Going Back: Hat Creek @ Burnet Ln

It was not the plan to eat at Hat Creek last week. The idea was to have some chicken and waffles which were craved by one of us. It was a desperate drive to get to Lucky J’s that was inspired during the weekend after he saw one of those TV shows. We got there a little past noon to discover that even though the OPEN sign was lit. The place was closed. We twitted Lucky J’s during the week and apparently they were out for a short period of time that coincided with us getting there. After such a disappointment, we return back via Burner and we saw the big hat smiling at us. Our chicken waffle friend had never eaten on Hat Creek so it was the perfect opportunity to go back.

We ordered a combination of small and big hat combos. I added to mine their jalapeno and grilled onions which I believe is an incredible feature on their menu. As previously, the hamburger and fries were delicious. They were as we remembered and their value is fantastic.

However, this time there was a small but noticeable change on the service which at the end affected the final TAVS. Last time, we have our order delivered to our table. We thought it was a nice gesture that placed Hat Creek above the rest. Unfortunately, this time we just got called and we had to pick up our tray. Well, this time Hat Creek was just fair with the service.

I tried to see if they could recover from this and had an opportunity to go beyond. So, I went to ask for a scoop of strawberry ice cream. They carry Blue Bell ice cream for the shakes so they had it. I didn’t want a whole shake even on their small size. Therefore, a scoop was the perfect size. I know it was not on their menu so this was really a test. How much they would be able to accommodate a customer request? Well, they couldn’t for two reasons. The first was that they didn’t have a cup to put the scoop which I offered to them to give it to me on a small cup used for water. The second was that they had to charge the full price of a small shake for me to get the scoop. It was a little disappointed even though they were honest and kind with my request.

For these reasons, Hat Creek has drop on their TAVS score from an incredible 4.0 to a 3.8 knocking them out of the minimum score to qualify for the Top ALR Choice Award. We’ll probably go back since we love their combos and overall value.

Link to Hat Creek Co. web site

Hat Creek Burger Co. @ Burnet

Even though, Hat Creek Burger Company is setup as a fast-food restaurant, it has several differentiators that make it rise above a normal burger chain. A board at the entrance gives a summary of the history of the business which started on a trailer somewhere at West 6th street in 2008. It has a clean, simple and neat appearance with an Ausnitn ambiance on the background that harmonizes with the expected Austinite flavor on that area at Burnet.

The first item that makes Hat Creek different from other similar places is the simplicity of the menu. They have beef, turkey or vegetarian burgers either Little Hat (single) or Big Hat (double). The praise themselves to serve Premium Gold Black Angus beef ALL NATURAL (no antibiotics and no hormones). During this visit, the group ordered as part of this "R&D duty” either Little Hat or Big Hat cheeseburgers combos. The difference is a 3.2oz extra patties added to the Big Hat option.

It was surprisingly pleasant to discover one of the best features that this place offers, which is free jalapenos and/or grilled onions that can be added to your burger. Just think about, how many times have you find a place that offers free jalapenos that can be added to your burger? Normally every other place will look to get $0.35 or even $0.50 extra for adding some to your order. This is a great plus that we commended and appreciate from Hat Creek.

The next surprise was the fries. There was no difference on the Little Hat versus the Big Hat orders. The amount of fries was the same. The amount of great, fresh and crispy fries that we got was plentiful and generous. They had just the perfect thickness, which was no too thick that tasted like bake potatoes or too thin that is just grease. In fact, the combos had an incredible price and value; in fact, my Little Hat Combo came right at my target of $6.00-$7.00 range for lunch.

We noticed that the dessert options were down to only shakes and malts. This was a little surprise because ice cream is not offered in scoops as an option so a "neutralizer" was missing. We'll be asking for some ice cream on a future visit to see if they are willing to stretch and offer a variation from the menu. After all, the Blue Bell ice cream is there at the freezer.

In summary, the burger was very good. It included the veggies that you should expect on a good burger plus the FREE jalapenos and FREE grilled onions that I requested on mine. The fries were excellent with a perfect crispiness which was above most of other places. Regarding the soft soda offerings and selections, they had my favorite one, Diet Dr. Pepper. It was a complete round that had a perfect size, flavor, selection and price.

Good job Hat Creek! You are definitively on the road to become one of our top selections and recommendations. We'll pay a visit later to see if the consistency and quality is there.

Link to Hat Creek Web Site