Leigh Sales not impressed by the Brodburger traditions

Gantz said :

WTF are ‘pastel shorts’?

Part of the tasteless – and “unique” – accoutrement you yuppies sport on your days off.

Check your cupboard – you should find them two shelves up from the leather jandals.

WTF are ‘pastel shorts’?

Gantz said :

Keijidosha said :

johnboy said :

comparing brodburger to caltex truckstop is apples and oranges

I’d say comparing hamburgers from any two cafes is completely valid

But taking the further step of attempting to compare it to a, hold on, HAHA! truckstop burger is simply ridiculous. Honestly…

You may be confusing truckstops with service stations. Some of the best, freshest food money can buy can be had at truckstops.

Mind you, I wouldn’t turn up to a trucker’s diner wearing your pastel shorts and leather jandals if I were you, they may very well treat you to some of their own very special and unique “homemade aioli”….

Keijidosha said :

johnboy said :

comparing brodburger to caltex truckstop is apples and oranges

I’d say comparing hamburgers from any two cafes is completely valid

But taking the further step of attempting to compare it to a, hold on, HAHA! truckstop burger is simply ridiculous. Honestly…

You just walk straight off the set of Craig Ferguson? Not everyone in Canberra is in a rush to immediately eat once ordered.

I am rather surprised that Brodburger have managed to stay open for so long. It just goes to show how desperate Canberrans are so something unique and special.

People will line up to be different.

johnboy said :

comparing brodburger to caltex truckstop is apples and oranges

justin heywood said :

Even if a truckstop burger was exceptionally good, there is no comparison. There is always a danger being associated with the sweaty hoi polloi at those places.

The Brod is an ‘experience’. Standing in line there marks you out as….well, it marks you out.

Yeah, and I bet those Caltex truckstop people can’t even spell “homemade aioli”. Losers.

HenryBG said :

Gantz said :

25 minute wait for myself Sunday. Ordered cheeseburger and side of fries for takeaway at 12pm, on my way home by 1230pm 🙂

Half an hour wait for a hamburger? I don’t know why you’re smiling, my local takes 12 minutes.

I love the ‘my local’ arguments, won’t even address that. And yeah, smiling as every table was seated, with roughly 15 people ordering ahead of me!

So yeah, 25 minutes 🙂

johnboy said :

comparing brodburger to caltex truckstop is apples and oranges

I’d say comparing hamburgers from any two cafes is completely valid, regardless of how fancy the ingredients are. In support of Thumper’s comment I rate the Outrider burger from the Coolabah Tree Cafe at Sutton Forest just as highly as any gourmet burger I’ve tasted. A good old burger with the lot delivered in under 15 minutes that tastes like it came fresh from my mother’s kitchen, replete with oozy egg and BBQ sauce.

I will admit to enjoying gourmet burgers too, but the lofty heights to which the humble hamburger is being elevated is smugly pretentious.

Even if a truckstop burger was exceptionally good, there is no comparison. There is always a danger being associated with the sweaty hoi polloi at those places.

The Brod is an ‘experience’. Standing in line there marks you out as….well, it marks you out.

Gantz said :

25 minute wait for myself Sunday. Ordered cheeseburger and side of fries for takeaway at 12pm, on my way home by 1230pm 🙂

Half an hour wait for a hamburger? I don’t know why you’re smiling, my local takes 12 minutes.

I have not yet been game to try this place. Just my daughter and I out for dinner on Saturday night and weren’t prepared to risk it despite really wanting to go there.

Ended up in Grilled at Woden – Order Time less than 10 minutes – Food served less than 10 minutes – Food taste and Quality 9.5/10.

Overall a fantastic experience and one I would do again (Till I try Brodburger)

25 minute wait for myself Sunday. Ordered cheeseburger and side of fries for takeaway at 12pm, on my way home by 1230pm 🙂

poetix said :

Nobody expects the Mexican Inquisition…
?

Hahaha! I was hoping you’d notice my choice of the word ‘inquisition’!

poetix said :

Nobody expects the Mexican Inquisition…

Their chief weapon is surprise…surprise and fear…fear and surprise…. Their two weapons are fear and surprise…and ruthless efficiency….

Holden Caulfield said :

Not by design I found myself and a group of 5-6 friends at Brodburger for lunch again today.

Approaching the venue at around 12:40pm I noticed it was pretty busy%u2014almost all the inside seats were taken%u2014and started thinking, “how long is this going to take.”

As I got closer I could see many people were actually eating and also that there was no queue.

To my very pleasant surprise it took just over 20 minutes from ordering to eating, with a steady stream of burgers being served elsewhere during my wait.

Let’s hope it wasn’t a one off.

Ta for the update…but I’m not sure I’m willing to have my heart broken again. There is only so much crap Canberra service one can take – I still fondly remember New York where someone doesn’t get tips if they don’t have a menu and your order taken in under about 5 minutes.

dpm said :

poetix said :

Watson said :

…

In contrast, I still dream about that Mexican sausage roll I bought from a little bakery in Bungendore on the way to the coast a few months ago!

What is special about a Mexican sausage roll? It what sense was it Mexican? Were chihuahuas involved?

I read it as a sausage roll having Mexican-themed food ingredients in it. (e.g. maybe kidney beans, cilantro (coriander), peppers). Geez, let’s not get all narky and start an inquisition when I think we all could read and understand the post without dramatics! 😛

Nobody expects the Mexican Inquisition…

It was a genuine query; I could not imagine what a Mexican sausage roll might be. And without a few dramatics where would we be, dear dpm?

poetix said :

Watson said :

…

In contrast, I still dream about that Mexican sausage roll I bought from a little bakery in Bungendore on the way to the coast a few months ago!

