Artisanal Burger Company — Restaurant in Manchester

My daughter and I have frequented this establishment intermittently for quite some time, and despite being minorities, I've always felt a welcoming atmosphere—until our visit today. We chose to sit in the lively bar area, where patrons can seat themselves and enjoy the buzz of conversation around us.

After settling in, I made my way to the ladies' room, and I instructed my daughter to kindly request a glass of water with lemon. When I returned, I found no water or beverage.

Our waitress completely overlooked us when it came to taking our drink orders. Throughout our time at the table, there was a distinct lack of eye contact, making us feel invisible. When we finally mustered the courage to place our meal orders, not once did she inquire if we would like something to drink. She simply collected our menus and walked away without a word.

At this point, my sixteen-year-old daughter could sense the disparity in treatment. I watched intently as the waitress moved from table to table, engaging warmly with other diners, checking in on them to see if they were enjoying their meals or needed anything else. The contrast was striking and left us feeling neglected.

I thought to myself that perhaps she wasn’t engaging with us yet because we hadn’t received our food. Eventually, a different server delivered our meals, but before that moment, she had come to our table, setting down silverware before promptly walking away.

Our food arrived at the table, but to my disappointment, the drinks were nowhere in sight. I had to flag down a different server to request a Sprite for my daughter and a water with lemon for myself. Moments later, our original waitress made her way back, delivering the drinks without so much as a glance in our direction. She placed them on the table and seemed completely disengaged, never bothering to check in on us or ask if we were satisfied with our meals. It felt as though we were just another item to tick off her checklist rather than valued customers.

The atmosphere was devoid of any meaningful conversation throughout our meal, creating an air of indifference. The only interaction occurred when she approached our table, inquiring if she could clear away some plates. I consented with a simple nod and asked for the check, requesting a container as well.

As she collected the dishes, there was still no exchange of pleasantries—no smiles or casual banter. She placed the check on the table and promptly walked away, her demeanor distant and unengaged. After a moment, she returned to retrieve my card, avoiding eye contact entirely. With a brief transaction, I handed her the card, and she eventually came back, her silence lingering in the air until she finally spoke.

With a forced smile, muttering, “Thank you. Have a good day,” before turning away. I even left a tip, compelled by the conviction that it was the right thing to do, despite the service being far from warm or inviting. To make matters even more complicated, my son once worked for Dora, (sister establishment) adding a bittersweet layer to the...

Food is ok to good. In this day and age it’s given that everything will be grossly overpriced. I knew that going in. My kiddo wants a 5oz hamburger with no sides and no toppings, brussels sprouts and crispy cauliflower. 36.39 for these 3 items.

But that’s not what’s irritating. I was told estimated 20 min for the order to be ready. At 30 min I got 3 back to back calls while I was driving to pick up. I didn’t pick up at first because it says “PUKA THREE LLC” not “Artisanal Burger Company” I thought I was getting a spam call. However it was literally back to back - like the way you would call someone in an emergency. So I picked up as I was pulling into the parking space at Artisanal Burger Company. I was shocked to find this phone explosive was regarding my order and they were asking if I was still coming. Yeah, I’m 10 min after the order stated. But damn, that’s not enough time to be harassing my phone like that.

When I asked the girl at the pick up desk why they didn’t just call and leave a message that my order was ready? She says “it’s just what we do now, so many people place an order and don’t show up” I told her it was irritating, I’m only 10 min after the estimated order time and that I was driving.

If it’s so important, why not leave a message? Why did this person call, when VM came, hang up and call again, then when VM came hang up and call again? It’s so weird.

I understand calling- even though I don’t condone that. I think it’s harassing and weird to have people’s info saved (and they do because your name will come up in their system when they put your phone number in) and to use that information to call people.

Honestly, how is this effective? If they’re not coming, they’re not coming. Don’t call and harass them about why they’re not there and ask if they still plan on coming. In my experience - we just hang onto it and be quietly annoyed they didn’t come. Sometimes they come much later because life happens and sometimes they never come. It’s not the restaurants business to call and ask. However, most of the time - people will show up 5-10 min after the quoted estimated time just as I did.

I hate this practice and likely won’t be back. Years ago we used to live in the area. But we don’t anymore. What do they care anyway? I’m just one person who drove 55 min each way to get a dinner my kiddo likes. She was having a rough day and this is what she wanted. So yea, if I can do this one thing - of course I will.

One persons loss of patronage won’t make any difference at all to a company like this. But here it is. This is my story about why I won’t come back to “Artisanal...

Nice ambiance, decent food and fun events. After my last visit, however, I remember why I haven't been in so long.

I've been here multiple times and have had the misfortune of having the same waiter multiple times as well. Jesse M, according to the receipt. Each time has been a test of patience. In this last instance, we arrived around 6:20, waited until roughly 6:45 before the waiter came to take our drinks order, and didn't come back with the drinks until after 7:00. That was only after he saw me at the bar about to order drinks for myself, where he physically stepped between me and the bar and said, "Just wait on me to get your drinks." After we got our drinks it was another 20-25 minutes before he came back to check in on us for refills and our food order. Roughly an hour before being able to order food is a bit absurd.

In another visit, we got charged $1 or $2 per drink for "rocks" when ordering whiskey on the rocks. I've never been to a place that does that and it seems very nickel and dimey. Not to mention it was the same waiter as before and the drinks took ages to arrive.

I am not "out to get" anyone, nor am I saying you shouldn't visit this restaurant, but I hope the proper people see this and improvements can be made. I would gladly raise my review if I had a better experience with the waitstaff, however in my 5 or so visits, the majority of them have been tended to by the same waiter. The food is better than 2 stars and of course if the waiter or manager perhaps sees this, the waiter could improve and it would greatly affect the overall experience at...