Carl's Jr. Glendale — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

What a let down. I have been to Carls Jr many times overseas, as well as this branch when it first opened. It is known for really large, high quality burgers that - shock horror - look the same as what they do on the menu board.

But this trip in April 2023 was not the case First thing - The price is about up about 25% since my last visit. I got a Hawaiian Angus combo for just under $20. Happy to pay though as I'm used to burgers being large and satisfying.

Second thing - I got the burger and sadly it was not much bigger than a Maccas cheese burger. About half the size I remember from previous visits. 3 bites and it was gone. The meat quality has also declined. It was very mushy and didn't have the flame grill taste I remember. It was also a perfect circle - sign of mass produced sludge.

Carls Junior are famous for a sauce bar which has fresh salsas, chopped tomatoes and jalapeños etc. Not at Glendale - only a small sign that you can request some sauces in plastic packs.

No doubt covid and inflation has this this place hard. It looks like their solution has been to cut corners and quality. But that only disappoints customers and drives them away when expectations are not met.

I would encourage Carl's Jnr to restore the quality they used to have. Even though people are spending less these days, they will still splash out for treats providing they are getting a good product. But I won't be splashing out on Carls Jnr anymore after today.

I hope someone from the head office in the US would come out and see this place. It falls well below the standards seen globally and currently damaging the brand in Australia.

My suggestion - go to Hungry Jacks instead, you'll get double the quality at half the price. - something I thought I'd never say about Carls Jnr.

Positives - Staff were great and...

Let's just say our visit was a first and definitely a last. We sat at a table that had been wiped down but was not clean. The napkin dispensers were filthy. I took photos of the one at our table, which was empty, as well as the table next to us. As you can see, it's unhygienic! Basic cleanliness, people! The onion rings were basically inedible. The majority were the outer layer of the onion that we all throw away! It's hard, chewy, and impossible to swallow. The other rings were coated with so much batter that I couldn't find them! Disgusting... The actual burger - if you could call it that - was disgusting. As you can see in the photo with the finger next to the (and I say this with tongue in cheek) burger, it's minute, small, tiny, little, kids sized but with the price of an adult burger. Who are they kidding? I'll never complain about Maccas downsizing again. This place brings it to a new level. The ANGUS patty was so burnt it could have been the neighbours cat. I'm serious here. No taste, and if I'd banged it on my dirty table, the table would have come off second best! I could go on, but look closely at the photos, and you'll see why I am suffering eye tics and drooling from nerves several weeks after my visit there! 🥴 Highly discourage anyone with any tastebuds to go there 🥺😂

UPDATE: Management contacted me regarding my review with a 'let's chat'! They even supplied a link for me to use...... THAT DOESN'T WORK!!! My opinion of this store goes lower, and I didn't think that was...

As this is fast food, I have scaled up my ratings a little because fast food isn't meant to be fine dining...having said that, still unimpressed. They are charging gourmet prices for basic fast food experience.

The staff were lovely & they did their job as expected so 5 stars for the staff & the service. The order was correct & served in a pretty decent time frame. Everyone seemed happy & friendly. Can't ask for anything more than that from fast food staff. :)

The dine in experience is, meh. It is OK. Middle of the road experience. The bathroom was clean but the table was sticky & the floor needed a sweep. The place is also in the strangest spot which makes getting to it slightly dangerous as you have to cross the drive through to get inside & Newy drivers are some of the worst I have encountered in Australia.

The food though. So underwhelming. The size, flavour, & texture are not what you would expect for this price point. For what you pay, you are better off going to Burger Urge for upmarket burgers or a local fish & chip shop for old school burgers. Don't pay upscale prices for what is no better than a Maccas or HJs burger. Nothin was outright bad, just not what we were expecting for almost $20 per meal at a...