On my last day in Boulder, I was seeking a low-key lunch so my friend, Corey suggested we go to VG Burgers, a 100% vegan fast food restaurant. I had dined at VG Burgers last year and wasn’t particularly impressed. Again, this experience was similar.
I ordered the black bean burger, which was $8 plus a $3 combo that included a side salad and natural soda. Corey ordered the “bacon cheeseburger” with the combo as well. The bacon cheeseburger is the most expensive item on the menu at $10. It is a very pricey fast food establishment.
We ordered at the counter, then sat down and waited for our food. I chose a Blue Sky soda in black cherry, which was really tasty. When our food arrived, I was pretty disappointed at the presentation. I mean, I realize this is a fast food establishment, but at $11 - $13 per plate, I expect a gourmet burger. Instead, I got a black bean burger on a bun topped with salsa, avocado, and iceburg lettuce. In fact, iceburg lettuce was strewn all over the plate and was even the main ingredient of the salad. So disappointing. The burger was nothing special and the salsa really wasn’t that good.
The last time I was here, I had ordered the bacon cheeseburger and was not at all impressed with it. I gave it another shot as I tried Corey’s meal. I did not feel any different – it really wasn’t anything special and it really was not worth $10.
Afterwards, I ordered the soft serve ice cream in a cup with a vegan hot fudge that they recommended. Now, this was really good. It is a coconut milk-based ice cream with a locally made fudge and I thought it was delicious.
So, while I am glad to see there is a vegan restaurant in the area, I think they could really step up their game. It is one thing to serve these sandwiches and charge $5. It is a whole other ball game when you start charging $10 for a sandwich at a fast food joint. The expectation of exceptional food is set by charging high prices, then the consumer is disappointed when it isn’t exceptional. I would recommend coming here to try the soft serve ice cream, but the burgers alone aren’t worth the trip.
Angela, I would agree the burgers aren't worth the trip, IF you're coming from Washington, D.C.!
ReplyDeleteHowever as a Boulder resident and a vegan, I can appreciate the TRUE cost of a meal in terms of healthy, organic ingredients, fairly traded ingredients, and fairly compensated employees in an expensive town like Boulder! The truth is if you want cheap food catered to you, you will get lethal, low-nutrient, unfairly and cruelly-produced, conventional crap.
Steve - I don't want cheap food. I want reasonably priced food OR I want great food at higher prices. This was neither. I actually don't mind the prices at all, but if you are going to charge $10 for a burger, it better be spectacular! I just think that for those prices, they could really step up their game. By offering, at the very least, better buns, higher quality mixed greens rather than iceberg lettuce, and tastier burgers, we'd all win! Then, no one would mind paying the high prices!
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