Originally Posted by
MarqFlyer
I used to love Fuddruckers when they first came out (or at least when I first became aware of them) about 20 or 25 years ago. Loved the burgers, loved the toppings, loved the atmosphere. Then I didn't see one for a while until a couple of years ago when I stumbled upon one in Washington DC. I was enormously disappointed. The burger was WAY overcooked (I ordered medium rare, and got a hockey puck), and when I went and complained, I got the same thing the second time around.
Thinking (hoping) it was just one bad experience, I went to another a short while later (in Phoenix maybe?). Unfortunately, I had the exact same experience, even though I was very emphatic in explaining what I meant by medium rare.
Someone earlier mentioned that it might be due to the E Coli thing, but this was dramatically worse than I have seen elsewhere. Did Fuddruckers itself have a big E Coli outbreak that makes management more sensitive than other chains?
Wish they were like they used to be....
When their burgers are fresh and done right it is truly a great hamburger. However, I have rarely found any of the restaurants willing to do medium rare anymore. Most will come out and tell you that they'll only do medium.
In their hey days, when they had the meat hanging in the storage room and carved it up during the day you could order the medium rare and it was terrific. As soon as business turned sour and the meat storage room was no longer used, they resorted to cooking at a minimum to medium.
That said, however, I was able to get a medium rare at a location in Maryland earlier this year and it was oh so good.