re•view: elevation burger

Note: Food was provided to me by Elevation Burger, but all opinions presented are my own.

I was leaving lunch with a friend one day when I saw this:

I was irked and I'm sure I don't need to tell you why. There is a lot of new construction where I live, and I was hoping that it would bring more options for my crunchy, veggie-loving self. I wasn't a big fan of burgers even when I DID eat meat (you have no idea how sick I would get if I tried to eat at Five Guys), so yet another burger joint was not high on my list of establishments I wanted to see on our arrival list.

However, I'd never heard of the place, so I decided to do some quick research when I got home. I discovered this fact which calmed me down:

one of many signs in the restaurant

I read the menu, googled reviews, and was finally intrigued enough to reach out to Elevation Burger. They were kind enough to indulge me. After coordinating with marketing staff, I arrived to see if these options would be good options for me.

The restaurant gives a nice impression upon entrance: there is plenty of natural light, simple furnishings made from "renewable, non-polluting materials," (took that info right from the recycled paper that lined my food tray), eye-appealing signs, and most importantly, it's clean!

the view when first entering.

this won't switch me to meat-eating anytime soon, but I'm glad to know they use organic!

I waited in line to meet with the manager. I do have to note that the line moves slowly. On the flip side, when it is your turn, the staff is friendly and thorough. Your order WILL be correct. The manager greeted me and instantly went into customer service mode, assuring me that this experience would be better than my last. He thought I was a complaining customer. Whoops. Having worked in customer service myself since I was 15, I can't judge. I likely would have thought the same thing. It was funny.

Once we got past that, he placed my order and I grabbed my drink and sat down to wait (the format is that of most fast casual establishments where you order at the counter then your name is called when your food is ready.) The menu boards are clean and easy to read, and also provide calorie information. Similar to Five Guys, you choose your burger then your toppings and fries are a la carte. For consistency, I ordered both of my burgers with Elevation Burger's "original toppings:" lettuce, tomato, pickle, and "elevation sauce," a tomato-based condiment.

In the fridge, they offer Wild Bill's soda which is a fun, unique touch, as well as other usual suspects including water, milk, and juce. Of course, they also offer tea (small complaint here: They offer a flavored tea only. I tend to enjoy these, but it would be great to have regular brewed tea as well!) and soft drinks: they have followed the current trend of that magnificent Coke fountain that lets you customize your drink flavor!

I love unfamiliar brands!

I try hard to avoid soda, but I can't resist a lime coke when I see  one of these fountains!

Soon enough, my name was called and the food brought to me. The employee explained what was what on my tray and asked if I needed anything else before getting back to work. While eating, another staff member essentially had floor duty, so she would check up on diners and their needs in addition to cleaning. This is a touch I appreciate and wish restaurants of all types would pick up on.

In line with their values of sustainability, the food was presented on a recyclable aluminum tray and lined with an informational sheet printed on recycled paper. They also cover your fries which is a nice thought.

Onto the good stuff: the food! As you noticed before, they offer TWO different veggie burgers, creatively named Veggie Burger #1 and Veggie Burger #2. The second is actually vegan which is REALLY impressive in the industry to me. Most places would call their side salad vegan and tell you to stop whining. I like that they have done this, and hopefully more establishments will follow suit.

Veggie Burger #1 contains cheese but actually has 20 calories less than #2:

The toppings are fresh and definitely what I noticed first. On it's own, the pattie on Veggie Burger #1 tastes like a broccoli and cheese rice ball sans the broccoli.

Veggie burger #2 contains...can you believe this? Veggies! Shocking more places don't catch on to this:

This burger also contained rice but on it's own, the taste reminded me more of a hash brown patty - with veggies added. I could actually see myself eating this for breakfast. This tasted a little fresher than #1, but also had an overall mild flavor.

I mentioned fries are a la carte (you can also choose sides like salad or mandarin oranges), but the people at Elevation Burger were good to me and supplied those as well. During my "research," the biggest negative comment I had seen was that the fries (hand cut and fried in olive oil!) were too greasy. I was concerned but had no need to be. I LOVED these! I could tell they were cut fresh, the texture was as I like it, and the amount of salt added was appropriate. Even though fried is fried, I appreciate the effort to be healthier by using olive oil.

mmmmm.....

My verdict? If you are looking for a fake meat kind of burger, this won't be for you. Just order a burger. If you want a fresh, meatless meal that doesn't taste like the many cardboard-tasting excuses for veggie burgers on the market, both burgers are great options on the go (though I think I am partial to #2). Most of what I tasted was toppings, but again, everything was fresh and tasty, and most importantly, my stomach didn't protest in anger!

I had never heard of Elevation Burger before they arrived here, but clearly they are growing. Check out their website to see if there is one near you or on its way! They are definitely worth a try.