What is special about a Mexican sausage roll? It what sense was it Mexican? Were chihuahuas involved?

I read it as a sausage roll having Mexican-themed food ingredients in it. (e.g. maybe kidney beans, cilantro (coriander), peppers). Geez, let’s not get all narky and start an inquisition when I think we all could read and understand the post without dramatics! 😛

poetix said :

Watson said :

…

In contrast, I still dream about that Mexican sausage roll I bought from a little bakery in Bungendore on the way to the coast a few months ago!

What is special about a Mexican sausage roll? It what sense was it Mexican? Were chihuahuas involved?

He ate it while drinking tequila and wearing a sombrero.

poetix said :

Watson said :

…

In contrast, I still dream about that Mexican sausage roll I bought from a little bakery in Bungendore on the way to the coast a few months ago!

What is special about a Mexican sausage roll? It what sense was it Mexican? Were chihuahuas involved?

I didn’t analyse it. It was just the best sausage roll I’d ever had. And I only order a sausage roll if I don’t care about how I still my hunger (and/or eat behind the wheel). But maybe it was the chihuahua meat that made it so special indeed. It did look like a Vietnamese bakery.

Watson said :

…

In contrast, I still dream about that Mexican sausage roll I bought from a little bakery in Bungendore on the way to the coast a few months ago!

What is special about a Mexican sausage roll? It what sense was it Mexican? Were chihuahuas involved?

Not by design I found myself and a group of 5-6 friends at Brodburger for lunch again today.

Approaching the venue at around 12:40pm I noticed it was pretty busy%u2014almost all the inside seats were taken%u2014and started thinking, “how long is this going to take.”

As I got closer I could see many people were actually eating and also that there was no queue.

To my very pleasant surprise it took just over 20 minutes from ordering to eating, with a steady stream of burgers being served elsewhere during my wait.

Let’s hope it wasn’t a one off.

I have never been even though I have heard plenty of people rave about it. I thought I was missing out but I wouldn’t go now because they just sound rude and disrespectful. Using the “gourmet” angle as an excuse for such poor customer service is also ironic, I reckon. If I go to an expensive restaurant, I expect better service there than at my local Chinese take-away because I pay for it. So if I am going to pay more for gourmet fast food, I expect it to be fast!

In contrast, I still dream about that Mexican sausage roll I bought from a little bakery in Bungendore on the way to the coast a few months ago!

Their burgers are good, but so are Grill’d and so are many cafes around town. Theres a good place in Cooma too, that would make an interesting exercise. Is it quicker to drive from my house to Cooma to get a burger than it is to go to Brodburger…..

I was in Townsville a few weeks back and had several pretty good burgers that took 15 minutes max to make.

Dilandach said :

Holden Caulfield said :

screaming banshee said :

Time for some investigative journalism riot crew….how about an interview with the proprietors jb to get an understanding of why they think an hour to cook a hamburger is acceptable?

May I suggest a skeleton sitting at a table waiting for food as the associated image.

I second the motion.

Agreed. I want to know what is taking so much preparation time.

I sure do too. I wouldn’t eat their until I know because it suggests something is not being done correctly, something may be left out for longer than it should and with things like ground beef, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Holden Caulfield said :

screaming banshee said :

Time for some investigative journalism riot crew….how about an interview with the proprietors jb to get an understanding of why they think an hour to cook a hamburger is acceptable?

May I suggest a skeleton sitting at a table waiting for food as the associated image.

I second the motion.

Agreed. I want to know what is taking so much preparation time.

A workmate of mine sent me this:

“It’s a shame these stories keep coming but unless they’re aware of how their customers feel things will not change. The lack of urgency showed by staff at the front and their lack of professionalism will ruin something they worked hard to create. While the burgers are by far the best in Canberra, there is nothing in the world that can justify such a long wait. A friend of mine was first in line, he ordered and it took 45mins for him to receive his food. Around Easter time we went there and lined up patiently and went to find a seat to sit down (after spending so long in line) only to find no tables which is fine, but the lady owner sitting out the front drinking wine with her friends. If they were serious about this business they would always put their customers first, they wouldn’t have friends of the family walking around the kitchen – ordering from the back and most importantly they would do whatever they can to get these burgers out faster! They’ve already scraped breakfast and reduced their opening hours which means less time and the same demand. They should be fully prepared and never be running out of ingredients like buns etc. In the freezing cold we would wait out the front of the red van and thought that at the time the wait was because they were working out of such a small kitchen but it appears it’s more a lack of preparation and taking their customers for granted. It’s such a shame that things aren’t working out for them but fingers crossed that the get their act together sometime soon and people don’t need to set aside 2+ for a burger. If they don’t do it better, someone else will. “

Ko. said :

I have been reliably informed by the owners that they grow the lettuce and tomato to order.

The time delay would make sense if there was a holding yard with cattle and you pointed out the one you wanted your burger made from, like fish in some Chinese restaurants. (Only beefier.)

I have been reliably informed by the owners that they grow the lettuce and tomato to order.

screaming banshee said :

Time for some investigative journalism riot crew….how about an interview with the proprietors jb to get an understanding of why they think an hour to cook a hamburger is acceptable?

May I suggest a skeleton sitting at a table waiting for food as the associated image.

I second the motion.

