8bit. — Restaurant in Melbourne

Yeah so. Where do I even start.

I go ahead and order two burgers, cheese and gravy fries and a “large” milkshake. Yeah so the milkshake was barely a medium, for $9 that was a letdown - but alas, that’s fine. Not illegal. But what is illegal? Charging a surcharge when there is NO signage (and yes, I went back up to the counter to check). I carry on because I’m not too fussed.

I then get my burger, and it has lettuce, despite it saying it doesn’t come with lettuce (Goomba burger). I dislike lettuce, so my partner went up to grab a menu, so we can review it. She brings it back to the table, and while we review it, the staff come over and say “the kitchen’s closed”, without even checking if we’re okay first. As someone who worked in fast food for three years, I can guarantee you get better service at a fast food place.

Frustrated about both of these incidents, I asked to speak to the manager, but got “the manager has gone home for the night.” So I can’t even request a refund when I’ve been overcharged illegally due to a failure of their management? Pathetic!

Finally, just as we were leaving, I kid you not, there was a guy pouring a bucket of grease down a stormwater street drain. ????????? I get why you do it (trust me, I do. I know grease is hard to get down a normal drain), but this is against environmental laws. So another illegal act for 8bit.

Unless a manager responds to this, I will be reporting this to the ACCC, as well as the EPA. This venue is absolutely ridiculous, poorly run to the highest degree, and has the worst service!

Finally, I will say their burgers are good (give credit where credit is due), but their cheese and gravy fries were very expensive/small for $11. In addition, they closed the kitchen at 8:30, when they close at 10pm? Does anything even make...

When I first heard of an American-style burger joint opening up in storied Footscray - I was ecstatic. Finally, the gentrification of Footscray and it's surrounding areas was underway and in spectacular fashsion. 8bit has a short menu which is perfect. You don't need 20 different versions of a burger to choose from. The best formula for burger selection is your OG burger for which newbies can start with, a vegetarian option for the mammal-sensitive, a double-patty variant, one for the bacon lovers and one for those that just love to have everything.

The open-plan layout of the amenities makes for a great honest vibe. You can see the chefs working on your burger unadulterated. However, this presents a different kind of problem - the smell will enchant you for what seems like an eternity until your order makes its way to your table - making the wait seem longer than it actually it is. With that said, it's a great problem to have and the wait is surely worth it.

The wait is slightly discomforting for first-timers but is generally assuaged by the hype and consistent positive feedback among peers.

The burgers themselves are Goldilocks-size; not too big, not too small. Generally best accompanied with their cheese and bacon fries which are making my mouth water as we speak. Together with a strawberry cheesecake milkshake, you'll be indulged quite substantially. For those with eyes larger than their stomachs, the Double Dragon is available to suffice with double patties and bacon.

But enough of me talking, go and check them...

Having heard such good things about this place, I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about. However, disappointment sent in even before ordering the food. My sister and I stood at the register waiting while the staff talked amongst themselves behind the counter. We made it quite obvious we were waiting, saying things like, "are we in the right spot...?" and making eye contact with the staff, who looked at us and continued chatting away.

After almost 10 minutes of being ignored, a woman with an annoyingly fake smile took our order (which wasn't big -- 1x fries and 1x burger) and we took a seat in a booth. We had to wipe our own table down with serviettes because the busser apparently decided not to do their job. The atmosphere was terrible honestly; apart from the single arcade machine (which is free to use) in the back and tiny bits of decor here and there, you wouldn't even think you were in a video game themed restaurant. There was nothing but rap playing over the speakers which did nothing to help their image.

The burger was okay and the chips were decent but nothing to write home about. They were also really stingy with the tiny container of ketchup they give you for the chips for some reason. Also, the building is now a husk of what you see in the pictures online -- the artwork is all peeling off and the restaurant honestly just gives off a weird decrepit feel.

Tl;dr: Impolite staff, no atmosphere, plain food and overall overrated...