Carl’s Jr. — Restaurant in San Jose

Memorial Day. I'd been craving BBQ for a while, but, still in the process of moving in INside, I haven't even started to work on things OUTside, so...no grill. So we decided to get flame-broiled burgers instead.

I went to Carl's, thinking I was just going to sail through the drive-thru...only to pull into the lot and realize: no drive-thru! Thank God I decided NOT to go in my pajamas! ☺

There was only one person ahead of me. My order was taken fairly quickly (once I'd decided), and then I just waited. My order came quickly after the gentleman before me, so that was a pleasant surprise. When I got home, I was surprised (not pleasantly) to learn that the taco I decided to try was what's called a "street taco," which I've come to learn is SMALL. (See the pics. The fry box is small, and the fry atop the taco was small-to-average.) Now, if the menu said "street taco," I didn't notice because the tiny size surprised me--especially considering the price! (I get tacos from Jack all the time, so maybe I'm just spoiled by their two-for pricing, but their tacos are a decent size--and they're much better tasting, too.)

Anyhow, I got the classic Famous Star (w/cheese), and it was good. Not as good as home-grilled, but beggars can't be choosers when one doesn't have a home grill. But I will say I was less than thrilled with the fries and thankful I only got a small. To be fair, I don't like many fast-food fries with the exception of Burger King's (and KFC's when they had the steak fries or whatever they're called). And my grandma had her cherished onion rings. It's nice that places carry both, but, to me, these were too done. My grandma didn't complain (and, trust me, she would've if she'd been displeased), but I guess I prefer Jack's onion rings over Carl's.

Lest you think I was dissatisfied with our Memorial Day meal, what I set out for was the burger, and that hit the spot. The taco and fries were peripherals that, though not satisfactory, didn't take away from my enjoyment of a good burger.

Oh, one more "complaint." In the restaurant, both TVs were set to news. To be perfectly candid, I've had my fill of news! I'd had the Giants game on in the car, so it would've been nice to see the game while I waited instead of being bombarded by all the doom and gloom that's on 24-7 these days. I'd opt for Memorial Day entertainment in the form of baseball any day. And I'm not even a Giants fan! I just enjoy baseball and SO don't enjoy filling up on depressing news--especially on a holiday! So maybe, on holidays especially, we could leave the "who shot whom today" reality behind and, instead, just veg out on "bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, with a full count--the game is on the line, folks!"...

It just keeps getting worse and worse for Carl's Jr. The food is thrown together, soggy and gross. The people that work here are rude and not well trained. On a recent visit, the cashier made a mistake and didn't charge me correctly after having to redo the order. Apparently they did a refund from one transaction, but then didn't charge me for the second one. The manager noticed it only later, and became very rude and aggressive, even though we were more than happy to make things right. The manager didn't even thank us - we could have just walked out of the restaurant and there's nothing they could have done about it. There's lots of places to get a burger around here, don't bother...

I made a complaint, and they made it better, so I'm going to give them four stars instead.

The Hangover Burger is pretty good, especially considering it is fast food.

Previous 1-Star Review:

Beggars can't be choosers, if you order a free Hangover Burger, they will not make it to order the way you ask for it. So if you allergic to something or don't like something then too bad!!!

So you can choose not to eat your free burger, throw up because you don't like it, get sick or in pain because you're allergic to it, or if a serious allergy just simply die. Carl's Jr. doesn't care...