I-filed said :

Dilandach said :

What I assume they’re doing with the burger preparation is something along the lines of creating each burger completely from scratch starting with spending time marinating the meat, cooking it in an oven, preparing each of the additional ingredients such as slicing a tomato, cutting up the lettuce and onion and whatever else is on them. With nothing pre-cut or prepared.

I don’t wish to be rude, but you’re talking serious nonsense. Who would start marinating meat while you wait?

It was speculation, what else is there that they could be doing that would require such an amount of time between order and consumption?

I-filed said :

OK let’s add up the rest of your excuses for Brodburger (not that anyone would ever not prepare these ingredients in advance). Slice two slices off a tomato? 5 seconds. Slice some lettuce? A few seconds. Onion? Ditto. Cook hamburger patty & onion (while bread toasts) – what, four minutes? Assemblage: 20 seconds. Allowing for an unusual queue of 40: no hamburger joint is equipped to cook fewer than 10 patties at a time. So the very tail end of your 40 customers should be waiting no longer than 20 minutes – worst case scenario.

I’m not making excuses for brodburger at all, I’m curious to what really is their process on burger preparation. Whatever it is its highly inefficient and suspect once the fad of ordering from them dies down, the business will suffer greatly.

For all we know, they could be prechewing the raw meat before putting into patties and cooking it. I’m not a brodburger fanboi, as I said I’m just curious on what they’re doing that takes so long.

…and today they ran out of buns. I amazed this place is even open.

Dilandach said :

What I assume they’re doing with the burger preparation is something along the lines of creating each burger completely from scratch starting with spending time marinating the meat, cooking it in an oven, preparing each of the additional ingredients such as slicing a tomato, cutting up the lettuce and onion and whatever else is on them. With nothing pre-cut or prepared.

I don’t wish to be rude, but you’re talking serious nonsense. Who would start marinating meat while you wait? OK let’s add up the rest of your excuses for Brodburger (not that anyone would ever not prepare these ingredients in advance). Slice two slices off a tomato? 5 seconds. Slice some lettuce? A few seconds. Onion? Ditto. Cook hamburger patty & onion (while bread toasts) – what, four minutes? Assemblage: 20 seconds. Allowing for an unusual queue of 40: no hamburger joint is equipped to cook fewer than 10 patties at a time. So the very tail end of your 40 customers should be waiting no longer than 20 minutes – worst case scenario.

el said :

dpm said :

I could be wrong (it wouldn’t be the first time), but I *think* he’s saying Grill’d is the one that care about the quality of their product and the customer – not Brods.

Therefore, no contradiction witht he later statement…..?

That’s how I read it too – I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a burger at Grill’d.

There’s no way I’d ever wait for an hour or more anywhere – I could drive to a butcher, deli and bakery, then come home and cook/assemble my own ‘fancy’ burger in less time than that.

Quite possibly I read it wrong. In which case, I apologise.

What I assume they’re doing with the burger preparation is something along the lines of creating each burger completely from scratch starting with spending time marinating the meat, cooking it in an oven, preparing each of the additional ingredients such as slicing a tomato, cutting up the lettuce and onion and whatever else is on them. With nothing pre-cut or prepared.

dpm said :

I could be wrong (it wouldn’t be the first time), but I *think* he’s saying Grill’d is the one that care about the quality of their product and the customer – not Brods.

Therefore, no contradiction witht he later statement…..?

That’s how I read it too – I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a burger at Grill’d.

There’s no way I’d ever wait for an hour or more anywhere – I could drive to a butcher, deli and bakery, then come home and cook/assemble my own ‘fancy’ burger in less time than that.

My customers complain if a well done steak takes 30 minutes. We have to use every trick in the book to make it cook faster.

Last night Manuka got hammered. We had about 20 tables sit down in about 20 minutes and the wait became 30 minutes instantly. We had to give out a few free drinks to someone who was waiting longer. We met a table who walked out on a $90 bottle of wine around the corner after waiting an hour and hearing their meals hadn’t been started.

But a hamburger? An hour if it’s quiet, a few hours if it’s busy, that’s acceptable!

Dilandach said :

Clown Killer said :

“What on earth are they doing that requires hour plus preparation times?”

Really, who the fcuk cares? Yeah, it’s certainly not G’rilled (or whatever it’s called) you can tell because those guys actually care about the quality of their product and the customer.

Which just contradicts your later statement:

Clown Killer said :

Just to be quite clear on this hipsters, if you have waited longer than ten minutes for a hamburger at Brodburger, it’s because they’d are laughing at you and ripping you off at the same time.

So which is it?

…and because you’re an art grad. Which by the way I’m really really sorry to hear, I’ll provide you with a link to what ‘contradict’ means:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/contradict

I could be wrong (it wouldn’t be the first time), but I *think* he’s saying Grill’d is the one that care about the quality of their product and the customer – not Brods.

Therefore, no contradiction witht he later statement…..?

Clown Killer said :

“What on earth are they doing that requires hour plus preparation times?”

Really, who the fcuk cares? Yeah, it’s certainly not G’rilled (or whatever it’s called) you can tell because those guys actually care about the quality of their product and the customer.

Which just contradicts your later statement:

Clown Killer said :

Just to be quite clear on this hipsters, if you have waited longer than ten minutes for a hamburger at Brodburger, it’s because they’d are laughing at you and ripping you off at the same time.

So which is it?

…and because you’re an art grad. Which by the way I’m really really sorry to hear, I’ll provide you with a link to what ‘contradict’ means:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/contradict

Time for some investigative journalism riot crew….how about an interview with the proprietors jb to get an understanding of why they think an hour to cook a hamburger is acceptable?

