The Burger Social — Restaurant in Wheaton

Let me preface this review by saying my fiance and I have been going to the burger social for nearly 2 years now and have, for the most part, really enjoyed it. But I can definitely say that quality has gone noticeably down, and tends to fluctuate quite a bit. I remember the first time we went we both got the barbacoa burger...and weren't crazy impressed, but liked the atmosphere (especially in comparison to a lot of the other restaurants in the area) so decided to give it another chance. So of course we must have had a good second experience because we've been regulars ever since. Now again, for the most part it's been good (the spicy nacho is super delicious when made well and served hot). We've had downs here when the food has been served cold and I've had more overcooked burgers than properly honestly...but this past weekend was simply the last straw. So I ordered the korean bbq and she ordered the fifty/fifty. The food took a very long time. And then we get our dishes...and my fiance does not have the right burger in front of her. We ask the waitress...and she admits she must have messed up the order and placed it incorrectly into the POS. (Let me just say this was an honest mistake and she did take that burger off the bill...so I dont blame the server but this just contributed to an overall bad experience, and could not compensate for what I'm about to talk about). She offers to get the right one going...but my fiance doesnt want to waste the burger or eat alone by the time it came out since I'd be done eating mine. So she starts to get into it and not only is the entire burger barely room temperature...but the fried jalapenos on it are totally cold and soggy, the burger is cold and VERY overcooked, and the cream cheese sauce is so lemony and acidic she needed to scrape it off just to make it edible. So she tells the waitress about the jalapenos and when she comes back from the kitchen she informs us that they can't make her fresh jalapenos because "they're just a topper and are served room temp". Now we both went to culinary school and used to work in restaurants...what that basically means is they fry them all in the morning and let them sit out to get cold and soggy. Not only is that totally gross, but a sign of pure laziness and carelessness. They offered to take them and throw them on the grill to heat them up...which not only wouldn't help, but is also illegal to take a dish that has already hit a table and put it back onto a cooking surface. It causes serious concern for the possibility of cross contact. So my fiance just sucked it up and ate what she could manage because at that point we both were in agreement that this would be our last time ever eating at the burger social. As for my korean bbq burger...the flavor was ok but it was also hardly warm when I got it., and the burger was overcooked. Also, the crispy onions on it were so stale l that they were undoubtedly made days before and stored improperly. Honestly it also kinda seems like they cook a bunch of patties at once and keep them around for a long time and then flash them in the salamander to serve. I'm just thoroughly convinced at this point that quality is not this restaurant's concern. And not to mention the menu has essentially not changed, with the exception of a few items, in the 2 years we've been going. Which also seems to be a recurring issue with the other restaurants in the group. I get they get super busy because it is a quite popular place...but it's sad to see them sacrificing quality. All I can say is that there are plenty of other places in the area that truly care about consistency and quality...but not this one. 302 is filling that...

Living in the area for over 27 years, Wheaton was once a town to which we hardly ever ventured. Have since become avid fans of Hale Street. It is our goal to sample food from each restaurant by summer's end. The atmosphere is casual and fun. Today there was no music. Our previous visits have had us dancing in our seats thanks to local musicians. Now on to the food. I am mostly vegan. Some of this decision is by choice, a portion of this was caused by an injury that I sustained late last spring. Every now and then I feel the need to eat a good and tasty portion of meat. But when I do partake, I want for my experience to be worth every bite. I don't mind spending a few buckies, I want it to be fresh and a tasty experience. Let me say that Burger Social did not disappoint. They were extremely accommodating for my son's family - which included a 2 year old toddler. (I have visited restaurants in the city with my daughter and my other 2 year old granddaughter. Have witnessed the exact total opposite of this. So thank you, it is appreciated). Service is attentive and mindful. They may not be lurking over your shoulder - which is graciously preferred. We were delivered water at the perfect moment, napkins, silverware. For some, the experience may feel frustrating. There is an hour and a half time limit on tables, which due to the location, is understandable. (I silently wished for other restaurants to put this practice in place.) The burgers that we ordered were fresh and cooked as ordered. Well worth the wait and the $. I am a lightweight and cannot eat an entire burger at one sitting. Just means more snackies for the evening. The truffle fries were excellent. Likely the best that I've enjoyed. The hubby ordered the Barbacoa burger, which was super filling and FREAKING! tasty. My son and I gravitated towards the wild shroomer and blue cheese burger. Fantastic! little bits of grilled onions of garnish. The shroomers were extremely fresh (we just visited the Farmer's market for fresh shrooms. Huge fan! back to the review) and the blue cheese - a rich indulgence. My Daughter (in law) enjoyed her Southern BLT. This is not your traditional style. The chicken was likely the tastiest outside of Fry the Coop. I am a stickler for mac & cheese. Like meats, if I indulge, I want it to be worthy. This was almost as good as my husbands. Which, I have to say - is the best. Not biased here. Super happy to have had my fix here. We have visited their sister location - Burger Local in Geneva about 6 months ago. We enjoyed this location better out of the two. Will reserve judgement on their milkshakes for the next visit. Just could not attempt to conquer one this afternoon. I apologize for the half eaten food. We were half way through our meal when I remembered that hey! I should snap some photos...

The Burger Social has been in Wheaton for a few years. When they first started they were very good. The food was always served hot and fresh, service was attentive and the drink menu was better than most. We always left feeling like it was money well spent. Things were different last night.

We had reservations and were seated within 10 minutes...it was busy and loud so we expected a slight wait. Despite that we were greeted by our server within 20 seconds of sitting down (amazing), but well before we had a chance to look at the menu. We gave a drink order and asked for a couple of minutes to look at the menu. 5 minutes later the first of three beers arrived and we placed our appetizer and food order. 15 minutes after that we got the remaining two beers. They were no longer cold. 20 minutes after that our food arrived at the same time as the fried pickle appetizer. The fries were nearly room temperature and far over salted. The bottom buns of the burgers were soggy wet from sitting in the burger juices and runny toppings for so long. Everything was barely warm. It was clear that our food and beers had been sitting for quite some time before someone noticed and brought our orders to the table. Our waiter never reappeared at our table after taking the appetizer / food order either....turns out that he was also tending bar upstairs. The bill was over $100 for the four of us, which we had to search out someone to pay as nobody ever came back to the table. This time we felt like we should have gone somewhere else in town. Next time, we will.

(I can see from reading other reviews here on Google that they stopped responding to reviews about two years ago, so this will do...