Hat Creek Burger Company — Restaurant in Roanoke

People rave about this place, and I want to like it, but I just dont. Maybe it's just this location, it's the only one I've been to. It's just alright. Food is alright, feels like a slightly elevated mcdonalds. The playground is why I want to like this place. I can deal with alright food if I can let my kids play somewhere safe that's gated, this place looked so promising. I've been several times in the last month hoping that I'm just going on an off night, but after about the 3rd or 4th time I've determined that it's just how this place is. Kids that are too big or too old to be playing in the playground, they wrestle and fight and climb the fence and open the gate to run to the lot next door and get their ball, they're climbing on top of the slide, which then has my little kids trying to do the same thing. So I spend the entire time running to get my kids before they fall off the fence, or before they get caught in the crossfire of the wresting match going on in the open turf area. These kids parents aren't watching them, they're either inside not even pretending to pay attention to them, or they're sitting at a table drinking and have completely tuned the kids out. None of the staff come outside to correct anything or enforce any rules. It's just not an...

Covid update.

I ate there today. They did a great job complying with all the covid restrictions.

Great job hat Creek. So glad you're here!

Great hamburger chain that is super family friendly.

They have indoor and outdoor seating with a fun playground for the kids. The playground is almost too good, it was hard to get my kids to focus and eat lol.

My personal favorite burger is the sombrero that has delicious yellow bird Serrano hot sauce and jalapenos on it. Great flavor and just the right amount of heat.

Their buns are really good too, soft and chewy but don't get too greasy and fall apart.

Fries, sweet potato fries and fried pickles are all worth ordering (though the pickles are a bit pricey)

My kids like the chicken nuggets but I'm not a big fan.

They also have great customer service. Their register went down today and it caused them to ring me up wrong. When I pointed it out they gave me a gift card worth almost double the mischarged item. Things like that go a long way in earning my loyalty.

And if you've read this far the best part is on Tuesdays after 5pm the burgers are half priced. That means you can get one of their custom burgers cheaper...

When I heard that yet another burger place was coming around (Roanoke has quite a few!), I thought, really? But since I love burgers I had to make at least one trip out and I did not leave disappointed!

My classic burger was excellent!! Two patties (unexpected surprise), tasty uniquely toasted bun and excellent special sauce. Fries were well seasoned and delicious. All in all, an excellent meal. Will go back to try other selections, shakes, breakfast, etc.! I was too full from my meal to have a shake!

However, there's a few things you should know when coming here:

If you don't like a 'messy' burger, just ask for the sauce on the side. Not a negative for me because burgers can and will be messy.

Ask specifically for WELL DONE burgers if you don't want any pink in you meat. Mine was slightly pink and that was a plus for me as I prefer 'medium' burgers for tenderness.

The only very small negative was that the dining room main area where we sit was a bit crowded from table to table. Not a big deal for me, but might be an...