May I suggest a skeleton sitting at a table waiting for food as the associated image.

Clown Killer said :

(in my case it was while working nights at Dolly’s in the late 80s)..

I just want to thank you for many, many a night of nice tummy full of burger.

I seem to recall Dolly’s in the late 80’s was in a car-park near the ANU which has recently transmuted into some kind of buildings which seem kind of cool, although the traffic arrangements appear to have been designed by a drunk. On supplementary drugs.

“What on earth are they doing that requires hour plus preparation times?”

Really, who the fcuk cares? Yeah, it’s certainly not G’rilled (or whatever it’s called) you can tell because those guys actually care about the quality of their product and the customer.

Being an Arts grad. myself I can assure you that I’ve made my fair share of burgers (in my case it was while working nights at Dolly’s in the late 80s). If anyone tells you it can take longer than about 8 minutes to cook a burger from scratch they are lying.

Just to be quite clear on this hipsters, if you have waited longer than ten minutes for a hamburger at Brodburger, it’s because they’d are laughing at you and ripping you off at the same time.

I-filed said :

Also, chucking 50c worth of New Zealand blue cheese on a burger (and then charging an $8 premium) might be a bit special in van-burger land, but it’s lamely average in the cafe context.

Is blue cheese the same thing as blue vein cheese? If so, I’m sure glad I had to cancel my order and leave before my food was ready. I only found out I had an allergy to this after I ate some dip made with it once as it’s not a cheese I have ever eaten before. Only happened once but it’s not an experience I’d like to repeat.

I’d be incredibly interested in Brodburger’s side (…and not just a temperamental cook yelling from the kitchen).

Do they think that hour plus waiting times is a valid long term sustainable business strategy?

What on earth are they doing that requires hour plus preparation times?

Do they have any intention to change before it affects business if it hasn’t already?

breda said :

90 minutes to cook a beef patty and then assemble a very expensive burger? These people could get much better paid jobs that utilise their skill set in Defence Procurement field.

Or perhaps that’s where they came from.

The only thing slower is defence recruitment.

The endless pages I could write if defence recruitment was the topic!

In the new location, can you at least wait somewhere heated now while they assemble your burger in slow motion?

screaming banshee said :

I-filed said :

Hopefully it won’t be long before the next fringe food outlet starts up in an alleyway or another van.

There’s a spot free by the lake!

Seriously? its a no-brainer for anyone who can flip a patty and has even the smallest hint of the entrepreneuriual about themselves..Look at the interest one little red caravan has generated over the past few years.

Holden Caulfield said :

Assuming that account is true, and I’ve no reason to suggest it’s not, then that’s plain unacceptable. Mucking around? Really, while you have customers walking out? The anger is rising!

Brodburger as a brand gained an enviable reputation on the back of fantastic word of mouth recommendations, a lot of it here on Riot ACT, but elsewhere too.

As we all know, it takes a lot longer to build a reputation than it does to lose it.

I think there is tremendous goodwill out there for Brodburger and many, myself included, genuinely want the business to succeed.

This kinda sums up our feeling. We’re not angry – just disappointed. We love supporting local businesses that aren’t chain stores because there’s a connection with the owner & customer. But if that connection is a big FU then I think it’s even more disappointing. We love to take family & friends to the places when they come to town to show off Canberra… But who would take anyone to somewhere where it’s an hour -minimum to get something to eat? We’d live to see Brodburger succeed but at this stage I hope they fail a bit so they can learn what they are doing.

I give Brodburger 12 months.

I-filed said :

Hopefully it won’t be long before the next fringe food outlet starts up in an alleyway or another van.

There’s a spot free by the lake!

Holden Caulfield said :

Spykler said :

Jumping on the Brod-bandwagon..They have also lost a dedicated crew of brodders from my workplace who spent 90 minutes wating for their burgers whilst watching the staff operate at either snail’s pace or mucking around laughing. At least three patrons requested a refund in that 2 hour block, makes you wonder how many are going to return.

Assuming that account is true, and I’ve no reason to suggest it’s not, then that’s plain unacceptable. Mucking around? Really, while you have customers walking out? The anger is rising!

It’s true…Unfortunately..

90 minutes to cook a beef patty and then assemble a very expensive burger? These people could get much better paid jobs that utilise their skill set in Defence Procurement field.

Or perhaps that’s where they came from.

Someone tell me when they get the waiting time down to about 15 minutes. Thats about the maximum I think any burger would be worth. I might try them once they do that.

Brodburger really need to lift their game. When they were (supposedly) little “battler” van people, they were given heaps of leeway (even though they were turning a profit equivalent to a bricks and mortar store). Now that they’ve more overtly joined the mainstream, they won’t be given any quarter. Queuing outdoors in a park with other hungry punters has its enjoyable aspects. Queuing in a cheap looking joint with waitresses kitted out in little aprons – for all the world like the food concession in a bowling alley in Springfield, Oregon – is an awful and very unCanberran way to spend an hour and a half. I don’t think it was a smart business move on Brodburger’s part to court the toxic imprimatur of the ACT Government . Also, chucking 50c worth of New Zealand blue cheese on a burger (and then charging an $8 premium) might be a bit special in van-burger land, but it’s lamely average in the cafe context. After their poor start, I’m not sure that the old fans would mourn Brodburger’s passing. Hopefully it won’t be long before the next fringe food outlet starts up in an alleyway or another van.

