Hat Creek Burger Company — Restaurant in Richardson

I want to give a shout-out to the closing team from Monday, September 11, 2023. They were nothing short of AWESOME. Unfortunately I forgot to ask for their names so I can't mention them here.

We've been there several times and atmosphere is always fun and lively, the food is always good, and the service is always great. However, on this particular occasion my father and I went in 30 minutes before they closed. Normally I try not to go into a restaurant with less than an hour before closing if I'm dining in. I do make it 30 minutes for some fast food-type places if I'm planning to eat fast or carry out. So admittedly, this instance isn't as tight as it could've been; but we were the only people there and I could tell we were the first in awhile. They were basically done cleaning. Normally I would expect dejected faces, rushed service, poorer quality food, takeout only, etc at a counter service place like this. And even this time I initially felt bad for walking in so late. I was actually looking for reasons to tell my dad we should leave. BUT THESE PEOPLE REALLY WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND ON FRIENDLINESS AND SERVICE, especially the person who I think was the shift manager (black shirt, no apron)? They didn't seem annoyed when my father and I needed time to look at the menu. They made good suggestions for add-ons and combos. They were more than happy (but really though) to let us dine in. They constantly thought of ways to make our experience better (like asking if I wanted the lettuce for my to-go lettuce wrap burger on the side so it wouldn't get hot and gross. I wanted it to-go btw). Asking if we wanted refills of drinks. The list could go on and on. And all that after I'm SURE they were basically already ready to go home. I'm sure the cook had to re-clean the flat top just for our burgers, not to mention all the dishes they made dirty just for us. Honestly got BETTER service that I would normally expect at a table-service restaurant like Seasons 52. And we didn't even have an OPTION to tip when we payed (which I also like because tipping before your recieve your food or service is stupid). They did it all with smiles on their faces. And not the fake service-industry ones that I know I used in my tenure plenty. Real, genuine, friendliness.

After all that, my father and I had a nice dinner, chatted, and accidentally stayed past closing time. Notice I said accidentally. The team there did such a good job of giving us good service that I was really able to forget my concerns about walking in late and just have a good time! So we lost track of time and walked out 10 minutes past close. This is the epitome of excellent service: when the guests forget where they are, and just enjoy themselves.

Before we left I gave each of the 4 team members a $10 tip for being awesome.

For context, I've worked in the service industry for over a decade and in food service for about 4 years. I've always been different from my coworkers because I have always believed that every customer that ARRIVES within the posted hours should get the same great experience. No rushing, no lower quality, no takeout only, no silent treatment, no loud cleaning noises etc. I know, crucify me. It's an unpopular opinion among service industry people and I know why. I don't blame anybody for feeling that way. Everyone has families to go home to and things to do. I've just always felt that if I wanted to go home earlier, I should post hours that ended earlier (or talk to my manager to try to make that happen). And I GREATLY appreciate it when I meet other people who share my mindset. Thanks to this team for giving us a great experience.

To wrap up. The food here is more like 3.5-3.75 stars. They have good burgers, but not great burgers. No fault of the cooking or quality, just basic ingredients with a quality but otherwise meh patty. Shakes are pretty good. Sweet potato fries are cooked fairly well but not much seasoning. Bacon had a good level of crispiness by default.

Atmosphere is like 4.0-4.5 stars. It'd be higher further from street or with...

Apologies for the long post, but I feel it's important to share my experience. I’ve never had a great dining experience at the Hat Creek in Richardson —the only reason I keep coming back is because my mom enjoys their burgers and asks me to take her.

The service has consistently been lackluster. Staff generally seem indifferent about whether customers are there or not. A few weeks ago, we were served cold fries. While they replaced them, there was no apology or acknowledgment—just a quiet swap.

Yesterday, I stopped in to pick up a to-go order for my mom. She wanted sauce, so I went to the dispenser myself after the cashier made no effort to provide any. As I pressed the pump, it sprayed sauce all over my suit—apparently it wasn’t secured properly. I flagged down an employee, who told another staff member the container was low, and then walked off. I tried to clean up using napkins and asked for water to help remove the stains or at least lessen the risk of permanent stains. . Eventually, someone brought water and started cleaning the counter, but didn’t seem at all concerned about me or my ruined suit. I finally said, “Nice to see you’re more concerned about the counter than me,” to which he just apologized.

I’m sure I’ll be back—only because my mom loves the food—but service and basic courtesy matter to me, and I felt this...

We decided to try this place out since it had a play area for the kids & that was what we were looking for. The atmosphere is nice, the place itself is well kept & clean and the staff was friendly. The outdoor eating area was enclosed and the heaters kept you toasty while you watch the kids burn off their energy. It was a chilly evening, but the place makes it easy for the kids to come join you and warm up if it gets too cold. The food was okay, hubby thinks the food is a bit pricey, but I say it's the atmosphere that you're paying for. The kid's burger is the perfect size for little ones, but too small for a bigger kid appetite. The Turkey burger was very salty, I usually give the staff an opportunity to fix it, but I really wasn't up for it at that moment, so to be fair, I'm almost sure they would have taken care of it to make my experience complete. Overall, this is a great spot if you are looking for something different from the regular fast food restaurants with play places. Oh, and the shakes for dessert are not too bad they have a pretty good selection of flavors to choose from, the mud/dirt gummyworm is a bit too chocolatey for me, but the grasshopper (mint/oreo) was...