I must say I am glad to see Fat Ho Burgers back open, I love local joints and want them to thrive, I want to see locals succeed. If you haven’t heard by now Fat Hos is back up and running…. Well jogging is more like it. We definitely remember the hype, both good and bad; it was recognized by multiple National News Sources, it was the talk of the town, everyone had to go down there and check in, they had a line around the block for a couple of weeks. But eventually it died down and they kept a semi-steady flow, until suddenly they closed.
I have heard my fair share of reasons as to why they closed down, but for now, that really doesn’t matter. What matters now is that they are back, with less pizazz & hype, and the question on everyone’s mind is…. “Are their burgers better?” Well hopefully I can provide you with a sufficient answer….
So earlier this week, after I read about it in the paper and checked out their times, I decided I’d stop by after work and give it a try. It would be my latest “fun filled” adventure to say the least.
They opened up in a little gas station over on East Waco Drive that I really never knew was there, even though Id driven by it several times. Had it not been for the sign outside, I would’ve drive right past it. I pull up and park up front, there is limited parking mind you. I step out and smell the grill going, and hear a great chatter inside.
I step inside; to my right in the back there are people slaying the electronic slots, to my left the counter, in front of me is the kitchen area and where you order your food. Remember this is a gas station and convince store first, burger joint second… so there really isn’t a place to sit and you’ll be getting your food to go. I step up, glance over the menu and decide to get a Wide Load Feisty Ho. Wide load means it comes with fries, their clever name for the combo. The Feisty Ho is their “spicy” burger. The Burger and fries runs me about $5.64 or something along that line.
Right before I placed my order, I checked in on Foursquare for fun and I like to use it to for a time of reference. The reason I bring this up is because earlier today I was looking through their Facebook page and saw a comment that “they get your burgers out to you in 5 minutes.” By my calculation it took them nearly 10 minutes to get out my burger, and at the time I was the first person to place an order. An older couple came in a little afterword. Now I don’t think you have to have a burger popped out in 5 minutes or less, we aren’t trying to beat McDonalds, but you can’t keep a customer waiting for more than 8 minutes for a burger joint.
So I get my burger and fries and head on home to chow down. One of the first things I notice in the car is the aroma, it smells good. You get the greasy, sweet, and grilled scent… the aroma from the toasted bun and the fries. Once I get home, I open everything up. The first thing I notice is that they got some new fries; they have upgraded from the crinkle style to a Cajun seasoned style. Not only did they greatly approve upon the quality of the fries, they also increased the amount you get… which is nice. These tasted so much better than the original set of fries they were selling.
Next I go after the Feisty Burger; which at first baffles me as I try to figure out a way to get the burger out in one piece. All the cheese and grease has pretty sealed the burger in the foil bag, which the burger was pretty much crammed into. If I may suggest something, it might be nice if they were to change this-- Get foil wrappers for the burgers, instead of the bag. After I get the burger out, it smells great and I can see a big difference in quality but it is still very lacking in presentation. The burger looked like it was just thrown together, heck all my jalapenos and bacon were all bunched together on one side. I prefer to have the extras spread out over the burger. That’s what I strive for when I make burgers at work and at home, that’s something that many burger joints try to achieve. Again, they have pictures posted on the Facebook page of these nicely dressed burgers, and then there is my mess that I received. As my Chef taught me “You Eat With Your Eyes.”
So I finally dig in and man it is a definite improvement. This burger tastes so much better than the original one I got from the original joint. They are using a thicker, juicer, overall better quality hamburger patty and it was cooked suitably. They have new sourdough buns, which are nicely toasted with an enjoyable buttery sweet taste. They weren’t nearly as sparse on the extras this time around; plenty of mayo, jalapenos, pickles, lettuce, and they DIDN’T forget the bacon this time around! Yay for bacon! I must say, this was such an improvement. The burger was really pretty good; I enjoyed it, every single bite. This pulled a complete 180 on their product quality. You get the gooey hot cheese, the juicy grilled burger, the toppings and the awesome bun.
You can tell Miss. Evens spent some time doing research while they were closed. They limited their menu, they didn’t just rush into anything, and they came out with a much better quality product. Now if they can only work on the presentation some, this shouldn’t be that problematic. If they keep improving like this, I honestly believe they could be considered one of the top burger joints in Waco. I know that sounds like a huge jump and for some it might be hard to fathom, but I stand by it and hope only for the best for Miss. Evens and Fat Ho Burgers.
Though I must admit, this new place isn’t near as inviting as the last one. It is really congested inside, it is in the “other side” of town and I could see this being a factor in loss of possible clients. None of this, obviously, bothers me. I’ll go just about anywhere for some good food. My fellow readers, I ask that you not let any preconceived ideas or thoughts or what you might have heard, keep you from going by and trying one of their new burgers. We gotta support our own! I know I will be going back to try another one soon enough.
