The Win~Dow at American Beauty — Restaurant in Los Angeles

The the burger itself is quite decent, although when considering the surrounding competition for smashburgers it doesn’t quite live up to other establishments.

The location is quite cozy with a chill and cool atmosphere great for socializing.

The issue however comes with their pricing and gratuity strategy. This establishment has the same service level as a McDonald or a Burger King. Meaning you are expected to wait in line to get to the ordering window, wait until the food is ready, pick it up once your number is called, bring over the food to where your sitting, and then clean up the table yourself. All of which is perfectly fine for a fast food joint.

Now with all that said, there is at first a 3% surcharge for the bill. This, the menu makes clear, is NOT a tip. Then, once you’ve placed your order at the register before having received your food, the cashier verbally asks how much tip you want to give (when paying by card). What exactly you’re tipping for is unclear. There’s no writing the tip on the receipt like a full service restaurant and no tip option on a screen like a coffee shop.

There are no waitstaff, and you have already been charged a 3% surcharge. Then you’re expected to tip before you have even received your food and when you’re doing all the waitering service yourself.

I think the restaurant should in the future be more honest in their pricing and raise the menu prices accordingly, and if they still expect tips to actually provide a level of service that...

It was difficult to know where to sit with a four year old, so we took the seats available. As we were finishing our meals, a woman approached use informing us we were not supposed to be seated in that area— not for $5.00 a burger customers. “Pull up a seat and sit by a neighbor,” the website says. NO. She asked us to leave, in her rude and sarcastic manner. We told her no one told us we were in the wrong seating, but we were almost finished, just waiting for my grandson to finish a small piece of his burger. Then the staff began to clear our table. My grandson finished and we began walking away, wondering why no one informed us about the seating. My son had lived in Venice for ten years while working as a producer. His brother lived there for six years working as a financial analyst. As an art curator, I invited clients and artists to Venice for meetings. So they, as recently as a year ago, were part of the neighborhood. But, perhaps we were not the right kind of neighbors, at least for the woman who asked us to leave. It was the first time I felt I unwelcome in Venice, a place I had been visiting since my childhood. My recommendation is more nuanced staff training to avoid future incidents like the one my family...

I’ve wanted to try this place for quite some time, so I finally did. Window is a classic basic burger that is cheap. I ordered the hamburger (no cheese), one of the Beauty Burger (impossible burger), and fries. All tasted great and fit my cravings at the moment. I asked in a Facebook group where is the best burger in Santa Monica, and there are so many options. It really depends on what you are looking for in a burger. Hiho is an In-n-out burger using wagyu onion jam. Father's office uses unique pickled onions and blue cheese. Plan Check is known for its ketchup leather. Ashland Hill is a larger-sized classic bar burger. Tommys is a chili burger. The counter is a customizable classic burger. Pono is Hawaiin style teriyaki. Many of these places mentioned above don't chuck their burgers and use premade patties from various distributors, so keep in mind you can probably make a better burger at home in a cast iron skillet with some caramelized onions and a decent garlic/dijon/mayo spread. Most Restaurants on the west side are all hype and very overpriced.

Great customer service. No dine-in,...