I’ve only had a burger from these guys once – from the red van down by the lake. It took too long, was reasonably expensive for what you got but it was an ok burger. By contrast, on the other side of the country, you can get a far superior burger at The Burger Bistro in Perth for about the same price, in under 10 minutes (eat there or take away) … Maybe the Brodburger people should take a road trip to see how a real business works.

Spykler said :

Jumping on the Brod-bandwagon..They have also lost a dedicated crew of brodders from my workplace who spent 90 minutes wating for their burgers whilst watching the staff operate at either snail’s pace or mucking around laughing. At least three patrons requested a refund in that 2 hour block, makes you wonder how many are going to return.

Assuming that account is true, and I’ve no reason to suggest it’s not, then that’s plain unacceptable. Mucking around? Really, while you have customers walking out? The anger is rising!

Brodburger as a brand gained an enviable reputation on the back of fantastic word of mouth recommendations, a lot of it here on Riot ACT, but elsewhere too.

As we all know, it takes a lot longer to build a reputation than it does to lose it.

I think there is tremendous goodwill out there for Brodburger and many, myself included, genuinely want the business to succeed.

I just hope they are reading this feedback and accepting that they simply must change or their goodwill will evaporate quicker than it takes (them) to flip a burger.

mezza76 said :

Well, I lost my Brodburger virginity tonight (apologies to bump an old thread but it’s clearly a popular topic). We were early & got there just after 5. But we’re concerned at the ‘we’re still prepping comment when we ordered’.

We were 3rd group to order – in short, no burgers were served in under 45 minutes from opening, one group walked after 50 minutes with a refund, ours arrived 1hr after ordering…

It’s not from a lack of staff (I counted 7 at work). It’s just straight incompetence. I really wish I could have stood in the kitchen & asked “what exactly is ur job & what are u doing”. I think 7 people should be able to cook a burger with a little more efficiency.

All that aside it was a decent eat. But we won’t be back. The girls who walked in front of us probably won’t either.

Thank you (and others) for the updates.

It’s actually incomprehensible that they can be so consistently inefficient. They should be awarded for it!

Bitterly disappointed.

thatsnotme said :

Spykler said :

Jumping on the Brod-bandwagon..They have also lost a dedicated crew of brodders from my workplace who spent 90 minutes wating for their burgers…

Just how long would these people take for lunch?!

thatsnotme said :

Spykler said :

Jumping on the Brod-bandwagon..They have also lost a dedicated crew of brodders from my workplace who spent 90 minutes wating for their burgers…

Just how long would these people take for lunch?!

From this amusing anacdote, we can assume 90min is unacceptably long. I guess that doesn’t leave them time to fit in three martinis?

Spykler said :

Jumping on the Brod-bandwagon..They have also lost a dedicated crew of brodders from my workplace who spent 90 minutes wating for their burgers…

Just how long would these people take for lunch?!

Jumping on the Brod-bandwagon..They have also lost a dedicated crew of brodders from my workplace who spent 90 minutes wating for their burgers whilst watching the staff operate at either snail’s pace or mucking around laughing. At least three patrons requested a refund in that 2 hour block, makes you wonder how many are going to return.

Well, I lost my Brodburger virginity tonight (apologies to bump an old thread but it’s clearly a popular topic). We were early & got there just after 5. But we’re concerned at the ‘we’re still prepping comment when we ordered’.

We were 3rd group to order – in short, no burgers were served in under 45 minutes from opening, one group walked after 50 minutes with a refund, ours arrived 1hr after ordering…

It’s not from a lack of staff (I counted 7 at work). It’s just straight incompetence. I really wish I could have stood in the kitchen & asked “what exactly is ur job & what are u doing”. I think 7 people should be able to cook a burger with a little more efficiency.

All that aside it was a decent eat. But we won’t be back. The girls who walked in front of us probably won’t either.

My housemate waited over an hour to get his food last night but had other plans so he had to ask for his money back. When doing so he could hear a lady yelling from in the kitchen “IT’S NOT GRILL’D, IT’S NOT MCDONALDS” among other things.

So he went and got McDonalds and waited about 5 minutes for his food.

AG Canberra said :

First world problem…..

Be thankful you don’t actually have to butcher your own cow/goat/sheep and grow your own wheat and veges to make said hamburger…..

It would just about be quicker than getting hold of a Brodburger.

AG Canberra said :

First world problem…..

Be thankful you don’t actually have to butcher your own cow/goat/sheep and grow your own wheat and veges to make said hamburger…..

I am reminded of that classic 60’s joke:
Q: What is a kilometre in length and eats cabbage?
A: A Russian meat queue.

AG Canberra said :

First world problem…..

Be thankful you don’t actually have to butcher your own cow/goat/sheep and grow your own wheat and veges to make said hamburger…..

Oh bugger off.

90 minute waits would be just as outrageous from a vendor in Bangalore as they are here.

Hell – a well run operation could butcher the cow, mince the meat and have it served as a burger in less time than brodburger takes to go from ordering to handing over food.

I’m so damn sick of hipsters and other assorted w*nkers using this idiotic phrase ‘lol first world problems’ to try and shield subjects, businesses or practices from legitimate criticism.

It’s a joke, whether you measure it by first, second or third world standards.

First world problem…..

Be thankful you don’t actually have to butcher your own cow/goat/sheep and grow your own wheat and veges to make said hamburger…..

johnboy said :

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot said :

It’s pretty disappointing that Brodburger haven’t been able to curb their wait times since moving into their own larger establishment.

In contrast, the Beatbox Kitchen that operates around the north of Melbourne not only produces a better gourmet burger, but I’ve never had to wait more than 15 minutes during theor busy periods.

