Vera’s Burger Shack
Multiple locations around Vancouver
See homepage for details
Hours vary by location
A Tale of Two Burgers
–
In an attempt to establish inter-rater reliability, this week’s edition of Eatvancouver features two points of view. Expect a third next week when columnist Lorna Yee chimes in.
–
It was the best of times..
By Jason
Eat Vancouver Editor
Sunday, April 16th, 2006
UBC location: 1/2 (of four stars)
Other locations: * and 1/2 (of four stars)
When I moved to Vancouver a few years ago, Vera’s was one of the first restaurants I visited. I was pleased to find out that what my friends were telling me was true: Vera’s Burger Shack made a name for itself serving well-designed burgers, with fresh meat and toppings and hadn’t deviated from that in twenty-odd years of service. My romance with the burger shack continued, marked by casual encounters whenever I found myself in the vicinity of a Vera’s, usually the Denman or Davie locations. I appreciate a place that takes burgers seriously, uses ultra-fresh ingredients and greets me with a smile – heck, what’s not to like about that? Walk into most Vera’s locations and you can expect a pretty simple atmosphere: wooden tables with napkin dispensers, a couple of bottles of vinegar and a bottle of ketchup, maybe a few signs on the wall explaining the place, and no absence of that smiling, young ginger with a cow-print chef’s hat. The burger, again at most locations, is quite good. To break it down, you’ve got your beef patty, seasoned ever so slightly to bring out the flavor of the meat. There is a kaiser bun that just the right size as to not hide the underlying filling, but big enough to aptly house the burger and allow for hands on eating. The toppings are many to choose from, and always fresh. I don’t like to overshadow the meat so I usually order my vera burger with lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, hot peppers, pickles (sliced nice and long), hot sauce and vera’s sauce. Oh, their poutine is top-notch as well.
So given my love affair with Vera’s, imagine my delight when I learned that Vera’s was opening a location right on the UBC campus, just a short jaunt from my office – the perfect distance away for a little afternoon delight. I’m sad to say, however, after about ten visits over the past three months or so, the UBC Vera’s does not live up to the Vera’s name. And because a chain should strive for consistence excellence across locations, I’m afraid one day soon there will be little name for it to live up to.
The problem with the UBC Vera’s is lack of attention to detail. Nearly every time I visit this location the tables are dirty, and the napkin dispensers are covered by a sheen of grease. Still, I could look past these little details if I at least received a decent burger. Unfortunately, this has not yet happened. The good bun is still there, the toppings are still fresh, but the burgers, sadly, are horribly overcooked. Ground beef, no matter how fresh it is, tastes like cardboard when it is cooked several stops past well done and that’s what Vera’s is doing nowadays.
Take my last trip for example. To demonstrate the problem to my dining companion, I unwrapped my burger, turned it vertical to the basket and squeezed – hard – the result was four drops of liquid from the burger. And here’s the kicker: they were from the tomato. The problem is so bad that it’s not uncommon to reach the center of the burger and still find no moisture. On the plus-side, there is little chance of ruining that favorite shirt, but this pro is overshadowed by a major con: a dry burger doesn’t taste good. At five-something a burger, what you are getting from the UBC location is no better than a fast food burger and not worth the price. It was this observation that led me to give Dan Fishman the go-ahead to take a shot at Vera’s in his last review, and I am sticking to that assertion.
Long story short, I recommend the burgers at most Vera’s location, but I think the restaurant is in danger of becoming a case study in overexpansion as they seem to have lost track on quality control across locations. Until then, Vera’s is on my warning list. The writing on the wall says you can’t beat Vera’s meat. Maybe so, but you certainly can overcook the hell out of it.
