Smashburger — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

SLC SMASH Burger Concourse B A Masterclass in How Not to Serve Customers.

Visited today at Salt Lake City Airport and ordered a simple meal: a classic Smash Burger with no ketchup, no tomato, no onion, and one regular fountain drink. Should be straightforward, right?

Now, let me paint the scene. It’s 1 PM MST, not exactly the busiest time. Two people visible in the kitchen, two front of house, one manager. Only two orders ahead of mine.

The food runner (not even the cashier, mind you) tosses my food bag at me. Yes, tosse, like I’m in a fast-food dodgeball match.

And guess what? No drink.

So, I ask, politely enough, for my drink. Her response? The biggest attitude you could imagine: "What size?"

And this is where things took a dramatic turn down hill.

First of all, I’m the paying customer. It’s not asking for the moon to expect a simple burger with three items removed and a drink cup.

I mean, we’re talking the bare basics here.

But the real issue was the attitude. Her tone had me wondering if I had wronged her in some past life. And then the manager, who I hoped would bring some level-headed professionalism to the situation, loudly chimes in, “Well, there’s two cup sizes.

“Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious. But here’s the thing: it’s your job to hand me the correct one. I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you.

This isn’t just about my visit. As a frequent flier who passes through this airport multiple times a month, I’ve had my share of fast airport meals. But this? This was something else. The unnecessary attitude turned what should have been a 5-minute exchange into a mini drama, complete with side-eye and a lack of basic courtesy.

As a paying customer and as someone who values professionalism, I’d expect your team to slow down, read the order screen, and, dare I say, get it right.

If I were a franchise owner, I’d hope my employees would treat customers with at least basic respect, if not for the sake of the business, then just for the sake of being decent human beings.

Customer service is clearly not alive and well at this location. And after today’s experience, I can confidently say that I will never spend another dollar here. I’ll also make sure to tell all my friends and family about this “amazing” experience.

In conclusion: If you're flying through Salt Lake City Airport, do yourself a favor—walk right past Smash Burger Concourse B. Trust me, you'll save yourself a world of...

Look I tried to think of some positive, so I wasn't doing all one stars. But I couldn't.

Food: That food was frozen and had no seasoning. The burger was burnt, not charred, and literally didn't even have salt. It was extremely thin. Also, when I pulled the burger out of the bag, it was sopping wet. Why would a burger be drenched? Also the sweet potato fries had zero salt or seasoning.

Service: I'm sorry honey, but you should not be doing customer service. There was a total of three customers, and at least five of y'all I saw working, but you were so overwhelmed. I asked if I could have the bun removed. You said sure you'd do a lettuce wrap for me. Cool. You called my number and then got mad at me that I didn't remind you I wanted no bun... Make it make sense. It was only 10 minutes and there were only three other orders. I said it's fine, I'll just remove the bun my self. When I get to my terminal to start removing the buns of my burger, I notice my burger is leaking, but I've been given no napkins, and there were no napkins available for me to grab.

Atmosphere: You want us to use the "hip" and "cool" self ordering system, but you don't even have all of the options. You don't have smash sweet potato fries or remove a bun/lettuce bun. It's...

Some day maybe I'll try the burgers here. I hear good things but today, I just needed a soda. The price was reasonable, the service was friendly and the refills were plentiful and convenient. I can only assume that the B Terminal and access to it were designed with a goal to help visitors to the city and natives alike to appreciate the plight of the LDS Pioneers trekking across the planes to reach the Salt Lake Valley from Illinois. By the time I finish the multi-mile hike from passenger drop off through security and then through the subterranean walkway to reach the B terminal, I've worked up a mighty thirst and that's where Smash Burger and their bottomless soda refills shine. I can usually guzzle at least three cups of diet soda on a warmer day. The locals sometimes joke that "B" stands for Bountiful because you have to walk all the way to Bountiful to get there. Thanks Smash Burger for being there for me. I wish the folks who designed the current floorplan, moving walkways and train service within the airport had displayed as much wisdom as you have by being there for me when I pop back up to ground level like a thirsty Morlock seeing the sun for...