Krystal — Restaurant in Cartersville

Today is Wednesday March 13 2024. I arrived around 3:30ish and ordered the Krystal combo number 1 and I had a special request, no onions or pickles, add ketchup. And also had to get my chili pup with no cheese and add mustard. Most places (when you ask for an additional condiment) will slather it on like there is no tomorrow.. I'm talking apocalyptic gooshing on there. So much so, that it is not edible. NOT TODAY BY GOLLY! My Krystals were absolutely perfect! They were hot, fresh, and the perfect proportion of mustard and ketchup. My tots were fresh out of the fryer and seasoned perfectly. Chili pups were ON POINT! And as an added bonus I got an apple pie and it was one of the best food chain desserts I've ever had. I'm seriously thinking about going back tomorrow just to get a sack full of pies! I want to give an extra special thanks to the crew that was working this afternoon. The General Manager Kristin, working the window was Robert, the cooks and other staff Rachel, Sierra, and Torre. I got to talk to Kristin, Robert, and Rachel for a moment while waiting for my order to come out and they were the kindest food service workers I've had the pleasure of talking to in a LONG time. I had to go back to the window after I ate my dinner to personally thank them all for a job well done. If you're a fan of Krystal, or if you have had a bad experience at another Krystal in the past, go to this location and give them a try. I promise you will not be disappointed. I truly felt like I was part of a family for those few brief moments that i was there. I'm not one to take pictures of my food before I eat like a lot of people do, so I'll apologize here for the lack of pictures, but try this... have your phone read my description above to you and close your eyes and let your imagination run wild while you think about those hot, steamed bun, krystals.... those tater tots that were fresh, hot, perfectly mealy on the inside with just a hint of crunch on the outside... and then on to that chili pup, perfectly steamed bun, that slight hint of spicy in the chili that makes your tongue want to slap your forehead, with that little drizzle of mustard calling out your name... and, oh my Lord, that apple pie, yum-to the by gawd-my! MMMMMM, MMMMM, MMMMM, MAKE YOU WANT TO SLAP SOMEBODY! I didn't realize how long this review was until I went back to proofread what I wrote before posting. Apologies for my long-windedness I'm...

I am editing my five star review. I just ordered food through the app to be picked up. As I arrive at the drive-through speaker, I was told that there would be a 15 minute wait on Krystals. I told her that that would be fine and I asked if they could remove the middle piece of bread from the double krystals. She told me that two of them had already been made and they were just waiting on the third one. I asked her if they were going to be fresh when I received them and she said yes. After sitting outside, waiting for my order when it arrived, one of my crystals was hot and fresh the other two was cold and crunchy. I told the employee when she came back outside to drop off another cars food and asked her if I could please have them remade. She told me to hold on. She would get the manager. Few minutes later she came outside and got the old burgers and took them inside. I asked her if she could please remove the middle piece of bread from the two that is being remade. A couple minutes later, A guy walked outside and handed me a bag with my new burgers in it. I opened the bag and checked the food, and it was the exact same burgers that I took and gave to the girl. They were cold hard and crunchy. So I drove around to the drive-through window and told them that the food was cold and I wanted it remade. The manager comes to the window immediately says that she has already made that order twice. I held up the burger and told her she can touch it and feel that it’s cold. She said that she was not going to touch it because if she did, she would have to remake it. I told her that I wanted it remade because I wanted it fresh. I explained to her that the one that I waited 15 minutes for was hot and fresh. I wanted these to the same. With an attitude, she said I will remake these, but I’m going to make them as they come. You can remove the middle piece of bread. I told her that was fine. She took the order from me and went and remade it. She had an attitude the whole time I talk to her, which was unacceptable to me. SHES A MANAGER!! I work hard for the money that I make and I don’t think that it’s so much to ask for good service and hot food, I was willing to sit and wait for it because I wanted it. But I wanted it fresh. Also on a positive note the chili cheese fries were the best that I’ve ever had from...

My wife and I have been going to this location since 1996, and we both even worked there at one point back in the day, so we take the opportunity to visit the restaurant whenever we're in town. The employees are very friendly, and this time was no exception. We were instructed to pull ahead and wait a few minutes for our order, which was fine, but because of the way the parking lot and drive through are constructed, you have to pull out of the lot and come back around to park; simply pulling ahead to wait means blocking the line. The concrete dividers prevent anyone from being able to go around you without jumping the curb. No biggie, but others need to be aware, as the vehicle directly behind us simply pulled forward and sat, blocking the line until the car behind them honked its horn.

The food could have been a bit better. The Krystal buns were all soggy and slimy around the edges--this happens when they are left in the steamer for too long, so the accumulated moisture drips down onto the bread, making it wet and pasty. I literally wiped the semi-liquid goo from the edges of all my Krystal. I normally don't complain about food (and I have loved Krystal burgers since they were less than a quarter each), but I couldn't eat them without wiping away the slimy parts. American pallets typically don't agree with mushy/savory textures, and I'm no different.

The only other gripe was that my wife's Krystals didn't have any pickles, so she had to go back inside. Overall, the food was fine, though. I don't expect every Krystal to be perfect when so many are made at once, and it's hard to always predict with any degree of accuracy, how many Krystal you may need to have ready so that the line doesn't get out of control. Maybe because I worked at various Krystals for a couple years in total, I'm more understanding about the struggles of getting the food just right, but it was still an enjoyable meal and we will always go back as long as...