Known Stones: Tommy's Burger Stop

I have some bad news for all the geology majors who thought there was a new column for their major — this is not about geology, so go “kick rocks.”

College isn't cheap, most people can agree on that. If you're looking for a place to eat around town, things can get expensive quickly. This is especially the case at more well-known restaurants in the area.

I'm setting out to find which of these well-known restaurants are truly worth their price through the quality of their food and atmosphere — or if they're all hype and not worth the cost.

Tommy's Burger Stop has been a Spenard staple since 2002, recently expanding across town with the opening of a location off Dimond Boulevard and C Street this March. Of the two locations, the original Spenard restaurant is cozy with minimal seating, while the Dimond restaurant has every intention of being a sit-down eatery.

This article will cover my experience eating at the new Dimond location and compare it to the experience of eating at the original.

Immediately upon walking into the store, you're greeted with a very confused visual atmosphere. The Spenard location — having been around for so long — has a very specific look and vibe upon entering. There is a counter on your left, tables on your right, and a very relaxed dive feel and aesthetic to the restaurant.

In the new Tommy's, it feels as though they are still trying to bring their style into a space occupied previously by another business. Because it intends to be a sit-down eatery, the new aesthetic aims to be more upscale, which ends up clashing with the elements they attempt to bring from the old restaurant. Some of these elements include wall art on one wall and a counter displaying retro Star Wars merch behind it.

In terms of food cost, the burgers have maintained a relatively steady price compared to inflation, while other offerings at the restaurant have made a significant jump.

Comparing the menus from a few years ago to today, the cost of sides and drinks have nearly doubled. This might be justified if burgers normally came with a side, but they don't unless you order the special.

On this trip, my total cost was close to $30. I purchased the weekly special so I could get fries, and I also bought one of their desserts. The desserts there are delicious, with my personal favorite so far being the Cajun Delight that I tried on this visit. It's not too rich, combines multiple textures very well and won't leave you too full if you eat it before your burger gets to your table.

The special of the week, for this week, was The Hellcat Burger, which was delicious. The addition of jalapeños and mushrooms along with blue cheese and mozzarella bring the perfect amount of spice and funk to a quality beef patty.

One note that I will make is that there has been some inconsistency across the burgers that I've ordered, with substitutions or removals not being reflected in the final burger, and this current experience was no exception — I asked for no tomato and the burger came with tomato. Not a major knock for me, but for someone who has food sensitivities or allergies, this could be a bigger concern.

Back to the pricing of the burgers: compared to other restaurants similar to Tommy’s that are aiming to be upscale, it's fairly reasonable. Both Spenard Roadhouse and the Bear Tooth Grill have burgers with a side and drinks that will run you around $30.

The problem is that those places aren't known for being a dive. These restaurants have always been slightly more upscale than the original Tommy's. With the new Tommy's trying to catch up to other restaurants, you can feel how far behind they are through the atmosphere, and the prices should reflect that.

There are places that you can get the same quality of burger faster and cheaper that are still sit-down restaurants. These include the Blue Fox and Arctic Roadrunner which have burgers, sides and drinks that cost between $15 and $20, reflecting the atmosphere in their cost.

Beyond the pricing is the wait time. At the Spenard location of Tommy's, you can see your burger on the grill and make conversation with people in the cozy space while you wait for your food. This makes the wait more pleasant, as you always have an eye on your food and how close it is to being done while passing the time.

At the Dimond location, the kitchen is behind swinging doors, invisible to those waiting for their food. It can be maddening not knowing whether the next door opening will be your food or not.

Because of the limited staffing in the front of the restaurant — who are typically busy working the phone, tables or making shakes — you can't reasonably ask them to see if your food is near done without interrupting.

For those reasons, I think it would benefit Tommy's if they had different menus and styling based on location. The Spenard location could maintain its odd, hole-in-the-wall aesthetic with cheap food to match, while the Dimond location could focus on upscale food and drink that match the quality of their pricing.

This would not only  help differentiate the two locations and incentivize people to visit both, it would justify the jump in pricing for the food at the Dimond location.

The quality and taste of the food is not the issue. If I want a really good burger, Tommy's is one of the first places I think to go. But as I debate where I want to go, I often realize I can get the same quality of burger along with drinks and sides for half the cost elsewhere.

In the future, I hope that Tommy’s either shifts both locations to the atmosphere and pricing of the Spenard location or they have each location go different directions with menu and pricing. If the current model continues to be the standard, college students who have limited budgets for dining out should take their business elsewhere.