Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at noon (Wayne’s pick).
Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.
Slider member in attendance: Lucy Y.
Special Guests: Chris Y.
I. Ordering
The menu here is pretty simple, which we took to be a good sign. Burgers are their mission!
Trev got a Brunch Burger ($11) – Everything Krunch Burger, Crispy Bacon, Egg Your Way. He opted for the egg made medium (they gave him 3 options of easy, medium, and hard). This burger is only available on the weekends until 2pm. So get ’em while their hot.
I ordered a Double Krunchburger ($8.50) – house seasoned smashburger, signature cheese blend, onion, zesty house pickles, on mayo’d buttery bun. I opted for single cheese.
We also got an order of fries ($3.25) – house seasoned with a choice of house made dipping sauce (we got the pickled garlic aioli).
Wayne got the Brunch Burger, egg medium, double cheese. He also opted to make his burger angry (which means you add jalapenos +$0.75). [Side note: there were 3 levels of spice: angry, extra angry, and pissed off.] Wayne also ordered fries with the pickled garlic aioli.
DK ordered the Double Krunchburger single cheese and was pissed off. Plus fries.
Innie also ordered a Double single cheese, but was just extra angry instead of pissed off like DK. She also had fries.
II. The Burger
So as the name would imply, Krunchburger is known for their crunchy cheese! Trev and I got there early so we got to see the chefs in action. They would smash their patties, then add the cheese blend on top and let it get all melty and crispy on the bottoms.
If you had double cheese, the 2nd layer of cheese would just go on top and not get the crunchy bits on the bottom.
While watching them make these burgers I had a lot of excitement. They generously seasoned their meat. They properly smashed their patties (which were preformed and already pretty thin to begin with). They cooked on a flat top, which I love.
Unfortunately, what I put in my mouth did not match what I was seeing them make. The meat was spongy and rubbery (kind of like eating an eraser). Given the amount of seasoning I saw them put on the patties, I was shocked at how bland the meat tasted. So disappointing.
Let’s talk cheese. Innie described it as “caramelized cheese jerky”. Some people liked it, while others didn’t care for it. Personally, I enjoyed it and really just wanted to eat the outer edge of my burger while leaving the sad middle bits behind.
On to toppings. Trev thought the bacon was the texture of beef jerky, but Wayne liked it. He described it as “nice and chewy”. And so the bacon debate continues. Everyone liked how much coverage of jalapenos there was. The 3 levels of spiciness was also a nice customization. They think there were 3 different types of peppers used for the 3 levels (not just different quantities of peppers). The eggs were cooked perfectly and looked so good that we questioned whether they were real eggs (it harkens back to Las Vegas: the land of perfectly cooked eggs). The pickles were house made, but there wasn’t much acid in the them. The whole burger was missing the acid balance we look for. The bun was non-descript (as a bun should be).
So look, as a crew, we’ve eaten at over 200 burger spots and we’ve gotten a bit spoiled over the years. It’s easy for us to be nit picky about stuff that the more casual burger eater wouldn’t even notice. There is a bit of Instagram hype over this place and most people would really enjoy this burger. But if you’re a burger connoisseur like we are, don’t waste your time.
III. The Sides
The fries were really good. They came out hot. They were crispy. They were well-seasoned. All you could ask for in a fry. No dips were needed for these fries, but the dips (all house made) were really good. We really liked the jalapeno aioli and garlic aioli.
Side note: when asking about the dips, the descriptions weren’t really clear. You could pick from BBQ chipotle, Jimmy fry, pickled garlic aioli, creamy jalapeno, dill ranch, and krunch island. I suppose most of these are self explanatory, but when asked about what the “Jimmy fry” dip was like, it was described as a “fancy” dip 🤔
IV. Miscellaneous
Krunch burger is located in a strip mall with easy parking. The kitchen was open for all to see, which was fun to watch the chefs at work. All the seating was high top or counter seating (a bit difficult if you have littles with you). Though, they also had high chairs available, but I don’t think they’re high enough to match up with the tables. Food was served in little baskets, which is good for sustainability. They had a single bathroom that was clean.
V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $7 to $12.75. So these burgers a reasonably priced. They’re actually pretty economical given the current burger climate. It’s hard to get a burger under $10 nowadays and here you can get a double for $8.50. I’ll make a not-so-subtle barbed comment though that you get what you pay for.
VI. The Verdict
Lots of hype. Execution looked good, but ultimately didn’t deliver. The ratings: 2.4, 3.0, 3.0, 3.3, and 4.1.
