Ghostburger — Restaurant in Washington

Just had lunch at GB on a Sunday. We were one of maybe 5 groups of four or less in the restaurant (in other words, not busy). Their system is you order and pay yourself online from your table.

Service Once we had our food and drinks, no one ever came by to check on us. It wasn't clear who had what role (wait staff, bartender, bussing staff) so it was difficult to know who we should ask if we wanted anything. I tried making eye contact with several staff members several times but everyone who walked by was consciously avoiding looking at us.

Of course, if what we needed was important we would have gotten up and approached someone but it was things Iike condiments, extra napkins, and additional drinks. We just went without (except for the napkins which we got up and got ourselves from a service table).

For nearly the entire time we were there, one or more staff people were standing in the dining/bar area doing nothing. Of course restaurant staff need breaks but it's frustrating to be adandoned at a not-busy restaurant and see staff clearly with extra time on their hands.

Food The food was average to above average. We had burgers, wings, and fries, so not a big cross-section of the menu. Their Frisco wings were amazing. Burgers were OK but small (see below). Everything was fresh, hot, and well-seasoned.

Value Here's where GB fails miserably. Our bill for 2 single burgers, 1 double burger, 1 order of fries, 1 order of wings, and 3 fountain drinks--including tax and mandatory tip--was $80. The single burgers were so tiny they should only offer double burgers. The wings are an appetizer and come with 6 wings, so not 10 or a dozen like in a meal portion.

And they have a mandatory gratuity of 15% but you can, of course, add more. I didn't give the staff at GB one extra penny. We ordered and paid ourselves via app (tasks normally handled by staff) and never again heard from a staff member once we had our food. Why would I reward that service? I normally tip 25% for just basic service at a sit-down restaurant but not here.

And this is the problem with a mandatory service fee system. What incentive do staff members have to take care of customers? They get their basic pay and 15% whether they do a good job or not. It actually creates an incentive to do LESS work because it's human nature (and common sense) to try and get as much reward as you can for as little effort as possible.

I know self-ordering/paying and mandatory service fees are seen as the future of the restaurant business but those places that hold out and still offer customers a feeling of being cared-for will always out-compete places like GB.

The fact that GB was 80% empty at lunchtime on a beautiful Sunday when there were hundreds of people out and about tells you everything you need to know about what people want in...

I went there for early Saturday dinner with my wife, and I have been really looking forward to try Ghostburger sine I spotted it on google. First of all, I had to walk up and down the street to figure out that Ghostburger is the same as Espita (a spanish cuisine restaurant), and it is just a secondary menu. We get there, and there were maybe 6 or 7 tables occupied, and the rest were empty. The hostess decided to sit us at a small table outside near the hostess booth, and when we asked to be moved to a different table, she said that all the other tables were blocked. Then she said that she needed us to leave within about an hour or something, and we could just order at the bar. She was rude, dismissive, and kind of got me very annoyed seeing all the empty tables. I felt not welcomed at the restaurant, but I figured I would try to keep a positive attitude, so we went in and sat at the bar.

When the bad experience started with the hostess, I should have just left and came back some other day.

We both ordered the the LTD burger. It probably could have tasted better maybe if I was in a better mood. The bread was soggy. It was served on a small plate. The burger did not taste bad. The crinkle cut fries felt like they were over fried frozen fries. The sauce was good, and the bar tender was great. Expected better quality for the price.

When we left a couple of the tables that we asked about were occupied by different people... I am not sure.

If I ever go back to Ghostburger or Espita, I will update this review. Very very...

DISAPPOINTED..!!

I wanted to try this place for a while and today was the day. Went through a lot to find a parking spot nearby (sure, Friday night), but it shows how much I was looking forward to it.

I left thouroughly disappointed. I took the house specialty, the Ghostburger. This will be the smallest burger you will get in the area, for a whopping 16,50 (+ tax, + 15% gratuity). Nothing else included, just a tiny burger, and I even took the Double. They took the smallest piece of bread they could find and decided to use this for their burgers.

The flavors also didn't live up to the price or expectation. In general, it was pretty nice but for whatever reason, they cooked both patties well done and they used so much salt that after the last bite, all that was left was a salty flavor in your mouth and a half empty stomach.

And if you are thinking of getting the hotdog, DON'T. Also very salty, very saucy (which I usually like, but here it was just not good) sure, 'only' 7 dollars, but that just looks cheap because everything else is so expensive.

And then the fries, you guessed it, too much salt and a pretty small portion.

At least the beers were nice. And the place also looks nice.

All in all a big disappointment, won't go...