We first saw the boarded up location about 3 or 4 months ago. Plywood with a sign on it. Bobby’s Burger Palace - Opening Summer 2008. I guess he’s gotten so big now that you know who Bobby is. You do know, don’t you??
Need less to say, I was stoked. He’s a grill guy, and who better to open up a burger joint than a self professed grill guy? I would eat most of his dishes in any of his restaurants, so it’s a total win-win situation. Or so I thought.
The first thing to mention about the place is that the layout absolutely stinks. When it’s busy, you are immediately on line to order, once you walk in. And there isn’t that much space in the ordering area - lines are frequently out the door. There is a wall sized menu with all their offerings, and quite frankly I was a little disappointed. I was expecting not only burgers, but some other finger foods as well, something that screamed ‘BOBBY’. But no. There are 7 or 8 different burgers that you can order, some sides, drinks, shakes, no desserts that I remember, and that’s all. Very disappointing.
Then there’s the seating area. It’s basically cafeteria style in that you place your order and then go find some seats. There are curved counters on one side which take up alot of room. It would have been better used space had the counters been straight - then you could seat more people instead of the 8-10 people at each curve. The tables on the other side had bar stool like seats which just means that the high chairs that they have for kids are pretty useless. There’s nowhere for them to eat. The seats by the counters are bolted down so you can’t move one to put a high chair close enough to be able for your child to eat and make a mess. While it wasn’t billed as a kid friendly place, you’re in Long Island NY - families are everywhere.
The burgers which I had been so looking forward to, were such a big letdown. First off, they were $7.50 each; that’s not usually a big deal, but if they were 6 ounce patties, that would have been alot. I ordered that burger with the potato chips on top and the Kiddo ordered a topless burger with cheddar.
The sides were more style that substance. At $3 a pop, I expected more onion rings and fries than what we actually got. I thought that we had ordered fries [we had not] and when I asked our server where they were, she said there were none for our order, but she would get us some anyway. At least they have the customer service aspect down pat. Though I’m not sure what she did was necessarily a good thing or not.
I really really wanted to like BBP. I would have made the 25 minute one way ride out here several times a week for sure. It’s right next door to Smith Haven mall, so that would have been added incentive. But between the smallness of the burgers, the lack of seating during peak times, lack of a robust menu, & burgers that were more or less on the plain side [save for the sauces], I cant see myself going back anytime soon.
And that’s a crying shame.
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