BURGER BAR 419
First up to bat is Burger Bar 419, located at Heatherdowns & Key in south Toledo. When this place first made its grand opening a little less than 2 years back, I was totally excited for several reasons. I mean, the name alone was much better than the previous establishment which was a short lived place called “The Mustard Seed” (really???? The mustard seed???)
On the other hand, I was also hoping it would NOT become just another fly by night/ trendy place where pretentious hipsters like to sit around in their “Justin Timberlake” hats pretending to analyze & criticize the arts. Nonetheless, I gave it an enthusiastic shot, because like most people in our town… I get the “It’s new!” fever too.
My first visit was somewhat mediocre, yet I saw the potential. The girl working behind the bar was friendly (enough) ,attractive (enough),and the food was good. Nice atmosphere too…it was also refreshing not to have multiple flat screens gang raping my senses with sports shit. This place actually had no tvs in it at first, then later thay added a few thanks to a certain demographic of Toledoans complaining about it- ‘nuff said. The layout inside also seemed very similair to the other places that were in there before…but then again, don’t fix what ain’t broken….the layout of both bar & dining areas were always fine.
Then from late 2011 into 2012, Burger Bar 419 seemed to be growing into a great place to both eat and actually hangout. The place was starting to get packed regularly & the clientele was as good as it gets in Toledo. The staff was getting friendlier, better looking, and the food/service consistently topped itself with each visit. The place kinda reminded me of the show “Seinfeld” …if you watch the first season, its good, but not nearly as good as the following seasons after they got going. And as I suspected, the Burger Bar got going and found a strong position among the mass amounts of Toledo eateries.
Now based on what I’ve personally witnessed, I am going to assume that BB419’s early success has a lot to do with a man named Moussa, one of Burger Bar’s owning partners. I see him in there all of the time….always friendly and his staff seems to sincerely like him as well. Moussa must be one of those few owners around town that understands the basic formula for making money! And one crucial portion of the formula for a place like this: hiring females who can look good, serve well, and …wait for it…wait for it…...yes …have a personality too!!! I mean c’mon, who spends the most money in these places? Is it really that hard to figure out? (Hint: the answer is not women.) Most normal red-blooded men want attractive-friendly bartenders & waitresses to quench their thirsts, feed their appetites, and yes-stroke their egos. Just a little bit of eye contact and a smile goes a long way- I’m not asking these women to go home with us for Christ sake, its just simple math! Many of the lovely ladies of 419 seem to understand how this age old process works…and we return the favor by giving them a much larger tip than we can afford! You see? Everyone wins in this scenario!
Lets name some names now, shall we? I have two easy favorites who deserve to be mentioned for their remarkable service over the past several months. First is Rachel (Bartender)- pretty, friendly, chatty and her whole vibe instantly puts you in the “party mood” upon arrival! Fellow bartenders pay close attention….This is how a real bartender behaves. If you have been at her bar more than once, she will likely have your beer poured and ready to drink before you even sit down. If I owned a bar, I would choose her first to be on my dream team. Next is Sam (Server/Hostess). If Dita Von Teese & Kat Von D made a love child together- that would be Sam. She’s like a rock n roll vampire... very cool, but very fun & personable. Unfortunately, she left BB to serve for another competitor. This kind of sucks because she was a big reason I dined in, not just drink. In the meantime, I prefer to just sit at the bar. There are several others that were always great to see, like Jen, Devon, even Brandon(yes, I mentioned a dude, but if I ever mention a male server- you best believe he knows his shit!)
My major complaint is this though- I’ve begun to notice a subtle trend in the past 3-4 months …more male staff! Meaning more dude servers…and even worse, more dude bartenders! In a town like ours, having a male bartender is the absolute worst thing to have if you’re a man ready to spend some serious money at a bar. The sorry fact is this, 99.9% of all male bartenders suck simply because they are men…In other words, If a dong bartender isnt hitting on your date, he’s too worried about looking cool in front of the female customers and neglecting your next beer (i guess its just the male instinct which we can not do anything about). I see it time and time again. Dongs belong in the back anyhow, unseen and cookin' up my meal real good so that the food portion of my experience is extraordinary.
To wrap up, Burger Bar 419 needs to make sure they don’t lose that magic they were beginning to have…I don’t want to believe they peaked too quickly, but they need to tighten up some things. I can deal with the hipster dufuses I see there from time to time…but please please…bring back the old BB and restore the flame in which I didn’t mind burning my hard earned money in! Pandora music on an indie rock station, expressionless servers with pretty faces, and dude bartenders aint gonna cut it!
You guys were an easy A back in mid 2012.But currently I give you a generous C+
-Im rooting for you though!
The Real Frank
PS: Oh and I almost forgot....You also have one of the nastiest restrooms in town -clean that shit up!
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