Critic's Review
This is the first of the second of the new-fangled burger joints to close (Smashburger in Coral Springs closed as well); I expect their Fort Lauderdale location to close sooner than later as they've changed their menu for the worse. Too many burger joints to sustain.
Review 6/22/11
CG Burgers will be opening a location in Fort Lauderdale next month so I wanted to see what we could expect. The rapidly expanding chain just opened a location in Coral Springs yesterday. I'm not too familiar with Coral Springs, and the addresses aren't too apparent in this part of town; it's right on the corner of 441 and Turtle Creek Dr.
I expected the place to be crowded; these places are usually mobbed the first few days that they're opened. But it was pretty dead. It is, after all, Summer in South Florida. When I walked in I was practically shocked; it looked an awful lot like BurgerFI.
They have the green chairs and big plank tables, and since this place opened their first restaurant before BurgerFI you can use your own judgement as to who may have ripped off who's idea.
I had spotted their Bison Burger on the menu and was fully expecting to get that, but I was pretty hungry so I didn't want to try something new. Besides, I wanted to see how they measured up with their standard burgers. So I ordered the CG Burger with the works and Cheddar Cheese, and one of their Gelato Dark Chocolate Shakes.
They have semi-service here; you order at the counter and they give you a little card that you take to your table. The card is electronic, and you slip it into a reader that they have bolted to each table. They can then find where you're sitting on the computer, and someone brings you the food when it's ready.
The shake came out first; the girl seemed all excited that someone had finally ordered a shake. It's kind of nice that is comes in a glass; like the ones at Steak and Shake if you dine in.
The shake was really good. Very chocolatey and very decadent. No whipped cream or chocolate chips like you get at Steak and Shake though. The burger came out right after the shake.
Now this is a pretty nice burger for $6. The patties were a bit thicker than the ones at BurgerFi, so there was some redness to the meat; it wasn't too well done. There was lots of cheese; I really enjoyed the burger. Certainly better than Steak and Shake or Burger Fi; not up to restaurant quality, but pretty good for a burger joint.
My overall impression of the place was very positive. You can get a real burger here cooked the way you want it (the 9oz Bigger Burger) and they also have 6oz Kobe and Bison Burgers. They even have a bar with tap beers. I think the store in Fort Lauderdale will be bigger than this one. I have a feeling they'll be getting bigger crowds there than they're getting here on their second day.