Tom's Burgers — Restaurant in Waco

My parents and I have eaten here a lot since they opened and I've always been really impressed with them, but last night was a total disappointment so I have to rate two stars based on that. I get that restaurants all have "off"nights but this was really bad. My mom called the order in before we went. It was a chicken fried steak with crisp fries for my dad. When I got there the order wasnt ready yet which wasn't a big deal. I went ahead and paid and grabbed a seat to wait. I waited 30 minutes. Literally. People came in, ordered and left with their food while I was waiting. Finally an older gentleman came over and asked if I had placed an order and I told him my mom had called in an order and I told him her name. He said "oh we have that ready" and got it from under the heat lamp. The lady I had already paid started to ring me up a second time which I had to stop her. She is the same lady who knew I was waiting on the order but somehow neglected to let me know it was ready when it was ready. Granted, I should have gone back up to the counter after 15 minutes had passed but I thought she knew I was sitting right in front of the counter waiting the order with my mom's name on it. Guess not. When I got home and gave the food to my dad, the fries were ice cold and soggy and the toast tasted like it had been made with last week's oil. Overall a very disappointing experience from a place that has always been amazingly good. There was no "I'm sorry you waited so long" or any attempt to even reheat anything or make amends in any way. That's why the negative review...

This is your classic American "hole in the wall" dive with great food and super friendly staff. This place opened the year I was born (1991) and has been a local Waco gem ever since. The menu offers classic American faire like burgers, fries, and shakes, but also has chicken-fried steaks, patty melts, and grilled cheese. If you dine-in, it's all served in a classic diner basket. The food is just what you would expect: casual, down-to-earth, and made to order. Everything tasted great.

The place itself is dated, but I feel like that's part of the charm. You get nostalgic just walking in. You're transported back into a time when diners and dives reigned supreme over the corporate, cookie-cutter restaurants that all look the same. Tom's is wholly individual and 100% local, giving it a homey feeling. Updating it just for the sake of it, as some recent reviewers have suggested, would destroy that.

The staff are quick, efficient, and very friendly. They treated everyone kindly and took extra time with individuals who seemed to be regulars, showing that they have probably been with the restaurant for a while and take the time to get to know their regulars-which speaks volumes.

If you're new to Waco-or have lived here for years and just never tried this place-I highly recommend giving it a go. I went during a weekday lunch. They stayed pretty steady, but I didn't have to wait for a table to open up. Parking lot is a bit tight. I would suggest parking next door in the Austin Driving School/CPL...

Give Tracy a raise after what he had to deal with today.

Karenzilla came in throwing a fit over a DOORDASHER messing up, and took it out on him. I apologize to everyone for the scene I caused when I called her out for behaving like an unruly toddler, but there is no reason to berate customer service like that, especially over something they didn’t do. Give this man a raise.

Btw, food was great, but the best part was that butter cookie

To the responses from both Karen and her spouse: No she did not come in calmly, and no I did not just randomly turn and start yelling at her. She was starting to raise her voice and I tried to de-escalate by turning to her (when she was literally 2-3 feet away) and said “hey I get you’re upset, but we shouldn’t talk to other people like that.” And then SHE turned and started yelling at me, so yes I yelled back.

If you’re going to act like an unruly toddler in public, you’re making it everyone’s business. And that “next time someone won’t just talk they’ll take action.” Grow up. If you resort to threats of violence over someone calling out your bad behavior, that says significantly more about you. And yes Tracy yelled at you to shut up because you were literally screaming and acting...