Ribs & Burgers Craigieburn — Restaurant in Melbourne

UPDATE - May 2022 Ordered beef ribs, no basting and no burnt. So I found out that "no burnt" is not a possible option. Simple reason: if they don't burn it's going to be more or less a piece of boiled meat (slow cooked), because it's pre-cooked, probably arriving at the venue ready to flame. The flame provides that smokey roast flavour. BUT, it's burnt... See the picture, where the piece at the bottom left has had the black burnt crust scratched away. Needless to say that burnt meat is one of the well known triggers of cancer. At least if you consume it more than just very rarely. I have an idea: why not checking if the franchising might be open to a small steak section in the menu? And anyway, Craigieburn is ready for a steak house. What are we waiting for?

UPDATE - 23 April 2018 After the "al-lamb & all-sweet" bad experience and bad review (see below), following the answer of the owner (thanks...) I went there again and ordered the same Beef ribs, but this time without basting. It took more time than usual but finally there was no Middle-Eastern sweetness all around and the ribs were OK. The "Cabbage & Apple salad" had Pine-nuts instead than apples (fortunately I am not allergic...) but it was good. Not more than three stars, however, because the meat was overcooked... I noticed that some other reviews mention different problems with the cooking, and this could be relatively easily improved with more STAFF TRAINING, and, why not asking customers HOW cooked they would like their ribs? I know it's going to be tricky with the bone, and I'm not suggesting the same grades used for steaks (too complicated and this is not a steak house, so...) but just asking if they want them WELL-COOKED or a bit less... I will go again and update ASAP.

OLD REVIEW Craigieburn is not exactly in the Middle East and so, if you wish to eat some good 'standard' ribs you should go somewhere else. I ordered beef boneless ribs and they tasted 90% lamb, because they had been probably cooked or marinated together. But the main issue is that here EVERYTHING tastes sweet, according to some Middle Eastern taste. Please give the option of ordering PLAIN ribs, and grilled them without any sauce. Let customers decide what sauce, what marinade, or...

"I arrived and there was no staff at the door to guide customers, even though this wasn't my first time visiting. I have never experienced such a negative reaction here before. Since no one was there, I entered and approached a table. Suddenly, a staff member came to me with a negative attitude, implying that I should have waited outside. If that’s the case, you should place a clear sign at the entrance or have someone present to instruct customers. Instead, I was already inside and then had to go back out.

After this incident, we placed an order for a burger meal including chips and drinks. When our order arrived, the sauces were incorrect—and I should mention, sauces here cost $3 extra. I politely asked if they could change them, and the staff member said ‘of course,’ then disappeared for around 10 minutes. During this wait, my burger and chips became cold. Furthermore, our drinks didn't arrive until another 10 minutes later. When I questioned the delay, the only response I got was that they were busy. But that shouldn't be my problem. If you're busy, you should ensure the food and drinks come together, or at least inform customers clearly. I paid for hot food and proper service, not cold food due to your delays.

Additionally, when I asked for the sauces to be corrected, the staff member gave me a mocking look, as if I was asking for something extra for free. I'm paying extra for these sauces, so at the very least, you should provide me with the correct ones without attitude.

These issues happened with an employee named Teina and two other staff members, who I assume were managers. Although I've previously recommended your burgers because of their taste, after this experience, I can confidently say I won't be back. I can easily find good burgers elsewhere. The staff here don't seem to value customers' experiences or concerns, acting as if they're always right. I also work in customer service, and regardless of how tired or busy we are, we always treat customers respectfully. I shouldn't have to deal with your poor attitudes simply because you’re busy. I definitely don't recommend this...

The service here completely ruined the experience, we arrived and were attended to and showed to a table quite quickly which was lovely. However, we ordered through the app and this is when the trouble started. Unbeknownst to us, the app order service had crashed soon after we arrived and they did not receive our order. We were seated for 40 minutes after we arrived and no one checked on our order or table the entire time. I realised they likely had forgotten or not received our order so I went to the counter to check and they told us that the service had been down since we arrived, and they had not informed us or checked on us. I was upset and the manager said it would be out soon with no apology. It took another 20 minutes for them to complete and deliver our order. The food was good but not good enough for an entire hours wait with no compensation!! And to boot, the food is decently expensive for a chain restaurant. The waitress that finally gave us our order was very kind and apologetic, it is only the fault of the management and the fact that the service crew is not attentive to the customers whatsoever. The management really needs to get on board because it's completely crazy we were sitting there for 40 minutes before having to ask personally...