Eastside Big Tom — Restaurant in Olympia

This is the first time I have visited this place. I was a bit skeptical at first. It had a reminiscent feeling of Kitsap county's "Crazy Dave's". This place has picnic tables located inside (2-4 picnic tables) for when its inopportune weather, as well as, 6-8 tables outside. Outside seating is also covered and surrounded by a small white picket fence. It seems quite family friendly, as each table has a Tupperware full of dinosaur (which seems to be a main theme) and farm animal toys. Also a larger version of big wooden Jenga pieces for your tot to play with while waiting for your food. Which I might add was quicker than some fast food establishments. The place was clean and taken care of and looked as the kitchen seemed on par with the rest of the grounds. In the same parking lot they have another building that is their drive through option. Quite neat. They do have a bathroom outside in a small separate building painted on the outside with various dinosaurs and other art. I was expecting something dingy when going inside and was surprised to see it was well maintained and clean. Wow. Stocked with necessities. Onto the food. I ordered the Holy Cow burger; a spicier fair for some, and an orange crush. Small. Like I stated before, the food came out very quickly. I was a bit disappointed at the size of the fountain drink as it was the size of a child's drink probably 8oz. I did not think it was worth the $1.75 plus tax, but I digress. The burger was cooked well not burnt of undercooked. The jalapenos were crunchy, not soggy. That's a plus. The bacon was not that great but did the job. The rest of the veggie toppings were fresh. No problems there. The sauces were slightly more than needed so it made the burger messier. Not saying that as a complaint, only observation. That being said the napkins were quite small and thin. It took more than normal to keep my mouth and hands clean. Not a biggie as I knew the bathroom was clean and they also had hand sanitizer stations hung throughout for easy use. I do think it was slightly over priced by maybe $1-$1.50 coming in at $9.80 for a bacon burger (1 pattie) and a quite small fountain soda. Yet all in all, the service was friendly and quick and was a nice place to grab a quick bite for lunch. I will likely go back and try another thing or two...

In April of this year, I was released after spending 44 months in prison (all non-violent, white-collar crimes….well, mostly). When I got released from Airway Heights, my buddy Seth picked me up and drove me out to my mom’s house in Elma. As we were approaching Tacoma, I told my buddy that I REALLY wanted a GOOD burger. Seth asked me if I could wait 30-40 minutes or so until we got to Olympia. I told him I could wait, if the burgers in Olympia were good. Seth told me that “The burgers at Big Tom’s are the best in the world”. In prison, we had “burger night” the last Friday of each month. The burgers weren’t horrible, but I’m not sure the “meat” was beef….and not sure it was even meat. Prison burgers also don’t have any “goop” (Note: if you do get a burger in prison that has goop on it, don’t eat it. It’s not goop…not even close). I really, really wanted a good burger. When we arrived at Big Tom’s in Olympia, the staff came to our car and took our order. The staff member was really nice and recommended that I try the bacon burger. When I told him I had just been released from prison, he genuinely congratulated me. That meant a lot to me. Along with my burger, I got a large order of fries to go with it. When my burger came, it looked absolutely beautiful. Maybe it looked beautiful because I’d just been released from prison….but maybe it just happened to be the most beautiful burger ever made in the history of burgers. When I took my first bite, it was absolutely one of the most memorable moments of my life (right up there with visiting the Grand Canyon, going to Tijuana and getting tased by Aberdeen PD). It was completely perfect…The absolute best burger I have ever had. I wasn’t planning on going back to prison, but Big Tom’s bacon burger will absolutely help keep me from breaking the law. Thank you Big Tom, thank you. You may have saved my life.

Note: I now take the bus from Elma to Olympia twice a month for a Big Tom’s...

Ok guys I admit it, big toms is great. I have a huge problem with these kind of burger joints because locals are always like it's the best burger, but usually it isn't and it's just hometown nostalgia that keeps it going. But Big Tom, you do not fall in this category. Your burgers are juicy, and a big tom with bacon is quite possibly the best burger. Shakes are thick and flavorful. I love the service. There were three of us in line, and three people rushed up to take our order. I love the covered area to sit. I feel like they care about their customers and that makes it a win in my book.

I did take a star off for three reasons but they seem kinda trivial when compared to how good their burgers are. 1) crinkle cut fries.... Yuck. Whenever I see crinkle cut fries I'm disappointed. Imagine how good some fresh cut fries would be with these burgers. The kind with the skins still on the end pieces come on dude fry game is a little weak. 2) Goop is too good to be charging extra for. You should at least get one goop on the side free, and after that extra could cost. 3) available sides, the only option are fries and onion rings ... For those of us that hate crinkle cuts there should be a couple options. Maybe homemade sliced chips, or a personal favorite of mine, deep fried pickles. Just give us another option besides crinkle fries.

Anyway, these are small issues, nothing that would keep me from coming back. Maybe next time I'll just get two burgers, instead of fries cause how epic...