Mr.Charlie's TMS — Restaurant in San Francisco

Mr. Charlie's atmosphere transcends the medium of fast food ambience and reworks it into a farcical, post-ironic, and postmodernist masterpiece. The first thing that hit me upon entering was that there was no music playing, which made the resulting silence even louder. It was a beautiful silence, one that rarely can be found in a big city like San Francisco. The wall decor inverted McDonald's projected self-image of 'your friendly neighborhood restaurant' into a truth of the harsh reality of rampant hyper-consumerism fostering soulless attitudes under late-stage capitalism. The interior looked like a 1920's neo-Dadist exhibition, combined with an Andy Warhol-inspired nightclub. On the menu the French fries were replaced with 'British Fries', annotated with the caption 'Use your imagination.' There was a 'Frowny Meal' where the girls' toy was a stale toothbrush and the boys' toy was a handful of rusty nails. This was funny to me I think The waiters behaved kindly in a very authentic way, which contrasted with the fake attitudes at other fast food joints, namely the attitude of workers who make minimum wage but have to pretend to be nice in order to keep their jobs because they have no other choice than to hide their misery from public view. The breakdown of the illusory component of capitalism that extends its hand as a friend while wearing a false face concealing the cold interior of the Machine, combined with the authentic worker attitudes, fostered an atmosphere in the restaurant that made strangers waiting in line be kind to each other. We all reveled together in the absurdity, in the very world becoming a parody of itself. All within awestruck silence. The seating was comfy and intimate, and I left the restaurant spiritually fulfilled, knowing that the illusion, at least for a time, was lifted. I also Ieft learning that (most) people, even strangers, are friendly and good at heart.

This restaurant represents the descent into the underworld in the monomyth we all undergo, wherein we must acheive self-realization to truly live. The fries were pretty good too, and the burger was extremely flavorful. Chickie nuggies were a bit dry, but they still were bomb. No animals harmed in the process. My friend and I took a goofy pic...

Food: The food was fantastic and brought back memories of McDonald’s, which I haven’t had in many years. The portion sizes are comparable to McDonald’s—small but satisfying. While it’s definitely pricier, the flavor makes it worth it. The food came out quickly, and the fries were generous in quantity. Their sauces were a highlight for me—I tried the chipotle aioli, the green sauce, and the Chuck sauce, which tasted just like In-N-Out’s signature sauce.

Service: This is where my experience took a disappointing turn. Initially, the service was pleasant. The worker was friendly and brought our food to the booth, which was a nice touch. However, the mood shifted when, at 11:20 PM, he approached us and asked us to start finishing up because the restaurant closes at 12:00 AM. This felt odd since we weren’t even there for a long time and were well within the listed operating hours.

By 11:35-11:40 PM, as we waited for our Uber, he told us we could no longer stay, claiming he had a lot of tasks to complete before closing. When I asked if the closing hours were changing (since Google and the signage indicated they close at midnight), he simply reiterated that we couldn’t stay. This felt rushed and unwelcoming, especially since we were planning to leave well before 12:00 AM.

Additionally, I noticed he turned away multiple customers who arrived as early as 30-40 minutes before closing, saying they weren’t taking any more orders. If you’re going to stop serving or close earlier, please update your hours to reflect that. Asking diners to leave well before closing is not a great experience for paying customers

Atmosphere: The ambiance of the restaurant is a standout feature. It has a clean, minimalistic design that feels thoughtfully curated. The nostalgic touches in the decor give it a retro fast-food vibe, but with a modern and polished twist. Everything felt organized and well-maintained, which added to the overall dining experience.

Overall: While the food and atmosphere were impressive, the service left me with mixed feelings. The rushed and unwelcoming attitude during the last part of our visit significantly impacted...

After running some errands in the FiDi, I decided to go to Mr. Charlie’s for lunch. I’ve passed by this place numerous times and decided today was the day to check this place out.

I do like how they poke fun of McDonald’s, which is actually across the street. They use Impossible burgers with their McD’s-style burgers. I believe they also use Impossible chicken for their nuggets and chicken sandwich.

I got the cheeseburger Frowny meal, which includes 4 pieces of nuggets, fries, two sauces of your choice, and canned soda. I wish they had a list of sauces because there are plenty to choose from. I ended up getting the chipotle and sweet & sour. I also wish they listed what soda they had. They have United States of Soda and I chose the blackberry one.

I haven’t had a McDonald’s cheeseburger in nearly 2 decades. So when I unwrapped the Mr. Charlie’s version, I was surprised by how small it was. But then I realized that’s the standard size of a fast-food cheeseburger (that’s not In-n-Out). The portion of fries was good (maybe a medium). All in all, it was a yummy meal! The cheeseburger had the standard mustard, ketchup, and pickles. I thought the Impossible patty was seasoned well. The fries were a little soggy, but that’s most likely due to the walk home. They were still good and not overly salty. The nuggets were an okay meat-substitute in terms of texture. But it was good with the sweet & sour sauce, which tastes exactly like the one from McD’s. The chipotle sauce had a good kick to it.

The place is small with a few booths for dining in. The brightness of the paint was intense for me, so I imagine I’ll always get my food to go. The decor is Warhol-esque. Service was good. The woman who assisted me had the patience to list all the sodas and sauces they have, but seriously there should be a sign for them. The food came out pretty quickly. Maybe next time I’ll try their Big Chuck, which has two patties and their special sauce. They had run out when I was there. I’d also like to try their chicken sandwich, which is available as a...