Beef 'n Bun — Restaurant in El Cajon

I am coming from an honest place while making this post. For starters, I’m not here to bash a business, nor is this report for malicious purposes. This is solely to inform and report on an experience, and as an American and a paying customer, I am entitled that right to.

On December 30th 2024 my girlfriend and I decided to get beef and bun for lunch. We live in the immediate area, and have had this establishment a number of times previously. One of our favorite things about this place is how fresh the food typically is, especially the French fries! They’re always super crispy, yet delicately soft and salty. The burgers are a great size for a fast food establishment, and the shakes are usually very thick and delicious. However, the reason for this post is my sandwich was none of those things aforementioned above.

To begin, I ordered a 1/2 lb colossal burger with NO MAYO and grilled onions a reg fry and a dr. Pepper with light ice. Once home when I unwrapped my burger I noticed an ungodly amount of grease seemingly slathered on the bun making it soggy and unappealing. I live around the corner, less than 5 minutes, so no way for it to have been that soggy that fast. I checked the burger initially and didn’t noticed anything off with the order. I ate a good portion and noticed the meat was very underdone as well. I don’t mind pink in my burgers when the meat is excellent quality, but this meat seamed like it was barely grilled. I got to a place where the flavor wasn’t right, so I stopped eating and checked the burger again. That’s when I noticed a white sauce that looked like mayo. Mind you, melted American cheese has a tendency to look like cream, but can still be distinguished due to color. This was clearly on the bun, and not coming from the cheese in the center. The bun seemed to have had mayo on, and then wiped off, with the proper condiments applied.

I then recorded what was left as I was sure I had properly stated no mayo on the burger due to general distaste for the sauce. I then found the receipt, which also states NO mayo on the order. I documented the oil that had pooled to the side in the wrapper, as well as the sandwich and the receipt. I gave the remainder to my dog. After napping for several hours due to stomach ache, I continued experiencing indigestion and nausea throughout the evening.

Paying nearly $35 for two people at a drive through, I feel I deserve to have adequate service at least and be treated fairly from the initial encounter. The money we spend as Americans is through hard earned, sacrificed time that is meant to embody a certain experience. Are we so lost in the numbers as a society that we’ve forgotten how to treat customers, and that the customer is always right? I am disappointed, as I know this to be a local favorite and have had decent experiences in the past. I’m not sure if it’s due to the color of my skin, my presentation, my approach, or if it has anything to do with me personally at all. All I know is I paid for an experience and I did not get what I feel I paid for. I feel robbed of my cash and my joy for someone’s profit, and if that’s what our country has created, then I feel sorry for the future.

This isn’t my first negative experience at local establishment in the city, and I don’t think of myself as unpleasant to be in the company of. I don’t like to think of myself as someone who complains, but I will also not be someone who accepts what isn’t right in any manner of service or interaction. It’s not right either when addressing issues and being seen as the aggressor or initiator of the situation. I only wish to bring light and attention, and if the voice is the fly in someone’s ear, I’d rather annoy and die young speaking the truth than live to an old age in an era full of lies and false receipts.

(I will add videos that...

I'm not entirely sure how this place has survived the corporatization of burger joints, but I am extremely thankful it has. This is one of those burger places that make you seriously question the existence of places like Burger King that sell garbage. No sane person would choose a fast food chain over this place.

The food is tasty and doesn't sit in your stomach like lead and the inside of the place is kind of cute and colorful. In terms of the burger, the patty is a good size and they're not stingy with the toppings. Their bacon is blessedly not hard and chewy, but crisp and juicy. They put cucumbers instead of pickles on my burger and was confused at first, but it definitely works. I was weary about the crinkle cut fries since that can sometimes be an indication that they're just store bought frozen ones that are bland, but nope, their fries are fantastic.

My only critique is it would be nice to get a larger serving container so there's an easy place to put your sauces for your fries. Either that or those little dipping sauce thimbles to put them in. This is a pretty common problem though and I've just learned to make do with the back of a wrapper.

I don't live around here and was only in town for a few days for work, but this was legitimately the best food I had around here and yall better keep this place in business. It truly...

I have been coming to Beef N Bun since I was a little kid. I absolutely love it but recently I've been getting disappointed. This is the 3rd time in a row that I have gone and my burger has been undercooked. It's straight up pink in the middle and barely even warm. Definitely not cooked all the way through which always scares me. I know they are trying to get the orders out fast but it shouldn't be at the expense of our health. My other gripe is pricing. If I get a quarter pounder combo and switch out the drink for a shake and add a side of fried zuchini. Its about 18 dollars after tax. Thats a decent chunk of change for lunch. They charge like 75 cents just to add cheese to it. What really killed it for me today was that I asked if they gave me ranch with the zuchini like the always do. Gentleman said that he put it in the bag. I got home and realized I didint get any. Kinda killed it for me considering I think the ranch is the best part. Zuchini is plain without it. All in all I still love Beef N Bun. They have the best milkshakes (chocolate peanut butter) and there fried zuchini is delicious. I would recommend them when they open back up fully after covid. That way if they mess up you can get it...