit of where peanuts would normally be (half of their shake flavours are peanut-butter-related), so that's a win in my book. Thanks for keeping me safe!+