–
It was the blurst of times…
By Dan Fishman
Eat Vancouver Columnisst
Sunday, April 16th, 2006
* (of four stars)
Author’s Note: In last week’s review of Moderne Burger, I made the comment that Vera’s Burger Shack is “overpriced and mediocre.” Due to the firestorm of controversy that this remark has set-off (or at least the fact that it offended Vera’s co-owner Gerald Tritt—let’s face it, it’s quite possible he’s the only person who read that review), it became clear to me that the only fair thing to do was to put forth some explanation for my comment in the form of a full length review of Vera’s. For obvious reasons, this plan met with some skepticism from both the Chairman and Mr. Tritt, both of whom questioned my ability to provide an unbiased report given the circumstances. I fully understand their concern, however, one of my favorite slogans is “Fair and Balanced,” and I can assure you that I will do my very best to write the review I would have written if last week’s controversy had never occurred. That being said, this review will be partly based upon 6 previous Vera’s experiences (1 at UBC, 3 at Kitsalano, and 2 at the Davie St. location), but will focus primarily upon my recent visit to the UBC location with the Chairman.
In preparation for this review I visited Vera’s website, and discovered that it consistently wins “Best Burger in Vancouver” in various reader polls, a fact that is reiterated on signs at the restaurant. Given this, I thought there was a definite possibility that I might be eating not only my words, but a healthy serving of humble pie. Unfortunately, all that I ended up eating was an average burger. Now don’t get me wrong. Vera’s definitely does not make a bad burger. But they certainly don’t make a great one. And at over $8 for a cheeseburger and small soda, what you wind up with, in my opinion, is an overpriced, mediocre hamburger.
The first thing that you will notice when you get to Vera’s is that there is a lot of choice on the menu, including sandwiches and hot dogs, and a vast array of hamburger choices. This can be a little overwhelming, especially if a line is forming behind you, but if that happens, you can always focus on the basic Vera Burger and the large list of optional toppings, many of which are available at no charge. Despite what some in psychology claim, it is my opinion that more choice is always better. Score one for Vera’s. At first, I thought the best comparison would be to order the exact burger that I had at Moderne Burger, but then I decided that since Vera’s has a wider selection, they should be rewarded for that and I should order whatever looked good. Therefore, I went with the Vera Burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, hot peppers, ketchup, Vera’s sauce, cheddar cheese ($1.09 extra) and roasted garlic ($0.54 extra) and a small soda, which came to $8.78. The Chairman omitted the costly extras keeping his total to $7.04… still seems a bit steep, and cheese, to me, is a virtual necessity.
The patty was definitely cooked too long for my liking; there was no juice left whatsoever. The bun was nothing special, just a regular Kaiser. The toppings were actually pretty good, especially the pickles, although the lettuce was a little sketchy (a bit withered). As for the roasted garlic, I thought it was disgusting and picked it off, but maybe I just don’t like roasted garlic—I didn’t like it in a calzone a while back either. All in all, there’s nothing really that wrong with the Vera Burger, at least not beyond what I have come to expect from Vancouver hamburgers. But there sure isn’t anything special about it either. To me it tastes like a hundred other burgers I have had. In fact, it tastes exactly like the burgers at a place that folks from Ontario might be familiar with: Lick’s. The difference is that Lick’s ALWAYS has 2 for 1 coupons available (and they don’t overcook the burgers); if Vera’s made their burgers available at 2 for 1, then I think it would serve a valuable purpose, namely providing a decent hamburger at a reasonable price. Providing a decent hamburger at an unreasonable price is, in my opinion, no service at all. If you are like me, and healthy eating is somewhat important to you, a burger represents a significant departure from that diet, and therefore you expect it to be worth it. Likewise, when you spend $8 at a counter service restaurant, especially at the university village, you are paying more than you could be paying elsewhere. Once again, I think that entitles you to expect something better than average.
