Carl's Jr. Bateau Bay — Restaurant in New South Wales

I hate to have to write this review but I did email the company via their website to discuss but no reply. Our first attempt when the story opened failed to score a burger as the wait was over 3 hours. So we waited a few months before trying again. The drive from the Sutherland Shire to Bateau is long but enjoyable. The visit on Saturday 23JUL16 was planned and I was excited. We got a car park space which was a good start and my wife trusted my ordering skills so off she went to score the best booth in the place. I waited about 15 minutes in line to order. Only 1 person taking the orders with 3 POS registers but the girl was lovely and I ordered something of everything. Thick burger w/o cheese, thick burger wiht avocado and bacon, chicken strips, chicken sandwich, onion rings, fries, choc shake and oreo shake. $45 seemed fair. The order was delivered to our table in record speed of about 5-6 minutes. Amazing. And then...uggghh. The burgers were not hot, the meat actually looked diseased as it had some score marks on one side and the other side was pale and sickly. The taste was dry and not nice at all - no char-grilled flavor whatsoever. We both ate about 1/4 of the burger leaving the rest for the bin. (I took a photo of the meat but this review site doesn't allow for image upload). The chicken strips were fantastic, the onion rings fantastic (although not hot) the fires were just ok and not hot, the chicken sandwich was tasty and hot but the bun fell apart. The choc shake and the oreo shakes are amazing! Unlike McDonald's who do not have Milk shakes or ice cream cones (because there is not enough milk product in them to qualify) they have soft serve and thick shakes. Crl's Jr is you ever read this review...don't open anymore stores in Australia until you get the first 2 locations cooking what your wall clearly states -...

I often stop by Carls Jr for lunch or dinner when passing up or down the coast. The burgers are always filled with fresh and delicious salad. Their pricing is ever so slightly higher than alternative burger houses and yet their portions and flavor more than make up the difference. One of our favorites is the Portobello Mushroom Burger with Onion Rings and a Hand Scooped ice-cream shake... and the hand-breaded chicken strips. Sometimes we stop by for a hot chocolate or a shake and other times it's for a meal. Their burgers are delicious... and a little messy at time. I've been surprised with their consistency over the last couple of years that they've been open... and have previously complimented the staff for their food and service. This might be fast-food but it's nice to have a change from the alternatives and it's certainly flavorsome.

I'd have given them 5 stars if it wasn't for an incident where we tried their Drive Through Service on a hot summer's day and got stuck behind 6 other cars with large orders. Our shakes were left sitting in the sun for 15 minutes and became unpalatable by the time they were handed to us. I questioned the two young window staff who replied: "Oh? they still look okay". I suggested they might need to be remade. The staff didn't feel a need to heed my suggestion. Those shakes might have looked fine but we had to throw them in the trash immediately after leaving the Drive Through. Warm "thick" milk-based shakes are not palatable during a hot day. Lesson learned: Order inside if you can.

Other than this singular incident, the menu is broad enough for a US-based burger joint now located in Australia ...and it's always a pleasure to stop by for a bite to eat. Let's hope they bring Root Beer to Australia someday. Keep up the good...

This review would have been very different a year or so ago. I loved this store when it first arrived. The huge burgers were great and they seemed to be constantly adding new items to the menu, Plus the shakes were some of the best of any fast food chain (definitely better than Maccas).

However, after my now final journey today. I have to say they have really let the ball down.

I began by venturing over to the store (something I do on special occasion) and ordering my favourite meal, which mind you seemed to be the most consistent option to get. The large 6 tender combo, 1 for myself and 1 for my sister. I also got the shake upgrade and grabbed that lotus biscoff shake. Seemed pretty good so far, the young lady read the order back and all was well.

When we got the food, we were greeted with 2 large chips and 6 "star nuggets" which are different to tenders. I was a little frustrated but I gave the benefit of the doubt, as considering when I did pay I noticed it was a lot cheaper then usual. So, I figured Id try the food when I get home and worst comes to worst we got chips and I got one of my favourite shakes.

The nuggets and chips were appalling, They tasted like they had been sitting under the heater for a week. Not only were they terrible, my poor shake had been tarnished. It wasn't even mixed! There was a massive pool of flavouring at the bottom and half the shake was whipped cream! Normally its just the top! I went home and re-blended it myself!!!

This isn't the first let down I have had at the restaurant in recent months but I have to say, what was once semi inconsistent service has now reached a whole new low.

I'm not entirely sure if its new management or a high staff turnover that is causing the recent decline. Either way, I don't think I will be venturing back...