The Spot — Restaurant in Carpinteria

I came out to The Spot on a recommendation from a friend who's a Carp local. He's always gushing about how amazing the food is so I drove out from SCV to give it a try. All I can say is that the entire experience was quite disappointing. I didn't mind that the lines and wait times were long nor that there was limited seating space since it's the closest lunch spot from the beach. However, what irked me was the dismal service from the staff and undercooked food. The girl at the front seemed completely disinterested in taking our order. When I went to pick up my order from the window, the server forgot our malt and drinks. After asking them repeatedly, I had to wait over ten minutes to get our drinks. By the time I got back to my table, the food was clammy and cold. I also distinctly asked them for fries well done, but instead recieved half frozen fries. Also, the meat on the burgers weren't cooked through and were excessively pink. I like my steaks rare, but I definitely dare not risk eating rare burgers. In the end I tossed out most of the food. The only positive is that they have ample parking spaces in the back and a clean bathroom. Their food and service are...

As a local, it kills me to leave such a low review for a restaurant that holds so many great memories.

The burgers still taste great. The service is HORRIBLE. Cashiers clearly don’t enjoy their jobs, give attitude, and seem to care more about playing on their phones than doing anything else. 4 out of 5 times they either forget a burger or give us the wrong order completely. One cashier outright lied and said they don’t carry a soda brand we asked for when they clearly do, and one of the cooks had to come around and get the drink for us since the girl apparently was refusing to serve us.

I see responses to similar reviews encouraging customers to notify the counter of any issues with the order. That’s a tall ask when the girls at the counter pretty much just roll their eyes at you when you try to order at the window or ask to pay for a side of ranch at the pickup counter. It’s just sad to see such a great place get run into the ground by poor attitudes...

The Spot is a community establishment and that generational love is felt in every aspect of this restaurant.

The service is friendly and oddly personable for the brief minute or so it took to place my order. The atmosphere is immaculate as the shack feels out of time and right at home simultaneously. Locals have been coming here for generations and I completely understand why — something about this place is just so comforting.

The cheeseburger, while simple, made me smile — I was genuinely filled with happiness while eating it. It is flavored with the seasonings that can only come from a well loved griddle. All the vegetables played their part to add textual variety.

The chili cheese fries were good — especially during a gray beach day. Covered in melted cheddar and a warm, well spiced, and chunky chili, you couldn’t ask for anything more.

While The Spot won’t knock your socks off, it is a simple burger and fries made with love, as cheesy...