One thing that really, really irritates me is when people throw around the word “great.” Vera’s certainly has the attitude of a place that is able to deliver a great burger, but they simply don’t do it. “Great” is a strong word, and it bothers me when it is used with abandon to describe things that are simply good, or even average. A great burger should make you happy when you eat it. It should make you sad to finish it, sorry that it is over so soon. It should make you wonder if you could maybe eat one more. When I eat a Bacon n’ Cheese Ciabatta, I think about it for weeks; I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it (well, that could be indigestion… it is after all over 1100 calories). For me, eating a great burger is more than a meal; it’s an experience. I was thinking about Moderne Burger for days, and I am looking forward to the next time I go there. When I finish a Vera Burger, I feel nothing. From the dry burger to the bland décor; from the disinterested attitude of the staff to the messy tables, nothing about Vera’s makes the experience particularly enjoyable. At the end of the day, all that I had was a $9 hole in my pocket and a desire to eat something that actually tastes great (a role filled surprisingly adequately by a Nanaimo bar). If you love Vera’s, that’s cool; maybe there is something about it that appeals to people that I am missing. And I can even see why it wins all those reader’s polls: with 5 locations, Vera’s is clearly able to serve far more people than any single restaurant, and people can’t vote for a place they have never tried. For me, Moderne Burger makes a better, juicier hamburger, and serves it up in a more enjoyable environment. Therefore, if you have never tried it, I recommend it. And that’s all I was trying to say in my other review. As for Vera’s, if you’ve never been, I wouldn’t go out of your way. If you have tried it, and think I am wrong, please let me know, I would love to hear your thoughts [editorial note: if you wish to contact Mr. Fishman directly, send an e-mail to me and I will forward it to him. You could always also leave a comment here.].
Dan Fishman is a Master’s student at the University of British Columbia studying Psychology.
45 responses so far ↓
1 Gerald Tritt // Apr 17, 2006 at 7:34 am
Hi Guys
Let me be the first to tahnk you for giving a FAIR AND UNBIASED REVIEW of our stores.
Gerald Tritt
2 Jason // Apr 17, 2006 at 8:57 am
thank you for a completely non-sarcastic comment.
3 Randy // Apr 17, 2006 at 11:14 am
Unless I am really technologically challenged, it appears that the link “homepage” on the fourth line of this piece is to the Moderne Burger site not to Vera’s site. Yes, I did read the rest of the review. I have not been to the Kits Vera’s in sometime. Take a look at the comments on dinehere.ca for other views of Vera’s.
Randy
4 Jason // Apr 17, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Randy,
Thanks, I fixed that link. Dine Here seems to echo a lot of the sentiments here.
5 gerald tritt // Apr 17, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Jason;
Sorry if you think the comment was sarcastic.
By the by I like the picture, it certainly looks like a burger that would be dry, only yielding 4 drops of liquid from the tomato.
But then again pictures lie all the time.
I will certainly speak to the people at ubc about the cleanliness, and ensuring that they are more on top of it, there is no excuse for the cleanliness issues.
6 Liz // Apr 19, 2006 at 8:17 pm
in reference to your problem with the “gunk in the vinegar” I just had to write…malt vinegar has sediment! It is normal. But I did notice how shiny the bottles were.
7 Jason // Apr 19, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Thanks Liz,
I thought it could be normal since I’ve seen it before at some places. I will have to fix that. Yeah the bottles were a bit greasy, in need of a good wipe down.
8 Liz // Apr 20, 2006 at 5:44 pm
Actually I thought they were shiny clean!
9 Eat Vancouver » Phodown #11 - Pho 66 // Mar 5, 2007 at 12:00 am
[…] My main complaint with Pho 66 was the beef; not the quality of it, which was excellent—in fact, many other Pho restaurants would do well to find this tender, low-fat beef—but rather the quantity, which was puny. On the other end of the spectrum were the noodles, which comprised probably 85% of this pho. Not bad flavor-wise, but just way too much. I have often heard Iron Chef Mario Batali say that in his pasta dishes, he wants the noodles to be the star, and maybe the folks at Pho 66 agree. But for me, when I get BEEF Noodle Soup, I want to know it. The broth was actually pretty good, the atmosphere was good, the service was friendly but slow. The condiments were pretty weak, with wilted basil, a very sketchy looking chili oil and nothing else but the basics. All in all, this may have been the Vera’s Burger Shack of Pho restaurants, as the pho was mediocre, and, at $6.95, overpriced. […]
10 Nicholai // Apr 16, 2007 at 8:35 am
My wife and I tried vera’s after much praise. We love burgers, but do not love Vera’s. We were left wanting, feeling ripped off, and disappointed that we did not go to the best burger in town instead at a sit down restauraunt for the same price! - Red Robin.
