Little Big Burger — Restaurant in Portland

Seems like a low budget concept with little money to set it up, hoping at best, to break even. Three young men preparing food orders and a fourth as the front man at the cash register. High school age or perhaps recent graduates treat the job as just flipping burgers and lacking "food service" experience to give the customer a reason to return to eat there again and again. The recycle/trash area was a mess, as was the open floorplan where burgers are cooked. For the cost of the meals two of us had, the short end of the deal stuck in our throats. A quarter pound of greasy ground "meat" served with grilled onions and choice of Tillamook cheese served on game day sized slider bun, paired with french fried potatoes (that filled one fifth of the brown paper bag-was way more than 2 orders of fries we paid for). Portion control out of control will be a major factor of a business shutting down due to lack of profit from skyrocketing food cost. Great effort serving local OREGON food products, but their choice of catchup made with chili peppers, vinegar, garlic & onion powder and salt turns a mild, innocent condiment into a fire sauce I didn't expect. The second sauce by the same manufacturer was that same ketchup recipe blended with Hellman's Mayonnaise. Nasty Thousand Island dressing minus pickles...just plain nasty. The fountain soda (Coke) was watery and little carbonation but had a nice lid and straw. First impression walking in the front door almost convinced us to turn around to leave. Heavy cooking grease in the air hit us hard. Better vents and air filtration badly needed here ! I am fairly certain I won't be giving them another opportunity to make a good impression.

The number one BEST positive, as it turns out was getting a burger cooked rare to perfection. Exactly what expected when I placed...

I'm going back. I wasn't actually planning on stopping in, but just walking past the store (Alberta) and dropped in out of curiosity. I was pleased they offer bleu cheese as an option. I almost ordered the fries, but, again, I wasn't planning on having a full meal. I probably will next time. Yes, the burger was smaller than I expected, but it's still larger than a slider. It was sufficient for me (haven't we been having a public discussion for over a decade about overeating and portion size?). It was delicious, every bite of it (and definitely more than two bites). I enjoyed the brioche roll. It was rich with just a hint of sweetness that balanced nicely against the savoury umami of the cheese and beef. The bleu cheese was fresh, crumbly, and just starting to soften from the heat. The ketchup added a touch more sweetness, but also a subtle chili spice that lingered a bit in the back for awhile. I'm not a fan of ketchup in general, but I enjoyed this and was glad I didn't have the 'foresight' to ask them to hold it.

If you're concerned about packaging, waste, and landfill, this was pretty minimal: one burger wrapped in one sheet of paper that doubled as my plate/placemat. I appreciate that, since the I only had to carry it twenty feet to my table, and spent no more than ten minutes eating. I don't need a lot of landfill for that.

I've had In-N-Out burgers and I think they are a decent burger. Given the choice of In-N-Out or Little Big Burger, I would consistently chose...

The 3 staff members working on 11/14 at 6PM was a terrible crew. We arrived at 5:40PM - which was early for our ETA of 6:01PM, but they said they were currently working on our order. Which was expected and no problem. Then, when our order was done apparently they just set it off to the side in the back. Only one other customer came in during that time who immediately picked up from the counter. Finally it was about 6:10 when we asked how much longer our order would be. The staff member who originally got our name and told us they were making our order acted like he didn’t know who we were. There had been no one else. It was not busy. That’s when our order was picked up from the back counter. No apology or anything. The food was not made to order, the burgers were dry and inedible. The fries were good and that is the only positive I have to say about my experience. The restaurant was filthy and the music selection just made the mood even worse. I regret tipping 20% when...