State Burger Co. — Restaurant in Bellefonte

I typically do not write reviews for restaurants or anybody really, unless I have a truly bad experience. As humans, we tend to forget good experiences in general and dwell on the bad...telling friends and family all about how awful something was.

Today I'd like the record to show that this is my first exceptional review. Why would I take the time to write a review about a good experience? Well, in part to set the record straight, and in part because I have been there before myself. You see, I have owned not one, but two restaurants. Not just worked in them, but owned them. So I poured my time, my entrepreneurial spirit, my energy, my sweat and my tears into making something from nothing. Owning a restaurant is so much different than working in one because you have got skin in the game....lots of it. And although you work like a dog to make it something unique and special, life comes at you with tons of challenges and so there is a learning curve every time, whether you have owned other restaurants in the past or not.

It is my understanding that this restaurant opened last week. Last week! And CHRISTMAS WEEK TO BOOT!! The negative review I read from a patron not "wowed" by the "waitstaff's additude" left me wondering why someone would visit a brand new restaurant in its FIRST week if you are not prepared with the mind set that likely the wait staff is new, the cooks are new to the recipes, the kitchen equipment and layout is new, the estimate of the number of patrons they will see at any moment is a total guess initially and so just maybe you could cut them a break at least for the first week or two while they work out the kinks?

Typically, I never visit a new restaurant until weeks, or even months after it opens for this very reason. The only reason I went the beginning of week two was because a friend, who's pallet is very discriminating, raved about it on facebook. So, I promptly went with my daughter, who is twelve, but is a self proclaimed food and burger snob (we are talking Kobe or grass fed and locally sourced or forget it kind of kid). She ordered her first burger called Plain & Simple, which is literally that...burger and bun, and so nothing to interfere with these two completely elementary but critically important components and flavors. She finished the burger and for the first time in history, my slender waif-like daughter asked if she could order a second burger. She ate the second one in minutes, proclaiming they were the best burgers in town, including State College, and rivaled only her beloved Kobes.

The price was unbelievable reasonable and the fries are amazing. Jillian, our waitress, recommended I upgrade from the raw brussels sprouts to the fried ones (ordered extra crispy fried an additional 30 seconds) my next time around (which I did) and all I can say is they were amazing, sweet, crunchy and perfectly complimented the saute'd mushrooms and field greens atop my burger on my second visit two days later. To end, both my experiences on Week 2 of State Burger Co. were exceptional in food, service, friendliness, cleanliness, decor and all around amazing-ness. I talked to proprietor Sean Burke on both visits as he made his way around the dining room checking in with patrons and asking for feedback (impressive). He was exceedingly warm, kind and had demeanor of fun, tongue-in-cheek humor that permeates his establishment. Well done my friend. Very well done! Don't miss the chance to try this place out! And by the way, I give it 5 stars....for some reason Google was only letting me give 3.5 stars....but it is 5...

After hearing positive reviews about State Burger Co. from several friends and seeing an intriguing menu online, my family of 4 decided to try the restaurant out for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, I can't actually tell you how the food was because we never got the chance to eat.

When we walked in there were two larger families in front of us one was of 10 people the other was about 5 people. The hostess was no where to be found so I stood at the podium for at least 5-10 minutes before I even saw the hostess. It was busy so I decided to cut the staff some slack and waited patiently while she joined a couple of tables and sat the large group of 10. Finally the hostess asks how many were in my party. I told her 4 and asked how long the wait would be, her response was "I don't know I will have to check with the kitchen". At this point I should have known this wasn't going to work because there isn't a whole lot a hostess needs to know but the wait time is at the very top of that list. But again, it was busy and I was trying to give the staff the benefit of the doubt so I stepped back to allow the other people in line add their names to the list. At this point the hostess walked away and began clearing tables and seating the family of 5 that was in front of us. After about another 10-15 minutes she walks up to the podium and asks how many people are in the next party waiting in line (the ones that were behind us). They respond, she collects the necessary number of menus and seats them immediately. Meanwhile we are standing off to the side still not seated. At this point I turned to my husband and told him to bring the kids to the car. As I walk to the podium to express my frustration another woman who was waiting in line said to me "Haven't you been waiting in line before that family" to which of course I said yes we were.

I approached the podium and wait another 5 minutes for her to reappear and pointed out that we came in before the other family and yet she sat them before us. Her response (with an inappropriate attitude) was "You are going to be seated at the table in the back". When I explained to her that the point is we were there first she simply said "I am sorry". I told her we were leaving and walked out. One of the most important things a hostess has to do is maintain the seating order of the clientelle. There are very few exceptions to this rule and our situation was not one of those exceptions. When it was all said and done we wasted a solid 30 minutes for nothing.

It sounds like the food is good and the decor was pleasant. But the owners need to step up their game and find better qualified staff. This is a sit down restaurant not a fast food joint. The staff needs to have the proper skills to make the traffic flow so people will not get pissed off and leave before they even get a chance to try the food.

I should also add that as a result of the pile of people waiting at the podium at least 4 families came in and left without even asking how long the wait was.

This place has a lot of potential, unfortunately they will not last long without making some...

We really wanted to like State Burger. Bellefonte seems to be going through a mini-resurgence, with several new eating and drinking establishments opening in the past few years. It's a welcome alternative to the college-oriented establishments and service you get in State College and we eat in Bellefonte at least once every weekend.

Being a new place, it's been pretty busy on weekend nights, but we were able to get a table for two after just a 15 minute wait at 7:30 pm on a Saturday. There were comfortable seats available while we waited.

You order by choosing burger, bun and topping options off a short checklist. Easy and quick. Good selection of conventional and non-conventional toppings.

It was St. Paddy's Day, so we started off with a coffee-soda drink special (non-alcoholic - they don't have a liquor license). The drink was unusual, but quite tasty. After about 15 minutes, out came the burgers and fries. Alas, this is where things went downhill. The fries were soggy and oil-soaked. They tasted like they either weren't pre-fried or were fried in oil that wasn't hot enough to produce a crispy texture. 4 out of 10 points.

The burgers looked fantastic and, indeed, the toppings were outstanding and the freshly made patty looked quite appealing. However, the beef had no taste and was served lukewarm. 6 out of 10 points.

The dining experience (atmosphere, wait staff) was excellent. The building has some really cool lighting and the tables are spaced well. Kudos for not trying to make a few extra bucks by jamming tables close together. The wait staff and management were extremely attentive, friendly and helpful. 10 out of 10 points.

State Burger has a number of positive reviews, so I'm hoping we just had a bad experience. However, when you basically serve 2 signature items - burgers and fries - you need to do it well consistently. We'll give it another try in the future and hope...