Burger King — Restaurant in Livermore

In a word: meh.

My wife and I rolled up on our bikes to this brand new-ish location just a mile or so from our house. We wanted very badly to like our experience and support a local business owner (from nearby Ruby Hill). In short, we were NOT looking for a bad experience, but I think we got one.

As we walked to the only entrance, we had to physically step over 3 kids bicycles that were strewn on the ground, directly in front of the door. Yes, the 3 kids inside were to blame for that, but nobody from the store made any effort to police the entrance to the store or educate the kids that blocking the entrance to the store was a bad thing. As a public service, I picked up the bikes and moved them to the rack, mere yards away.

Once inside, store was clean, well lit, and all that. There was nobody but us in line to order (and one car in the drive-up lane). The person taking our order (can I identify her as female w/out invalidating my review?) was friendly and answered our newbie questions (20 years since eating at a Burger King for us).

It was clear from others inside that the food was taking a while. At least 3 surly/impatient young men who said they had waited 20 minutes and still nothing. The owners of the strewn bikes were obviously waiting a while as well. We were ready for a long wait.

We ordered some stuff for "dine in" and waited outside. 12 minutes later, we heard our name and noted that all the boys inside were STILL waiting and getting a bit angry (probably seeing that the oldsters got their food before them). But this is not a review in their honor.

Ordered "dine in", got a "to go" bag, no tray. No napkins in bag, had to go back inside for those. Wife ordered no Mustard on her sammich but was slathered with same. She wiped it off good-naturedly. My "King Burger" was fit for a King if that King was the size of a German Shepherd.

My overall impression was that the crew was in over their heads and lacked training. The first word in Fast Food -- I believe -- is fast. I'd say this was decidedly slow-ish food. The angry kids emerged after we had finished and informed me that they waited 30 minutes total. There was an adverb between "30" and "minutes" that I'll leave to your imagination.

For $18, my wife and I had -- by every objective measure -- a malnutricious lunch. We had no illusions on that score, but it's worth mentioning. I do want the business to succeed, so my hope is that the owner is able to get the operation working a bit smoother. First impressions have a way of sticking and I think the neighborhood folks might be a "one and done" like us.

Your mileage may vary!

P.S. One boy that managed to park his bike in the bike rack opened the door for my wife as she emerged with a bag in hand. He said "you're welcome" when she thanked him. I gave him $5 and told him to keep up...

Update 01-01-2025 Android app now shows drive thru option when ordering.. Impossible Whopper cans exactly as ordered - no mayo, add mustard, slight upcharge (25¢) for extra lettuce & extra tomato. Cooked while I waited, served hot. Fries much more generous this time. Gentleman at the counter who took my order was friendly, very polite, and accommodating. I'm ranking this BK 5 stars, compared to other restaurants in this same "genre" of fast food. To be fully transparent, this was not our second visit, but our 5th since I first reviewed this BK. We've come back because they are now consistently earning our business. Bathrooms & Dining Room are newish, clean, and tastefully casual. Neutral tones are easy on the eyes. Now if guests could only figure out how to divide their trash into the proper bin!

Newer BK with drive thru. Burger King android app didn't show a drive thru option to pick up mobile order - just eat inside or inform employee at the counter that you've arrived, which was odd and inconvenient. BK Impossible whopper was ok - I would've rated as good, but preferred without mayo and it came with mayo, so threw away half of the bun with lettuce, not leaving much to eat. Fries were not generously sized and slightly undercooked. Bathroom was clean and well-stocked. Counter employee greeted me, had food ready to go. I'll give them another chance on the food sometime. Wasn't busy on a Wednesday just after...

An employee tried to cheat me there! And it was so petty. What kind of kids work there? That skinny kid, asked me to confirm my order in the app without fully complete my order.… He: Can you confirm the order? Me: Yes, where's the order? He: There it is, right behind me. He hasn't even give it to me yet for me to confirm it. Why is he doing this? What does he want to win there? After I confirmed the order, I discovered that he didn't give me the two drinks that were in that order... and only after I asked him did he pour them for me. What kind of trickery is...