‘Watts for Dinner’: BurgerFi has the sizzle and some fizzle

Our next dining destination is BurgerFi at the Shops At Eagle Creek in South Naples.

Typically, when things don’t go well, I can balance that with a lot that does. I’ve eaten at this location many times before the pandemic, and it was always stellar. But this visit, for this review, was challenging, to say the least.

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It started off with a difficult order. We decided to try the new “Go Green Style!” This is were the sandwich of your choosing is served on a crisp fresh-cup of lettuce.

I was going to have the “VegeFi Burger” in the lettuce cup and the “Beyond Burger” on a bun.

The “VegeFi” is crispy quinoa plus fresh-cut veggie burger with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, BurgerFi sauce. It is cooked in peanut oil

The other is a plant-based burger from Beyond Meat which features American cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions.

In comparison, my dining companion was going to have the Beyond Burger in the lettuce cup and the VegeFi on a bun.  

Easy to confuse. So much so, that I repeated the order twice. So, what did we get? Four VegeFi burgers, but at least two of them were in lettuce cups.

That was a little more time at the counter that I wanted, especially since there was a rancid smell coming from somewhere behind the counter.

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We also order a large Cry-Fry, a mix of onion rings and French fries to share.

The entire order took about 30 minutes to arrive at our table. Much longer than in the past. The burgers were good. I especially liked the “Go Green!”

The Cry-Fry was another story. Typically, a large order is more than either of us can complete. This one had only four onion rings and less fries than past orders. Usually the fries are very crispy and delicious. These were soggy and limp.

We decided to go for one more round, ordering a couple of “Concretes,” made with custard. I had an Oreo cookies, and my friend had the red velvet. The taste was good. But here’s the kicker. We waited 20 minutes for them. I ordered, got my number. They were apparently made immediately and put in the “to go” area. And several minutes later, someone noticed the mix-up and delivered them to our table in the “to go” packaging. They had melted a bit by this point.

I hope this was just an off hour or an off day. If not, I hope BurgerFi gets it together soon. Happy eating!

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This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all reviewed dishes online at marconews.com.

If you go

BurgerFi

• Shops At Eagle Creek, 12712 Tamiami Trail E., Naples
• 239-330-7804
• burgerfi.com