Same with the even more popular Taco Truck that is operated by the same folks. 20 – 30 minutes would be considered a long wait there.

Brodburger makes an excellent burger (the best in Canberra, by far), but the wait is not justified.

Bear in mind they’re in the middle of a publicity maelstrom.

The real test will be in a couple of weeks when things calm down.

I don’t know if that’s a good enough excuse.

The two gourmet food trucks mentioned above (both owned/operated by Raph Rashid) have been attracting a LOT of publicity in Melbourne, and certainly at a larger scale than Brodburger has in Canberra.

Particularly the Taco Truck, as Mexican food seems to be all the rage down here the past couple of years with the boom of massively popular restaurants like Mamasita, and Frank Comorra’s (of Movida fame) Paco’s Tacos.

With the massive hype both have received, the limited opening hours (twice a day at most for only a few hours), and the large crowds over summer I haven’t seen people wait more than 20 – 30 minutes for food.

There’s clearly something wrong with the preparation and service at Brodburger if they’re still taking more than an hour to produce burgers in a commercial kitchen.

CoffinRX2 said :

Longshanks and JessP,

Maybe me and my friends are different to others, but we dont head out to Brodburger EXPECTING a quick cheap easy meal. … When we tend to go out, its a social thing, so if sitting around for 2 hours (which wasnt that long for me) chatting to my mates isnt a bad thing. …. Our foor came out 45 mins after we ordered, and 1 hour 15 after we got there, …. I dont see that being too different to the normal when we goto other establishments, …. get there, sit down, order a few drinks, view menu and decide, another drink or so, then dinner?

I dont have a problem with going out and spending time with friends chatting or whatever, but if I order food I expect it to be in front of me in a reasonable time frame. 15 – 20 minutes is OK but and hour or more – for a hamburger fcs?? You have got to be joking.

Longshanks and JessP,

Maybe me and my friends are different to others, but we dont head out to Brodburger EXPECTING a quick cheap easy meal. … When we tend to go out, its a social thing, so if sitting around for 2 hours (which wasnt that long for me) chatting to my mates isnt a bad thing. …. Our foor came out 45 mins after we ordered, and 1 hour 15 after we got there, …. I dont see that being too different to the normal when we goto other establishments, …. get there, sit down, order a few drinks, view menu and decide, another drink or so, then dinner?

Deref said :

…In the time it takes them to make one you could drive out to the Bungendore servo, get the best hamburger in the world, eat it in comfort and be back home.

The scariest part about this comment is it’s not a joke.

Although I make no claims to support the “best hamburger in the world” bit.

Sounds like my one hour wait on opening day was lightning fast service. That’s a real concern.

Looks like it’s back to the old regime of making our own at home.

Or Grill’d.

rosscoact said :

As has been mentioned before, a one hour wait in a purpose built kitchen run by professionals is either incompetence or is taking the piss out of the customer.

From what I saw it’s intentional. They appear to have one pace and one pace only. There were only about 12 people in front of me and it took about 30 minutes to order. I noticed the person taking orders was going at a snail pace. She didn’t seem to know how to use the cash register and was having a good time having conversations with customers as though nothing else at all was going on. I guess having two people taking orders or just being a bit faster would be out of the question as then the kitchen would be swamped with orders? Not sure.

It isn’t that big of a place and I’d assume at least half the people there were eating while I was waiting to order. Yet, when I had to cancel my order an hour later they had not even started on my order. What in the world were they doing in that hour?

I’m happy for them that demand has outstripped supply and that they have had their 15 minutes of fame. They may have a hard lesson coming up. Then again, people have been willing to wait this long for some time so maybe not.

Beats me why anyone would put up with it. I won’t be going back that’s for sure. Indeed, I like the advice above to just enjoy a nice ride out to Bungendore instead. I’ll let you know how that goes. They have also inspired me to just cook my own.

As has been mentioned before, a one hour wait in a purpose built kitchen run by professionals is either incompetence or is taking the piss out of the customer.

Neither of which indicates that they are deserving of my custom.

I do like that London Grill place better, although I’ve spent much much more on the $5 plain burger at Eleni’s in Ngunnawal. Delicious, cheap and in my hand in 10 minutes when the place is full.

fragge said :

Wait wait wait, people in this town actually wait for more than 10 minutes for meat on bread? The apocalypse is upon us.

Hear hear. In the time it takes them to make one you could drive out to the Bungendore servo, get the best hamburger in the world, eat it in comfort and be back home.

Its ridiculous to think that waiting that long for a hamburger – even a gourmet one – is at all acceptable.

CoffinRX2 said :

I dont get why people say “its just a hamburger” …. you can say that about any food that you wait similar times at a restaurant for.

Yes you wait in a line? so what, ….. as stated you dont goto Brodburger expecting a 5* gourmet seated experience. …. I think peoples expectations are too high.

Also for the entire time we were waiting for our food, they probably had about 100 burgers come out for the people who were there before us and ordered, … its not as if they are sitting idly by and doing nothing

1. Of course you can always say “it’s just a hamburger” or “it’s just a souffle” or “it’s just sole meuniere”. The point is that some dishes are inherently more complicated and time-consuming to prepare. A hamburger involves cooking a patty and then assembling the ingredients. Shouldn’t take that long.

2. “similar times” – please let me know which other Canberra establishments inflict a wait of up to two hours on their patrons, so that I can avoid them.

