Wahlburgers @ Hy-Vee — Restaurant in Lee's Summit

Disappointed Again

My first disappointment was when I watched the Hy-Vee Market Grille go from a very enjoyable to a good place to avoid, my guess it was because of poor management, staffing and training. The final disappointment came the other night when we finally decided to try their current offering for prepared food inside their store. We should have been warned when at 7:00 pm on a Friday the bar area (complete with flat screen tv's in abundance) was empty.

At first glance it appears to be pretty much the same Market Grill until you actually get inside and try to order. After much looking around we asked someone if there was a hostess or if we should just sit down and wait for a server. That's when we found that you have to go out to the food court and order. Out there we finally got the attention of the young man at the register, when he finished what he was doing on his phone, and asked if we should order here. With a great lack of enthusiasm he said, yeah.

Looking at the menu we wondered if we had actually entered the McDonald's in the parking lot rather than the Hy-Vee. But checking the prices we realized it definitely was not! We were also told it would be 15 or 20 minutes before we would be served! Taking a chance on a $12+ bacon cheese burgers with a single side and a soft drink. we paid and carried our number plaque to the booth closest to the soft drink dispenser (just like McDonald's). That is when I noticed the "Sanitized for you safety" sign on the table, right next to a blob of ketchup and an assortment of crumbs. Hmmm. At their worst, I never saw anything like this in the Market Grille, even when they had gone completely in the tank as they folded.

Our meals were delivered and looked pretty good until they fell under closer examination. My BBQ burger with cheese and bacon crumbles really did not look to be a 1/4 pound, and Paula's Onion Rings were definitely cold (like from sitting under a heat lamp too long in back). A manager (guessed) came by and asked if everything was OK, and I pointed out the onion rings. She grabbed them and returned with fresh and warm replacements in a few minutes. The Burgers we pretty much OK by fast food standard, but nowhere worth $12+ out of my pocket.

To add insult to injury we noticed that one of the widescreen TV's on the wall was a monitor for the kitchen. Once we did see someone wandering around back there, but for the rest of our stay we only noticed the trash and food laying on the floor! More "sanitized for you safety" stuff I guess.

Again in my guess it was likely a good idea, but Wahlburgers was destroyed from beginning to end from deficiencies in marketing, work processes, management, and staff training. My recommendation is that if you want value and enjoyment from your burger in Lee's Summit, try 5 Guys across Mo 291, Unk's Burgers off US 50, or and of the corporate chain fast food places in town - at least there will be fewer surprises and a meal at...

Overpriced. Ordered the Our Nachos and Our Burger.

Our Nachos was okay, but I had to ask for it to come out first. They were going to bring it with the food. I would personally ask for no pickles if I ordered this again. It's $8.99, and there isn't enough meat to support that price point.

Our Burger was alright. Buns were COLD when they came out. The Wahl sauce is alright. But this burger is not worth the price. It tastes like a burger with cold buns.

The service is the worst part. You order at the stand outside the restaurant (inside the Hy-Vee) then you pick your seat after ordering. You pay before you get your food instead of after, so servers don't about service because there is no official tipping system for them. You can leave cash but no paper trail (receipt). If you paid with a card, then you can't leave a tip based on your service.

Additionally, you get sauces in plastic cups. Drinks don't come in glasses. You get a paper cup instead... so those are filling up landfills. I get that you get extra cups because of COVID, so that's fine.

You're paying fine dining prices for the exact opposite of fine dining. This is the type of service you'd expect at a mom and pop place. If you were served by a waitress, ordered at the table, and had the same waitress wait on you the entire time, I'd give a...

Miss the Market street Grill... The other reviews are not joking...I don't usually write reviews, but felt the need to warn others. I ordered the OFD burger medium well, the burger came out quickly, but calling it luke warm would be generous. It seemed like the patty was old, not freshly cooked, and was a frozen patty like cheap walmart boxed beef patties. McDonalds beef was an easy upgrade. At $15 for burger and fries, I expected a fresh restaurant style burger. Left it on the tray after a few bites. The fries were the best part of the meal. They were hot and fresh. To top it off, the big Bud Light I ordered at the bar was flat. They don't seem like they do enough business to keep their 19 draft beers fresh. Other reviews are right about service as well. It's not a restaurant, no waitress to refill drinks or check on you, they just drop off the food quickly. I really like Hy-vee, I hope the reconsider this restaurant brand in their stores, as not to hurt their own reputation. The place was clean. I wasn't sure if I should leave a tip for the "waitress" but did anyways, as well as one for...