Smashburger — Restaurant in East Brunswick Township

It seems like SmashBurger is getting smashed with negative reviews, so I'd like to leave a positive message and some advice for customers.

I ordered a classic double burger and a side of large smash fries via doordash, and I received the order within an hour of placing it, so there was really not much of a wait.

As for the food, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I live in a glorious first-world nation where delicious burgers are readily available. Some people can only dream of them. The burger patties were literally perfect, just enough pink to make it juicy and not make me feel like it's going to moo at me. 13/10, well done, chef! (medium well, technically 😂)

The fries were room temperature which is just fine because they were seasoned pleasantly with tasty herbs and they didn't feel soggy at all. 10/10

Now some words of advice for the customers, as a former fast food employee. The first thing is, if you're an avid Google review-reader, don't ever let the bad reviews sway you from trying a place for the first time. Every experience is unique and every customer has their own tolerance level...some can be very intolerant of rather small problems. I once had a drink thrown at me because the coffee machine didn't pour it "hot enough", at almost boiling temperatures. The only time you really need to care is if people are mentioning being disrespected or dishonored on a constant basis.

Another thing to think about is this: fast food joints are like teenage girls. Each day, they have a different mood and some days they're going to be a complete train wreck. A lot of younger FF employees are just there to make extra money while living at home with their guardian(s), so that means they'll be more likely to call out of their shift and not need the pay. That results in short staffing, long wait times and messed-up orders due to the present staff being exhausted and overworked. It was like that at my store too.

Employees also have their own lives and that's just how it is for us human beings. Maybe the chef was stuck in his head on Monday because his kid told him he hated him. Chef still has to bust his tuchus to save for the kid's college career though, so the burgers might come out overdone or underdone, while he's deep in thought. Just be mindful and empathetic, it's not an easy job to go to every day for so little pay.

The last thing is, please remember to practice gratitude. Many people on this planet can't go to a smashburger and eat a yummy meal at the drop of a dime. Many people also have to cook for themselves because there are no restaurants with cooks near them. If you are paying someone to make your delicious food, remember to show thanks for it and be more lenient about edible mistakes.

Love and light

P.S. I'd add photos but it's already...

We placed an order and gave them over 1 hr lead time to have the meals prepared and ready by a designated time. Upon arrival, we found that there was still "AT LEAST" a 20 min wait still before the order would be ready. I'm seeing no real rush from those in the grilling area. People are turning around and leaving. Tables are being left a mess. Serious improvement is needed.

The food is usually good here which is why I gave them 2 stars.

Update: from the time we placed our order until the time the order was ready was over 1.5hrs. The store didn't receive the order until 1 hour after it was placed online. They got the order 9 minutes before it was supposed to be ready. Also come to find out that there is only 2 people in the grilling area. 1 person for burgers and 1 person for fries. Really? Putting the short staffing issue aside, one was just putting around while they waited for their next basket to be done. Food wasn't as good as usual Missing sauce for one order. There was a refineries worth of oil in the tots. Shakes were sub-par and majorly ice chunky.

My wife has a blood sugar issue so we need to place orders in advance. For the store to get the order 1hour after it was placed, and then still have to wait over 30 mins after they received it is beyond acceptable. She could have had an episode and I would have had to rush her to the E.R. due to their inefficiencies and negligence.

This whole experience is disappointing and we will debate on coming back.

Also removed a star for the reasons...

Update 18 Dec 2022: The menu has significantly changed and they have now removed. They're really spicy versions of their burger because they no longer also carry fresh jalapenos. Their milkshakes are no longer as flavorful and in fact, you will be challenged to find any chocolate in their chocolate milkshake, which seems to be largely made of vanilla ice cream. good restaurants is overall become way too expensive for the quality of the food IMO.

Also, I completely dislike their new decor and logo. It is no longer warm and it feels more like a desert.

For a meal that cost us nearly $100 for the six of us, this turned out to be too expensive and the food didn't really hit the spot.

The removal of the original spicy I think Baja Burger with the jalapenos and avocado was extremely disappointing because that was our magnet to smash burger. We also found the smash fries to have changed in their taste and experience.

Older review: Our absolute favorite family burger joint. The Spicy Baja burger with extra jalapenos and chipotle sauce with a side of Smash fries is unbeatable. Plus the coupons. Yes they make it extra special - we especially never miss those opportunities. Their shakes however are 'okay' IMO. I wish they had fresh strawberries and chocolate flakes in them. It's hard to beat the Belgian chocolate milkshake at Häagen-Dazs.

Also, get an additional 20% off through the gift...