3. “peoples expectations are too high” – bollocks. When just about every other food outlet in Canberra, from McDonalds to the Ottoman, is able to serve their customers within 1/2 an hour (max) of an order being taken, I would say that it’s entirely reasonable to expect that Brodburger can do the same. By the way, Grill’d does great burgers, their fries are fantastic, and the service is quick, efficient and courteous – Brodburger should take a leaf or two out of their book.

Wait wait wait, people in this town actually wait for more than 10 minutes for meat on bread? The apocalypse is upon us.

Yep the free masses of fries handed out were awesome

I’m pretty fond of Brodburgers burgers, and I got in at the ground floor when they very first opened, when there wasn’t a wait at all. Last time I went, it was lunchtime on Sunday and I arrived early. Didn’t work, as I waited more than an hour. I hadn’t expected to take so long, so wasn’t very happy. However, I still think they’re really good burgers, because they use good ingredients.

So, I deconstructed. Now when I make burgers at home, I use great bread rolls, well flavoured meat, superior sauces/aolis and good cheese. Et voila – broddys at home. Nom nom.

“Bear in mind they’re in the middle of a publicity maelstrom.”

Only because certain someones are promoting them every second day. Pisses me off. I only did one puff piece for a mate, should have done hundreds.

The media treatment of Brodburger and London Burgers is interesting (as is the behind-the-scenes carry on).

I dont get why people say “its just a hamburger” …. you can say that about any food that you wait similar times at a restaurant for.

Yes you wait in a line? so what, ….. as stated you dont goto Brodburger expecting a 5* gourmet seated experience. …. I think peoples expectations are too high.

Also for the entire time we were waiting for our food, they probably had about 100 burgers come out for the people who were there before us and ordered, … its not as if they are sitting idly by and doing nothing

I’ve never been to Brodburger, but since I expect instantaneous service when I buy anything I don’t think I will ever go. Thanks for the heads up folks.

The only time you should wait for food is if you are sitting at a table in a proper restaurant and even then you shouldn’t have to wait as long as 30 minutes.

Keijidosha said :

johnboy said :

Bear in mind they’re in the middle of a publicity maelstrom.
The real test will be in a couple of weeks when things calm down.

If they continue to accept that a 90 minute wait for a burger is acceptable then trade will certainly ‘calm down’ in a few weeks.

90 minutes? Try 140, not including queuing to order.

On Saturday night we got in the queue at 7:40, ordered at 8:05 and received our food at 10:25

You’d think that after a week of operation in the new kitchen they’d have a good idea of how many burgers an hour they can pump out. Thus the number of burgers waiting to be cooked would give a good indication of length of the wait.

They were quite apologetic – free fries were handed out during the wait, and I think some people also got free drinks. However, perhaps it would simply be best to stop taking orders once the backlog is beyond an certain size. I know after 90 minutes of waiting the anticipation was no-longer fun.

Oh please, like this Leigh character wouldn’t wait 2 hours for a burger at some hipster joint in Melbourne.

johnboy said :

Bear in mind they’re in the middle of a publicity maelstrom.
The real test will be in a couple of weeks when things calm down.

If they continue to accept that a 90 minute wait for a burger is acceptable then trade will certainly ‘calm down’ in a few weeks.

I was impressed by Leigh’s tweets until I noticed the “epic fail” hashtag, which in itself is an epic fail of epic proportions. This term’s comedic shelf-life expired sometime in 2007, possibly coinciding with the time in which she ordered her Brodburger.

I wasn’t terribly impressed by the Brodburger, and I think Grill’d beat them on quality, service and range. I’m rather partial to a good burger, but it’s much like preparing toast; personal preferences mean it’s always best to do it yourself.

Some mates and I went to the Brodburger by the lake about a year ago. After faffing about for ages without even placing an order we just gave up, while a bunch of other schmoes carried on waiting in line.

I’m sure the food is good when it eventually arrives, but these folks seem like they have no idea how to run a food preparation business. Like others, I wonder what’s happening in the 80 minutes surrounding the 10 minutes it takes to cook a rissole

I remember working across the road from Brodburger at IBM a couple of years ago and waiting 20 minutes, it was fantastic, the best burgers I’d had.

I can’t say the taste held up to the 2 hour wait I endured last time however.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Seriously, if the pattie cooks in ten mins, and you’re waiting 90 mins, what is happening in the other 80 mins?

This. Went to a place in Baltimore that let you choose your beef and they *ground the damn burger while you waited* before grilling it to order. It was packed, but we were still sitting outside eating burgers in 20 mins, with our artichoke dip, crab cakes and beer arriving in five.

Having not seen how they operate, I suspect that they are running on the ol’ one-order-at-a-time system. They’ve never had complaints so they have never had to adapt to “normality”.

Love the Brodburger, but that is a long time to wait for a burger! I have heard Grill’d is coming to Manuka soon – this could help the broddy queues – a very good burger in a very short time…

eh_steve said :

The burgers aren’t. that. good.

It baffles me.

Most of the facebook updates about being at brodburger are “via iphone”

go figure.

Seriously, if the pattie cooks in ten mins, and you’re waiting 90 mins, what is happening in the other 80 mins?

This. Went to a place in Baltimore that let you choose your beef and they *ground the damn burger while you waited* before grilling it to order. It was packed, but we were still sitting outside eating burgers in 20 mins, with our artichoke dip, crab cakes and beer arriving in five.

Is the wait only in the evenings, or during the day when visiting the actual Glassworks? I’m going there today, so an early heads up would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve never had brodburger so I’ll withhold judgement but, until then, I reckon that the hamburgers at the little shop behind the servo in Bungendore are the best hamburgers in the world.

The burgers aren’t. that. good.

