@Burger, Ann Arbor

@Burger

Someday, I'll tell the story of why I will never eat a hamburger at Big Boy again.  Today is not that day.  But Big Boy may have redeemed itself through a new, theoretically related* venture, @Burger (pronounced 'atburger').

The menu.  If you can't tell from the picture, those are flatscreen tvs.

When you walk in the door at @Burger, everything feels really futuristic.  There are a lot of flatscreen tvs, and while some of them are just playing sports, others are used to display the menu.  Maybe this doesn't sound all that futuristic, but the menu is presented with a certain nonchalance, as though they expect that you refer to a digital display every time you eat.  Orders are placed up front, and then you are given a small radio device to take to their table.  Later, a waitress will use your radio device to track you down and deliver your order.  Even the analog displays had a clean, minimalistic, futuristic feel.

In this case, 'analog' means 'folded t-shirts.'

The main dining area was a bit more standard, with regular tables, high tables, and booths.  None of the furniture was particularly remarkable.  On the wall there were a few phrases written in metal letters (I failed to record them, but one attempted to be either witty or profound (it wasn't clear which), and another just let the customer know that he or she could buy a t-shirt).  The music was very, very loud, and between its poppiness and the fact that I recognized two of the songs, I assume it was just Top 40.  As intrusive as it was, the music wasn't so loud that it drowned out conversation.  Despite the fact that I was there at the dinner hour, @Burger was not particularly full. 

The burger was pretty cheap.  Apparently there is an early bird special, but not so early that you can't get it after 5.  The bun was heavily toasted.  The burger itself was pretty hearty, which is good, because it was a bit small (7oz. is their largest size).  It wasn't incredibly juicy, but it wasn't dry.  There was a bit of flavor to it, almost like barbecue, but it was probably just residual grill flavor.  

The fries had a great deal of potato flavor, and some skin.  The fries were also really plentiful, and delicious.  

My dinner companion, Jen, recommended against the signature burger (it's just called the @Burger).  She said that the toppings were all exactly what she wanted, but that the quantities were too great, making the burger unmanageable.

One final note on the exit from @Burger.  Because you place your order up front, like a fast food restaurant, you expect to bus your own table.  At least, I expected to bus my own table.  This is not the process, but the only way to figure that out is to wander around looking for a place to leave the basket your food comes in until someone tells you to just leave it on the table.  This is sort of a bug in the restaurant design.

However, that flaw aside, @Burger was a fine eatery.  I would highly recommend it in the future.  It was so good, I might even give Big Boy a second chance.

This has nothing to do with the burger, it's just a guy I saw on the way to the restaurant.  I really wanted to share the photo, though.

*Or so legend has it.  Nothing at @Burger's location or on its website draws a connection with Big Boy, but reports place it within the Big Boy chain.  I'm willing to forgive Big Boy based on legend alone.