C.F. Penn Hamburgers — Restaurant in Decatur

My husband and I stopped in due to the interesting color/decor on the exterior of the building as well as the notice that it was "Legendary Since 1927". We don't understand what the legend might be...

The environment is what I call "evolved into retro", meaning it hasn't been updated in a long time. That's fine; I like a little real life going on and not having everything be cookie cutter, like a chain. There's a limited menu, but we were there for the "legendary" hamburgers, so that's what we ordered. The only toppings available for their full order were mustard and chopped onions. We were given packets of mayo to have on the side. The service was pretty quick, but we'd gotten there right at noon, so any lunch rush hadn't yet formed.

The onion rings were great. They were thin, but well cooked and crunchy. The hamburgers were... soft. Really soft, like uncooked in the middle. It was like biting into mush. My husband was really hungry, so he ate his entire burger. I managed four bites, but it was an unpleasant sensation for me and I quit.

We left, with no plans to return. That night we were sitting with some friends and mentioned our lunch date and everyone simultaneously said, "Yuck!" One said, "Everyone knows not to go there." ??? Really? It's been around a long time, so I figured I was just missing something. Nope. The hamburger patties are deep-fried, not grilled, something I definitely did not catch (which is lame, since there's no kitchen and the cooks are right there frying up lunch in front of everyone).

Apparently Penn's is an acquired taste, but I don't plan to visit again to build...

5 thumbs down. I went today as recommended by client. I was impressed with the line of people and thought this was going to be a great lunch. The price was surprisingly cheap for a double cheeseburger, 1st clue. After ordering I saw the patties on the grill submerged in a bubbling liquid that turns out to be beef fat. 2nd clue....I began to question my choice for lunch. I tried an onion ring first. It was nothing special but edible, most likely from a bulk of frozen onion rings. Then I tried the “double cheeseburger”, the texture of the patties was quite offensive. The patties were crispy on the outside and gooey mush on the inside that tasted like what I would imagine a wet newspaper would taste like. I ate all the onion rings but couldn’t stomach but a few bites of the so called burger. I’m quite certain sure my dog would reject the meat stuff they call a burger. In comparison I would rate McDonalds a 5 star gourmet meal to this place. A little Google search for slug burger was revealing and if you don’t know what that is already then I recommend you steer clear from this abomination. Oh and not that this is the restaurant’s fault but as I was leaving I had to walk through the line of people and I swear someone there was toting around a load in their pants. I thought I was gonna hurl. This was a very unpleasant lunch experience and I wish would have just bought a sandwich from the vending machine in...

WHY AFTER 40 YEARS OF EATING AT PENNS WILL I NEVER EAT THERE AGAIN? Concerning Penns , it's not like they have some awesome food that is above all others. No it's just what most people consider "Nasty burgers" but I would get a "hankering" about once a week and partly just nostalgic reasons I would stop in and spend a few bucks. Unfortunately with the current staff I just can't force myself to give them business any longer. I watched one of the young ladies engage with a elderly man .. went something like this....the man ordered his food. She told total. He paid her. When she gave him his change he politely informed her she owed him $5 more. Well she looked lost and ill. He struck me as being a honest man who probably was very financially stable. He informed her that he only had 1 bill in his pocket and it was a $20 and she typed on that he gave her $15.... Now we must remember....this is her mistake - not his. She sternly informed him (and the entire crowd) that she "will give you the $5 THIS TIME but next time they will have to stop and count the register down" ....I'm thinking...next time? The staff is not always rude but certainly 100% of the time show zero abilities in customer service. Now let's talk about all the time I look at their posted hours of business and I drove 15-20mins only to find out they closed 3 hours early or did not...