11 Jason // Apr 16, 2007 at 9:53 am
Well said Nicholai. On the one hand, it isn’t Vera’s fault that they were branded best burger in town. On the other hand, it is their fault that they continue to flout this title, while serving a mediocre and exceptionally over-priced product.
12 gerald tritt // May 8, 2007 at 9:38 pm
arlington virginia [editorial note: Arlington, VA is 5 minutes from and often considered part of Washington DC, one of the hottest dining destinations in the world, home up Eric Ziebold’s (ex sous at french laundry) Cityzen, Michel Richard’s Citronelle and Central and Tom Power’s Corduroy, as well as 5 minutes from Alexandria VA home of Cathal Armstrong’s Restaurant Eve and neigboring Mclean, where you can find Fabio Trabocci’s Mistro], and oshawa ontario
the PINNACLES of dining, you guys should stick to verbal overshadowing and thought suppression. Best of luck to both of you in your studies, I sincerely hope no one decides to attack you personally and professionally [We simply said the burgers at Vera’s are overpriced and mediocre, and he called Dan a half-witted hack] for your bodies of work.
cheers
13 Dan // May 9, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Gerald, your point is so stupid as to be almost not worth replying to… almost. Let’s say that both of our hometowns have no restaurants whatsoever… What exactly would that prove? Even by the standards set by your previous posts, this one is troublingly incoherent.
Your restaurant charges over $5 for a terrible hamburger. I used to say it was mediocre, but the last one I had was absolutely repulsive. I can’t understand why anyone would go to Vera’s, except that sadly the selection of burgers in this town is limited, especially with Moderne Burger closed for renovations. I am just happy that the people of West Vancouver will no longer be subjected to Vera’s horrific food.
14 gealdtritt // May 10, 2007 at 6:42 am
dan;
what is terrible about it, that its fresh, that we make our own patties, that its served pink, 6oz, spiced more than loading up with salt. That flavour shots are top tier, like heinz, frenchs, hellmans, that our fries are double fried fresh. Dan and Jason suffer from presonal overshadowing, they don’t like me so they will, sully my business any chance they get. How do you trust commentary from someone who resorts to calling you a douchebag (WHICH THE AUTHOR OF THIS WEBSITE CALLED ME) [editorial note: I said “you’ve always been a douche to us” (a true statement). later on this escalated and I did say Gerald was fat and ignorant, but I subsequently apologized for that]. Nuff said, if this post stays on, I think anyone reding this gets my point.
15 Jason // May 10, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Just to clarify: Arlington Va is home to several great restaurants and it is but 5 minutes from Washington DC, one of the hottest and growing new dining destination in the world, featuring recent James Beard Awardees as Cathal Armstrong and Fabio Tribonacci, as well as celebrity chef Michel Richard. Many critics and writers see the dining scene as comparable to any worldwide.
Further, I said you were acting like a douche towards us, Gerald. There’s a difference.
Just the facts.
16 gealdtritt // May 10, 2007 at 6:30 pm
No, Jason
You called ME a douchebag, if you would like I can send you some of the email that were sent to me when you called me that on one of the other food websites in town. Your thought suppression is really wuite amazing
17 Jason // May 10, 2007 at 6:57 pm
ok please email it to me.
18 gealdtritt // May 10, 2007 at 7:08 pm
here is a snippet
“The guy would not know good honest food if it crawled up his ass.”
Jason, I do not know what I’ve done to you or your family, however I can tell you this. The original comments by Dan were uncalled for and the situation has simply gotten worse from there. I agree with what andrew morrison said on his site this am, you guys both you and dan cannot be objective about anything regarding my business, so after a year of this we should just let it die, unless you just want to escalate this to a point of no return.
It is bad enough that anything said at this point just makes both of us look bad.
19 Jason // May 10, 2007 at 7:37 pm
so what you are saying is that i didn’t call you a douchebag and you lied. fair enough.
i honestly don’t recall saying the above quote but it sounds like part of the tirade that occured when i lost my temper with you, comments i subsequently apologized for. i apologize again.
i do hold to the fact that i am a scientist, very practiced in objectivity. your food is overpriced and mediocre. that’s what dan said originally and it’s certainly not uncalled for, as it is a true statement.
