Knockout Burgers — Restaurant in Carlsbad

The first paragraph is from my 10 year old son, the rest is from me:

"Pretty depressing, especially compared to knockout pizza, their other company."

Eager to see how the knockout pizza philosophy would taste applied to a burger, we finally resisted getting pizza to try this fellow Knockout Concepts LLC company.

The polar opposite of knockout pizza, while the burger and fries weren't bad, I couldn't think of a place that they were better than. Habit, In N Out, Carl's JR, random restaurant burgers nearby (my son's a burger fiend so I've tried them all), they're all better.

Knockout Pizza is quality ingredients, quality kids who make sure to make a perfect pizza every time and give great service, a cute and clever atmosphere and a great Carlsbad feel but this place is poor atmosphere, a downtown San Diego hole in the wall feel, nothing special food, and bad service.

The first time I went there there was a guy who is clearly high working there and the other guy clearly frustrated who was trying to teach him saying things like what are you doing. The guy messed up our order and just couldn't figure out how to work the register. Both the guys were older. This time there was an older salt and pepper hair woman working the register, I didn't interact with her but she seemed to be special needs which I support if that's the case.

But the tall middle aged guy who works there appears to be pacing around bored between customers which seems to be most of the time because the place is a ghost town for good reason and then when someone comes in and orders a burger giving him something to do he switches to I hate my life mode and bothered that he has to do stuff. Him doing customer service very much feels like they took the Moody guy at school and forced him to join the Glee club, not only is it not in his wheelhouse but it seems to go against his very being to ask what you want and give basic pleasantries. He seems very much a bro and is matter of them so probably acceptable with certain type of bros but I can see why people like me feel the way we do about the way he does his job.

After giving it two tries, we definitely won't be back so I feel comfortable writing this review. I really don't see why the three guys who own both shops would allow one to be dismal and appear to have a complete inability to hire quality people whereas the other one is a great success full of how did you find young people of this quality employees. The only thing I can think of is that the tall guy is one of the owners and he has to run that one by himself and hire his own people for some reason, I'm guessing that he doesn't play well with other owners but that's just what my only possible guess at an explanation is and I have no real other basis for thinking that aside from my interaction with them and how great knockout pizza is.

I will say this, I rather enjoyed the watered down drinks at Knockout burgers, it was so easy to drink the Coke compared to the properly made Coke at other restaurants including knockout pizza. It was like the table wine of Coca-Cola. However now that I am on that subject, I just remembered how awful and undrinkable the Orange Fanta was because it was so watered down it didn't even look like Fanta. That was particularly disappointing because my son and I were both pretty jazzed to see Fanta...

I've been coming to Knockout Burger in Carlsbad for many years, and I have to say this is the all-time worst experience I've ever had here.

Was on our way home, my girlfriend and I, so we called in an order to go, expecting the food to be ready in about 10 - 15 mins as it usually is, even when its been busy. After repeating our order over the phone multiple times because the woman on the other end was either multi-tasking or not listening, was told our food would be ready "in about 30 mins". Parked out back in the parking lot and waited for about 20 mins before we went in to pay and pick up our food. Soon as we entered, the guy at the cash register fiddled around with whatever was in front of him for a few minutes before noticing my girlfriend and I and saying hi. We told him we were there to pick up a phone-in order and that our order was to-go, and he looked at us as if we were speaking a foreign language that he didn't understand, before running around looking for our order but looking more like he was chasing invisible fireflies. When he finally found the order on the prep table underneath some packaging or something, he looked like he was reading hieroglyphics, even though we know he's worked there for a while now, and told us he would ring us up after. So my girlfriend and I took a seat and waited patiently. We watched kids run into the kitchen and watched staff replenish baskets of fries for a table of what appeared to be family / friends before our food was even being taken care of, while we waited another 15 mins or so. At this point, we were the only other order waiting to be prepared. Another guy showed up and walked into the kitchen, who I figured worked there as well, and began to open up a beer for himself and his coworker before he ACTUALLY got to work. Once he had his "liquid courage", he kind of stumbled around in the kitchen for another 5-10 minutes before he walked over and asked me what my order was and if it was dine-in or take out. We clearly stated our order when we called it in and that the order was to go and repeated that when we showed up to pick up our food. When we finally got our food, there was no apology or compensation or ANYTHING at the register for the lack of communication among staff regarding our order, or making us wait extra long so they could joke and chit chat while they "prepared our food".

From the VERY POOR sanitation (no washing hands after picking up the phone or wiping down surfaces and then going back to cooking and prepping orders), to drinking on the job in front of customers, to the absurd amount of poor communication among each other and waiting customers, the service here was DISGUSTING!!! They claim they have an "A" health rating and 3 1/2 stars??? I would investigate further and get this placed re-checked and get a new rating. Definitely not an "A" health rating and DEFINITELY NOT 3 1/2 stars anymore. More like 2, 2 1/2 at most.

I'm so upset that a great local burger place I've been coming to for many years has gone so far down hill. If this place is to succeed again and become the awesome local burger joint it used to be, they got A LOT of work to do. I'm very disappointed in Knockout Burger and what...

TL,DR - I spent $18 for two burgers that took over an hour, was treated rudely, and were barely edible. Never got a call back from management after I called to complain.

Came in on Monday afternoon, I have previously told my boyfriend about this place and was excited to bring him here. There was 7 other people inside. Only a family of 4 waiting for there food. We stood there for 20 minuets before we were even able to order. My mistake for not leaving after that. After she finished he family order she didn’t say a word to us still and started another order. By this time a line had started behind us of about 10 people. She calls out to the line asking for the call in order and then finally acknowledged us by giving us an annoyed look that she finally had to take our order in order to charge the call in. She takes out order has the call in pay and then goes back to cooking. Ten minuets later she takes everyone else in lines order. She disappears for about five minuets then makes fries. She drops of the fries to two teenage girls who barely walked in 5 minutes ago. We have now been here for about 45 minuets. She then goes and starts a hot dog, not what we ordered and then drops two patties which I am hoping is ours at this point. She finishes the hot dog and then kinda looks over and see’a me watching her and just puts it in the back. I am not sure if the hot dogs were for the girls who I a guessing are her kids. She finishes the order walks up to a family that’s only been there for 15 mins and asks if our order is there’s and tries to give it to them. My boyfriend walks up and says it’s his she gives it to him and we leave without one apology for the walk or anything else from her. When I get home both of our burgers are completely undercooked and my bun is burned. I call in and someone else answers letting me know they just came in. I left my name and phone number and was told to expect a call back. Today is Thursday morning I have not received one call at this point. I tried to call yesterday and wasn’t able to get through. Do yourself a favor skip and head over to anywhere else even preferably fast food you’d get better treatment and more edible cooked food. Would have been willing to reconsider it I ever got a call back from management but they...