Bagger Dave's — Restaurant in Centerville

I do not usually leave bad reviews, especially for restaurants that I like, but my family and I had a horrible experience at this location last night after having been turned away due to the party’s size. Yesterday was my college graduation ceremony, and we had made plans to go out to bagger Dave’s afterwards. Knowing it was taking place on a Wednesday Night, and BaggerDaves is one of the only restaurants in the area that is open till 11 on a weeknight, I called the restaurant about a week and a half in advance just to confirm that they would be able to manage a group of our size (30+ people). Once I confirmed they do not take reservations, I asked if they thought it would be okay to just walk in with my group. The employee on the phone said that it would be totally fine and that they would be able to seat us, just possibly split up at different tables (which is totally understandable). We then called several times day-of just to give them a reminder that our group was coming in that evening, however they did not answer the phone. Once the first few members of my party arrived and told them the rest of the group was on their way, they straight up told my family that they would not be seating us at all. Again, I understand the size of the group was very large and we were coming in after the dinner rush when closing up tasks are starting (~3 hours before closing). I just wish they had communicated to me in the original phone call that they would not be able to accommodate a group of that size at that time. Instead, we were left scrambling to find a restaurant, who then didn’t have any notice of our large group coming in, and I just felt horrible.

My partner and I like the food at Bagger Dave’s and he loves their draft beer selection, but they are not the vibe for large groups, and they definitely need to better communicate with their customers because that was just unreasonable.

If you do have a large group and are looking for somewhere in centerville, go check out El Asadero because they were extremely accommodating to my family and the service, food, and...

Ok, I wasn't going to do a review. But I recalled the conversations I had about this place prior to eating here, which was the reason I did not. I heard from numerous people that Bagger Dave's was no good. I mean, from everyone to whom I ever mentioned the name. I don't recall how I ended up eating there because I had decided to avoid doing so based on the word of mouth which was all negative. Read on, for the truth is sometimes elusive.

I have eaten at this establishment many times now and Bagger Dave's is GREAT. It's really very very good. It's actually one of my favorite places at the moment. I like everything about it.

The food is innovative but never dumb - when you see a Trainwreck Burger you sort of get suspicious - but everything I've eaten here has been excellent. They've got good beverages of all types, the appetizers are different and interesting (the Crispy Fried Artichokes are dandy), and the burgers are surprising and varied and worth your time and money. There are things I've not tried, but the consistency present in the items I have speaks to a likely positive outcome. Go. Eat.

It surprises to state that my favorite burger comes from Bagger Dave's but that's the truth. The Bacon BBQ burger is a fine, well balanced set of tastes and the cheese and caramelized onions place this at the top of my list. I intend to try all of them so this may not last as a top recommendation.

Anyway, you can be confident that Bagger Dave's is worth your money. I am considerably less confident about the opinions of...

This is a burger tavern, and the burgers are decent. Not as good as, say, Five Guys, but not bad. The ambiance is appropriate, so it's a fine place to sit and have a meal. And you certainly will be spending lot of time there for your meal! Our issue with this place is how long it takes to deliver the food. When me, my wife, and my daughter go it is typically 45 minutes between the time we order our food and the time it's delivered to the table. If there are only two of us dining the wait drops to 35 minutes between order and delivery. I don't believe this is the fault of the servers - it's a problem with the kitchen. And I'm talking about ordering burgers from the menu, not specialty items. I can understand if I ordered baked Alaska it might take awhile for the kitchen to make it, but I'm ordering burgers IN A "BURGER TAVERN". Are they cutting a cow from the herd out back and butchering it for each burger they make? What is going on in that kitchen that requires 35 minutes to prepare 2 burgers? And like I commented earlier, it's not as though the burgers here are outstanding - they are middling at best - so all that prep time sure isn't yielding worthwhile results. This obscene delay is happening even when the restaurant is less than 60% full! Do NOT go here hungry, especially if it's busy - you will die and leave an emaciated corpse. Or consider bringing a meal with you to eat while you wait for the one you...