Burgers + Beer, what could be wrong with that? - Hopdoddy

And so it begins.  This month we kick off the great UX team burger challenge.  The challenge?  To find the best burger in Austin.  This will of course be well documented.  Here are the rules:

You must score all burgers to participate in final evaluation.  

Each burger is scored in 4 key categories:

• Burger (the entire burger you ordered)

• Sides (any other food or drink item you ordered)

• Environment (the building, service, table, etc)

• Value (the overall value for the entire meal you ordered) .  

 The scores are appropriately weighted.  Each score is on a 1-10 scale.  1 is the lowest possible value and 10 is the highest.  The total score is based on 100 points.  All results are final.

First up is the Big Doddy himself, Hopdoddy 

 

Here's what the group had to say about this burger Mecca:

Judge 1: Overpriced - $18 for a burger, fries and shake!  The shake was too sweet (a 5), but the parmesan truffle fries were amazing (a 10!) some of the best fries I've ever had.  The ambiance was nice - modern, clean, "Austiny."  The burger, though, was a let down.  I got the Magic Shroom and just wasn't blown away.  For all the top shelf ingredients it didn't have a ton of flavor.  Just didn't hit spot.

Judge 2: ​Mediocre burger at best.  The burger patty was dry.  Was expecting bold flavors since it was lamb with mediterianian ingrediants, but sadly disappointed.  Think after my initial visit, the place has lost its charm.

Judge 3: While too much burger sounds like an oxymoron, I like a nice ratio of meat/toppings/bun.  This was just too thick that I may as well put it on a plate and eat it like a slice of meatloaf.

Judge 4: Good burger - not perfect, but pretty darn good.  Restaurant flow was silly, but the people were nice - thus the "eh" environment score.  Cost was also silly.​

Judge 5: Unlike many critics, this reviewer found that the establishment excelled in its synergistic gourmet burger experience. #burger: very good and artfully rendered, but perhaps lacking a bit of joie de vivre (or je ne sais quoi? maybe i'm thinking of raison d'être. i digress ...). #accessories: fantasic - the truffle fries had stoopid hops. #environment: props to the interior flow and design; negatives for the outdoor locale in a parking lot on w. anderson. #value: in this reviewer's opinion, a "gourmet" burger experience is different - while not necessarily better - than a "gomer" burger experience - each should be judged subjectively on a different pricing scale. bottom line - with pricier ingredients, a burger's price is going to be higher. overall, very good value for the ingredients / price.​

Judge 6: I ordered the lamb burger, and while it was cooked perfectly medium-rare as requested (something I would expect a burger specialty place to accomodate) the meat to toppings ratio was way off, leading me to pull some of them off halfway through my burger.  While the burger itself was juicy and flavorful, the bun was standard and the "special sauce" tasted a lot like something we have at home from an HEB jar.  Truffle fries were the only exceptional thing I ate.  The burger was very expensive, although the vibe of the place was casual and trendy.  A little loud however.

​Judge 7: My favorite as I come into this test.  We'll see if they get toppled from their perch! The Magic Shroom is my go-to burger even though my dad insists that pesto and goat cheese on a burger "just ain't right". It's rich for sure, but so tasty that you close your eyes to savor it when that first bite hits you.  The bread is light and fluffy and the meat is obviously high quality. The parmesan fries are pretty good but the best part may be the chocolate shake, which they make with some sort of liquor that gives it a hint of cinnamon.  Yum.

Judge 8: ​The burger was good overall, but the texture of the patty was too dense.  The value here is just not there.  I'd be much happier if it were an $10-12 meal instead of a $15-20 meal.

Judge 9: The veggie burger, caramel + sea salt shake, and parmesan frieds + truffle cream were all excellent. The order and seating process did not improve the experience for a large party, and the layout of the restaurant exacerbated this. Probably a non-issue for smaller groups, though :-)

​Judge 10: $20 for a burger, fries and shake? You gotta be kiddin' me.

​Judge 11: As far as taste/value this burger sucks. What I mean by that is that when you spend $20 you would expect to be completely blown away. I was not. I think Hopdoddy tries to be too trendy then expect you to be happy to pay way over premium price.  I personally was not impressed with the cinamon infusion in every one of their shakes. One thing that I thought was a cut above the rest was their fries, very tasty.

Average Score: 66.16