It baffles me.

I’ve never been but am wondering, considering a meat pattie only needs a few mins cooking, what is the bottleneck? I imagine as most of you have spent a fair bit of time waiting around there, watching , you would have had time to observe this?

Is it simply that they should have invested in more grill space so they could cook more than 3 patties at a time? Or do they ‘slow cook’ the patties at 50 degrees for an hour? Or do they bake the bun when you order it? Hahahaha!

Seriously, if the pattie cooks in ten mins, and you’re waiting 90 mins, what is happening in the other 80 mins? I’m intrigued… but not patient enough to go there and wait and watch myself!

I had a brodburger once, and tasted pretty good (not the top of the list, but getting up there), but there is no way I’m waiting an hour for one.

justin heywood said :

The people who own the Brodburger are a lot smarter than the punters who line up for their food.

CoffinRX2 said :

1. its Brodburger, you dont go there expecting fast food service

2. Few cold beers while waiting and it was great.

3. Profit!!!

I’ve been wanting to try their food as well but I stopped by Thu night at 6pm thinking it would be enough time to still make an appointment at 7.30pm. Wrong. Everyone tells me that 1 hour is the norm but there’s simply no way I’ll ever pay good money to wait an hour for a hamburger. So looks like I’m going to miss out.

Went there tonight with a group of about 8 people and had a great time. ….. Yes its Brodburger, you dont go there expecting fast food service. … We lined up about 6pm, had ordered by 630 and our food was out by about 715. … Few cold beers while waiting and it was great. Very friendly and helpful staff as well.

Brodburger is a central place we go to catch up with friends enjoy a good feed, just like any other restaurant. … The setup and layout of Brod maybe a little different, but go there with an open mind and hell you might even enjoy the experience

I will admit to going last week, and luckily only had to endure a 1 hour wait. Definitely won’t do it again though.

I think they’ve taken their marketing strategy from Apple: create a good product, ensure demand outstrips supply, queue forms, people see the queue and think they’re missing out, join queue, wait, wait some more, and when they finally get their food tell themselves it HAS to be the best burger ever because they’ve just stood in the cold for 90mins.

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot said :

It’s pretty disappointing that Brodburger haven’t been able to curb their wait times since moving into their own larger establishment.

In contrast, the Beatbox Kitchen that operates around the north of Melbourne not only produces a better gourmet burger, but I’ve never had to wait more than 15 minutes during theor busy periods.

Same with the even more popular Taco Truck that is operated by the same folks. 20 – 30 minutes would be considered a long wait there.

Brodburger makes an excellent burger (the best in Canberra, by far), but the wait is not justified.

Bear in mind they’re in the middle of a publicity maelstrom.

The real test will be in a couple of weeks when things calm down.

It’s pretty disappointing that Brodburger haven’t been able to curb their wait times since moving into their own larger establishment.

In contrast, the Beatbox Kitchen that operates around the north of Melbourne not only produces a better gourmet burger, but I’ve never had to wait more than 15 minutes during theor busy periods.

Same with the even more popular Taco Truck that is operated by the same folks. 20 – 30 minutes would be considered a long wait there.

Brodburger makes an excellent burger (the best in Canberra, by far), but the wait is not justified.

I give them 6 months before they go belly up.

What sort of wanker waits that long for a burger????

The people who own the Brodburger are a lot smarter than the punters who line up for their food.

Of course, having alll the other fools in the line will reassure you that you are hip to be there. Of course you are going to tell yourself it’s worth it, if you’ve waited that long. What’s the alternative? Admit that you’re a fool too?

I think that if you believe it’s worth spending 2 hours of your day to buy a frickin’ hamburger, you either don’t have much happening in your life or you really need to examine your priorities.

I’ve never been to Braodburger, though it’s been on my to-do-list since everyone keeps mentioning it. I don’t think I will bother now, unless I get there when the doors open .. maybe then it’ll only be a 30 minute wait.

No soup for you!

Missed opportunity there… think of how much more they could take in if they just hired a few more staff and pumped out the burgers faster.

I agree with Leigh, nothing is that good that I would wait that long. A friend was there on Thursday around 7pm and got his food at 9.30. They must have been butchering the cows on site or really disorganised. The bigger kitchen and workspace should have significantly cut the wait down.

Snarky said :

The burgers are good. but they’re still just burgers. And given that I’ve walked out of restaurants that want to take more than an hour to serve a more complex meal I certainly wouldn’t wait this long for a meat patty on a bun, no matter how gourmet it may be.

Still, if they can build a viable business with customers waiting that long, well,more power to them. They won’t find me in their queue though.

My thoughts exactly. It’s the main reason I never tried Brodburger before they moved out of the caravan. It’d have to be the absolute holy grail of burgers to justify waiting around for 1+ hours in the sun out the front of some greasy caravan.

As far as I’m concerned there are plenty of places that do really great burgers that don’t require you to wait around and waste a whole lot of time.

The burgers are good. but they’re still just burgers. And given that I’ve walked out of restaurants that want to take more than an hour to serve a more complex meal I certainly wouldn’t wait this long for a meat patty on a bun, no matter how gourmet it may be.

Still, if they can build a viable business with customers waiting that long, well,more power to them. They won’t find me in their queue though.

waiting at Brod? …its expected, so no shock there..Treat it like 80’s Moscow where people hated waiting in a line for bread every day, then they accepted it, then they actually needed it so they could catch up on their gossip every day. The team at work have been walking down to Brod burger for years and have never complained about the 1 hour + wait. its all part of the deal.