The WORKS Craft Burgers & Beer — Restaurant in Ottawa

This is my preferred location of The Works, and we've been patrons for many years. Regrettably, our most recent visit didn't live up to past experiences. The quality of the food and its presentation were noticeably inferior compared to our previous visits.

The food was presented in a noticeably smaller tray, with side fries served in a stainless steel bowl that seemed more confined. Both the burger bun and patty appeared smaller than usual, while the typically generous serving of sweet potato fries was diminished and disappointingly oily and overcooked. The excessive oil collected at the bottom of the bowl, which was off-putting (see attached photos).

Our experience was further marred by a confusion over coupon redemption. We received a coupon from this specific location in the mail, but the staff seemed uninformed about its validity. It was only after verification with the management over the phone that they acknowledged it. Additionally, a member of our group had a birthday coupon issued via email from The Work's corporate office, and the staff insisted it should be printed out. We clarified that the terms and conditions did not stipulate a printed version, but only required an ID to be presented to the staff. After another call to the manager, they "exceptionally" accepted it. Given we've regularly used birthday coupons since their introduction, this was an unwelcome surprise. It's crucial that management keeps staff updated on ongoing promotions and the associated terms and conditions, to avoid such unnecessary complications.

Furthermore, the tables were unpleasantly sticky, reportedly due to a worn-off laminate from cleaning chemicals, as explained by a staff member. This added to our overall disappointment with this visit to a usually favorite location. Consequently, we are inclined to explore other The Works' locations for our future visits.

However, I want to commend Sarah, our server, who was incredibly friendly and did her utmost to ensure a pleasant dining experience. We expressed our disappointment to Sarah, who suggested we share our mobile number with the branch manager for follow-up.

We received a call from the manager today, and despite communicating our concerns, his response was merely an apology for the inconvenience, with an expressed hope that we would return. There was no justification offered for the slip in standards, nor did he display significant empathy, which further impacted our overall impression of...

Where do I even begin with my experience at Disgusting Diner? This so-called burger restaurant managed to reach new lows in terms of taste, service, and overall ambiance. If you're looking for a dining experience that will leave you regretting every life decision that led you here, then this is the place for you.

Let's start with the burgers themselves. I have never tasted anything so utterly repulsive in my entire life. The patty was a sad excuse for meat, cooked to a rubbery texture that would make a shoe sole jealous. It was devoid of any flavor, completely tasteless, and left me questioning if I had accidentally bitten into a cardboard cutout instead. To add insult to injury, the buns were stale and seemed to have been sitting out for days, resembling hardened hockey pucks more than anything edible.

Moving on to the toppings, if you can even call them that. The lettuce was wilted and brown, as if it had been forgotten in a forgotten corner of the refrigerator for weeks. The tomatoes were unripe and flavorless, resembling tasteless plastic slices that had been artificially colored red. And don't get me started on the cheese – a processed, plasticky substance that refused to melt, clinging to the patty like a bad joke.

As for the service, it was an absolute nightmare. The staff seemed completely disinterested in their jobs, lacking any semblance of customer service skills. They were slow, inattentive, and seemed genuinely annoyed by the presence of customers. It took an eternity for my order to arrive, and when it did, it was cold and sloppily assembled.

The overall ambiance of the restaurant was equally disappointing. The place was dirty, with sticky tables and floors that made me question the cleanliness of the entire establishment. The lighting was harsh and uninviting, and the decor was a haphazard mix of outdated, mismatched furniture that seemed like it had been salvaged from a thrift store.

In conclusion, Disgusting Diner is an absolute disgrace to the concept of a burger restaurant. From the tasteless, poorly cooked patties to the stale buns and lackluster toppings, everything about this place screams culinary disaster. Add to that the abysmal service and grimy atmosphere, and you have a perfect recipe for disappointment. Save your taste buds and your sanity and avoid this place...

updated December 2024: Ended up back here for chicken burgers and a special poutine, they were delicious! Well made, very much worth the money this time. Things have improved! Updated to 3 stars for food and service, as we were still missing the sauce on the burger. Atmosphere still 1 star as it's cold, music is extremely loud inside and out, and small.

old review: If you've never had the Works before 2016, this restaurant is fine. If you remember when they had ground turkey burgers, roasted red peppers as a topping, and white pepper slaw, this unfortunately is no longer that wonderful place. Prices increased but quality decreased. There isn't as much care put into making sure your order is correct - always something wrong whether the wrong topping or missing an item entirely.

Today I waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for 2 meals. I was told pick up at 5:50pm and didn't get my meal until 6:25pm. A customer before me also waited over an hour. The music was blaring and playing outdated songs you could hear from the road. The waitress seemed distressed and it seemed like there was only 1 cook on shift despite it being a weekend. I was given 'coupons' as an apology but one was a special they're doing during March Break that everyone gets, and the other was the free Tower of Rings with purchase that I have many of already, as it's for dine-in only. My meal was cooked fresh, which is great, but my daughter ended up eating something else while waiting for our meal, and my burger had bacon instead of the bacon roasted tomatoes I paid extra for. After spending $75 on this pick-up order, I think it's time to give up the Works. It'll never be what it used to be, and at the price, I will sadly chose elsewhere from now on for my rare chances at...