Sten’s Burger Strand — Restaurant in Dunsmuir

I'm so sad to report that we visited Sten's again today August 31st 2024. The wonderful surprise I wrote about before has turned into kind of a nightmare.

I don't see any sign of the family who used to own the place and I think that's the explanation for what follows here.

I didn't see any adults working, and while I don't like to criticize teenagers doing their job, an adult manager may have made a very different experience for us. The order taking was lackluster and with lots of distractions because the young person did not know the menu prices, combo details, etc.

Substitutions which were agreed to did not show up on the bill, with the cost ended up being higher because of it.

There was not a single order in before ours that two hamburgers and an order of tots and fries took more than 30 minutes to get prepared.

The food was nowhere near the quality of previous visits. We watched The tots, fries, and hamburger patties be pulled from the frozen food bags they were bought from the store in. We both had cheese on our burger and it was almost impossible to tell that cheese had been added. The meat in the mushroom burger tasted exactly the same as the meat in the beef burger.

No hair nets were being worn, nor were any food service gloves used. The cleanliness inside the small cooking area looked like it left a lot to be desired.

And here's the kicker - for these two hamburgers, store-bought frozen tots and fries, and two milkshakes (The chocolate was quite good, the strawberry was ho hum), The bill was $63.04. The clerk actually announced the total at $54 which was shocking enough, but then the system added a 20% tip that she had not said anything about so when we ran the card it actually came out to $63 and change. We nearly canceled the order and left - we both wish we had listened to that first instinct.

Slow service, no adult supervision, a drastic drop in the quality of food compared to what we had there before, outrageous pricing.

It is no wonder that nobody was ordering anything when we got there, while Yak's, 200 ft away was filled to capacity.

Unfortunately, we are down to two burger outlets in Dunsmuir which we will frequent - Yak's and Burger Barn.

I encouraged the folks at Sten's to take this honest criticism to heart. The previous family who owned the place was quite successful. Look back to their menu, their quality ingredients, their attention to detail, and you may find you will have a line of people outside like they did. However, you will definitely need to drastically cut your prices or you will not be around long.

Original review: Wonderful surprise! The Ramon burger was awesome, the onion rings we're perfect and the little beignet treats were delectable. And the shakes were truly old-fashioned and delicious.

This family operation is also very endearing, with friendly, homestyle service and attention - like going home for a meal!

Best kept secret in Dunsmuir? Not for long, I think. Try them and you'll see...

I visited for two days. The first day I had Stens "smashed" burger. This burger would be considered their straight forward burger. I decided to have grilled onions added since they didn't have bacon. Of course I added a shake. It was jamm'n and full of flavor. The bun was perfect, I forgot to ask, but I think it was a brioche bun? I was so happy because not only was it delicious but it didn't cost me an arm and leg. The second day was the best by far. Just happened to be a day where they had a BBQ menu. I decided on the pulled pork "Filthy Swine" sandwich but because of how good my first visit was I splurged another twenty bucks for onion rings, coleslaw and of course a shake. The family operating this business has a lot of pride in what they do so they share samples of their homemade baked beans and banana pudding. Very sweet family and so glad I went back again. The pulled pork was flavored perfectly through ALL the meat. I could have eaten it plain. The Pudding! Oh so good! Reminded me of my grandma's in N. Carolina. Okay okay, I'm writing a book here so in short, worth every...

If you’re looking for good old old time charm mom and pop shop this is it ! Amazing customer service eager to please makes you feel like you’re right at home . Let’s start with the burgers made to order fresh juicy full of flavor . Now on to the French fries and onion rings .. fresh made daily perfectly made . The firecracker fries and the garlic fries bring back fair memories for me ! On to the shakes and soft serve , My favorite was the chocolate banana shake brought back childhood memories for me when my mom made in blender on a hot day as a treat with chocolate powder ! The dole whip pineapple soft serve is so refreshing like a sherbert ice cream loved that one ! My family has loved everything we’ve tried here we live 10 miles away and find ourselves here every week...