Fuddruckers — Restaurant in Albuquerque

It's been a while since I'd visited a Fuddruckers mainly because I stopped eating red meat so much. The facility itself is nice and it comes all the good stuff including the delicious ice cream and cookie shop.

That being said.... There are no accommodations for social distancing! And to have an open "toppings" bar right now is not ideal. I literally saw a teenage boy wipe his nose on his wrist then grab the tongs to load his burger up with his choice of toppings. This is the part that I don't understand of open selection restaurants right now. Why not have one server man the toppings bar and they can add your toppings. I think it's OK to be cafeteria style service for a little while.

They should also take away some of the dining tables to provide adequate spacing between diners. I ordered the fish and sweet potato chips which is clearly not their forte. It was all over cooked. My husband found delight in his burger but he had the sweet potato chips also and was not too happy with those. My little one had a Hotdog and after struggling to put the big toasted bun in his mouth decided to just eat the weiner itself.

Lastly, there was a man walking around asking for change so that he can eat. He asked all of the customers and a couple of waitresses. But instead of doing anything about it they just let him wander around. I think the more appropriate thing to do would've been to ask him to leave. Maybe give him a courtesy bin of fries and send him on his way.

I think it will be awhile before I visit a Fuddruckers especially since their are so many other great choices...

Their prices are imminently reasonable, especially for the real estate they occupy, but our last visit was underwhelming--the beef in the 1/3 lb. burger contained small pieces of gristle or bone, and I hurt my teeth a couple of times while I chewed on it. Their onion rings were very mediocre, and their wedge fries were average. The condiments bar was well-stocked, however, and the staff was super-friendly.

We ordered a couple of milkshakes at the end of our meal, too, and I remember them being much better--these were poorly blended and made with softserve. Neither of my kids finished their shake, and that's saying something. The Oreos were really chunky, and the bottom half of the shake had no "mix-ins."

Final consideration: I don't know if this was a chain-wide decision or specific to this location, but everything except the baskets are now plastic or styrofoam: this includes utensils, as well as the glasses for the shakes. When I dine-in, I don't want to partake in so much plastic waste. I'd be willing to give this place another go--the burgers are competent, and the price is right, but I'll pass on the excess...

I've been eating at Fuddruckers for years, at multiple locations in multiple states. I've eaten at this store several times. And every time was wonderful - until now.

I had to wait two or three minutes for someone to come and take my order, but that wasn't a problem since I'm on vacation. The gentleman who took my order was professional and polite and competent, and on that basis I was going to leave a tip on the table.

But the food nixed that. I had a third pound Southwest burger, well done, and the only compliment I can give is that they cooked the right size to the right point. Beyond that it was a great disappointment. The bacon was gooey fat, the bun was squishy, and the taste was far below the quality I expect from Fuddruckers.

I don't often get to this store, because it's more expensive than fast food hamburger joints (though these days not a lot more), but I always keep it in mind because of the food. But if this is the quality I can now expect from Fuddruckers, I'll stick with Blake's Lotaburger or Whataburger, which are a bit cheaper, and considerably better than what I...