Burg-R beef burger. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark
For some people, first impressions will make an experience or break it, especially when it comes to new restaurants. If your first experience wasn’t great, you most likely won’t visit the establishment again.
That being said, we decided to give Burg-R Sandton a second chance to see if they could redeem themselves. In our last review, a few months ago, Burg-R, a build your own burger joint located in Morningside, Sandton, didn’t hit the mark when we visited during its launch.
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As with any not so flattering review, we were asked to go back and give them a second chance as they believed in their product so much.
I still maintain our initial review was fair due to the circumstances, which included a long period for the turnover of the food, burgers being a bit lacklustre, and orders coming incorrectly.
During our second visit, owner Nana Asare said he had to give his staff the biggest crash course in restaurant service as they were quite new to the industry and have since learnt from their mistakes.
Burg-R is attempting to shake the burger market, which in the last few years has relished in its oversized offerings and plenty of add-ons stacked between the buns.
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“The reviews have been positive, we’ve seen a lot more repeat customers,” Asare said since their opening.
Asare says the business has grown steadily since, however, not receiving a liquor license has hampered their progress in the first two months of operating.
The biggest drawing card to Burg-R is having good burgers at an affordable price. The patty, the Kalarahri beef burger is well priced at R65, the double beef burger is R90 and the veggie burger is priced at R60. Add-ons start at R4 so you can have a very filling burger for under a R100.
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During our second visit, the burgers were memorable, juicy and well cooked, and they are planning to add a chicken option to their menu.
This time around their grass-fed Kalahari beef burger matched its reputation for the best cut of meat, and it was juicy and well cooked. If you are looking for a healthy option, opt for the veggie burger (black bean, quinoa patty) and instead of the soft buns, a lettuce wrap is an option.
To quench your thirst there is some good quality coffee, freshly squeezed juices, and milkshakes.
Asare says they have listened to the critique in improving their experience, service and drinks.
“Our standard turnaround time I would say is 15 minutes, but you will most likely have your food in seven minutes,” he says.
He reiterated the biggest struggle has been the liquor license, as this leads to people staying at an eatery for longer periods of time, however, they do hope to attain it in the month of June.
So, if second chances are worth it, Burg-R proved that customer reviews are very important as they can make or break a restaurant.
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