Burgerway — Restaurant in New Haven

I placed an online order today (Order #: 190954648) at 5:43PM. My order was ready at 6:01PM. My boyfriend went to pick up my order thinking the order was under my name. Once he went inside, he gave the host my name (not knowing it was under his name because I forgot to tell him) and the host looked at the order and said there was no order under my name. So then my boyfriend saw the order on the counter with HIS name on it and confirmed with the host that it was MY order. Again, my boyfriend didn’t realize I placed the order under his name.

My boyfriend: “oh that’s me, (inserts name)”

The host: “ehhhhh” (in a skeptical way)

My boyfriend: “so….what, do you need an ID?

The host: “yea I don’t believe you, I need your ID”

So he made him go get his ID to verify my boyfriend was telling the truth. I understand liabilities and policies but people place online orders under other people’s names ALL THE TIME especially bf/gf, wives/husbands, etc. so I don’t understand why the host treated my boyfriend like that. My boyfriend came home and told me what happened and how he felt embarrassed and upset because he never had to show his ID before to pick up a food order. If the host didn’t trust my boyfriend, the host could’ve easily called me to confirm or verified the order # to my boyfriend instead of making him walk all the way to his car to get his wallet (due to the location of the establishment, it’s right in downtown New Haven so there’s rarely any parking so you have to park all the way down the st or garage). This is our second time there and although the food is good, the customer service that was shown today was highly disappointing and rude to say the least (which warrants the 3 star rating).

It’s 2024, again, people place online orders under other people’s names all the time WITHOUT having to provide their ID. We’ve been to plenty of restaurants where we’ve placed online orders and never had to provide our ID to prove anything. Maybe this is their policy and I understand that (I highly doubt it though because that would’ve been the FIRST thing the host would’ve specified instead of saying “I don’t believe you”) but being rude about it doesn’t solve anything. It’s also worth mentioning, on their website, there’s nothing that states their policies and regulations in which customers need to provide verification to pick up online orders.

As a host/cashier, there’s a certain decorum and professionalism you have to uphold and maintain when running a restaurant and customer service is TOP PRIORITY! Therefore, the customer service shown today is the reason we won’t be back.

UPDATE:

So the host personally called my boyfriend today (on his personal phone-not the store #) at 7:39PM to “clarify” this review, how there was a misunderstanding and he will give us a discount on our next order. He also sent him a text as well (attached). The first time the host called, my boyfriend didn’t recognize the number so he didn’t answer. So my bf called the number back (considering it was a CT area code number).

I will say this, this review wasn’t to get pity or sympathy. It was simply to review his experience as a new customer. This is what reviews are for. We understand there are many times where homeless people try to come in establishments to get free food. This wasn’t the case at all (considering my boyfriend doesn’t look homeless AT ALL). The only thing the host had to do was simply say, “hey due to homeless people coming in trying to get free food, we’re kindly asking our customers to provide identification for online pickup orders.” That’s it. The fact that the host felt the need to personally called my boyfriend to clarify/check him about this review as if they’re friends is utterly disrespectful and unprofessional. A simple reply to this review would’ve been just fine (like the owner did on another review-Innovation Online, 2 weeks ago).

This review isn’t to bash this establishment. Again, the food is good, we just expected the customer service to be just as good.

Our opinion/review...

This place is for everybody and anybody that's hungry and wants something to eat that you know is a healthy choice and more nutritious than most fast food establishments. This burger place is for all Muslims because everything is halal and this burger place is for every single American who wants to check off "the best halal burger place" on their bucket list.

I got the century burger and it was phenomenal, it had lots of Burgerway sauce cheddar cheese lettuce tomato fried pickle and a fried jalapeno cheese popper, the halal juicy beef beef was not too thick and not too skinny just right, (if you like a meaty burger, get more than one Patty). Big decent size sandwich worth the $.

I also got the Cajun fries very well seasoned and cooked thoroughly, amazing choice.

The chicken tenders were absolutely juicy crisp perfect, I got hot sauce on the side with two honey mustards on the side.

Crispy chicken sandwich comes with lettuce and tomato very delicious on point right next to Chick-fil-A only difference the meat is halal at BurgerWay,

Carrot cupcake absolutely yes worth the $6 it was delicious and a decent size defrosting with sweet the correct kind.

I ended my order with a chocolate milkshake I promise you absolutely delicious!!!!

It was less than 50 (for 2 ppl) but absolutely worth the money!!

They accept call ins...

I love smash burgers, but not all smash burgers are created equally. There's a national chain around here that seems really overpriced, takes forever, and has pretty mediocre customer service.

Burgerway, however, doesn't seem to suffer from any of that. The beef patties were crispy on the outside and perfectly juicy on the inside. The bun, lettuce, cheese were also on point. Pricing is pretty reasonable too. You can get a double (which is 1/2 lb meat) for $10.50 and add a soda + fires for another $4. In the post-Covid inflation era, this is a great deal. My wife got the Century, I got a double-double, and we added a single milkshake and single fries. We came out feeling quite satisfied. Usually my wife doesn't really like burgers, but she also gave it a 5/5.

My only point of feedback is that the burgerway sauce is great on it's own and would probably go really well with the buffalo chicken fries and some of the fancy fry entrees. I don't think it goes well with the burgers though as the seasoning gives me Indian/Halal food vibes (cumin or garam masala?).

Overall, this is going onto the list of comfort food places. I know I'm going to get a great and satisfying meal at a really good price. Will keep coming...