20 geraldtritt // May 10, 2007 at 8:17 pm
okay jason,
just remember, i tried
this comment on another food website
>jason Posted: Sep 8 2006, 06:32 PM
Unregistered
seriously though gerald, i do recommend restaurants based on their food. it’s the first thing i base my judgments on - i love to eat. but you have been nothing but a douche to me, so i’m sorry if i have a hard time recommending your places. to be fair, i recommended taco shack before i was called a bigot. if that means anything.
This post has been edited by jason on Sep 8 2006, 06:35 PM
“you have been nothing but a douche to me”
if you are not calling me that, what are you calling me?
here is another post jason
jason Posted: Sep 8 2006, 07:52 PM
Unregistered
“So SCREW it, the gloves are off. You must be as stupid as you are fat”
for anyone outside of Jason and Dan to read this, please let me know if I am a liar, and if dan and Jason can be objective in their assessments, assuming that Jason does not edit or delete this posting.
Jason I would like to thank you for making it clear to most anyone that will read your website, that you have neither the clarity nor sound judgement to be in the “restaurant review business, you have insulted me, my business, and my livelyhood and passion, called me a douche, fat and a liar. Further if you continue to attack my business with malicious intent, then I will escalate this matter.
Now, I will ask nicely, cease and desist any further commentary by you or anyone associated with this website with respect to my establishments.
21 Jason // May 10, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Gerald,
Please read my posts before you reply. Here is what I said about three comments up:
“Further, I said you were acting like a douche towards us, Gerald. There’s a difference.”
That’s exactly what you quoted above, almost verbatim, and I don’t even have access to the message board you are quoting anymore. I won’t apologize about that because, it’s a true statement, you have been a douche to us.
A few posts up I also said:
“later on this escalated and I did say Gerald was fat and ignorant, but I subsequently apologized for that”
I’m tired of repeating myself but yes, I did call you fat and stupid, but in the context of the conversation this isn’t as bad as it sounds. I do sincerely apologize for that as it was not warranted and I lost my temper. It doesn’t happen often. Again, I’m sorry (note I’m the only one doing that, you’ve never offered an apology to me).
Again Gerald, yes I lost my temper once, but I am a scientist and this does not happen very often. I judge your hamburgers with a sound and rational mind, with the objectivity of a trained and published scientist, and find them overpriced and mediocre. My website will continue to report that truth despite any further bullying from you.
Please read the above carefully, as I will not repeat myself again.
22 Dan // May 11, 2007 at 10:39 am
Gerald,
At what point have I ever insulted you? The closest I have come is suggesting you arent a good guy, and considering you called me a half-witted hack (which is what started this whole thing–i just said your burgers are overpried and mediocre, which they are), that seems like a reasonable conclusion for me to make.
Furthermore, it is perfectly objective to say that your burgers are bad, if they in fact are bad. It is pretty clear that what I write is my opinion, whuch is no more or less subjective than anyone else’s. On the other hand, to say that soggy fries with gray stuff on them, which i was treated to two weeks ago, are not good is not really opinion, its fact. Note that I am clearly not lying about that, as I am perfectly willing to admit that the milkkshake was quite good. THe burger on the other hand, was completely bland. I’m not really sure what a “flavor shot” is, but I’m not sure that bragging about using Heinz says much. I would like to propose a scientific test, in which your cooked burger patty is subejcted to an analysis to determine its flavor profile. I am quite certain that it will come up behind nearly any other burger around. But of course, science lies all the time, right Gerald?
23 Dan // May 11, 2007 at 10:43 am
Also, to say that I don’t like you is ridiculous. THe only problem I have ever had is with your bad food, and your insistence on making it personal instead of about the food. You make them fresh? Good for you, they still taste bad. 6 oz? Great, I would prefer zero. It is, always had been, and always will be about the fact that you charge way too much for an inferior product. My mission at EatVan is tp provide readers with information they can use when deciding where to spend their hard earned money. So as long as innocent people are being subjected to awful food, I will be here trying to prevent it.
24 gerald tritt // May 11, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Dan
Finally a point we can agree on, you pay, for any scientific analysis of my cooked burger for a flavour profile, and I’m quite sure you will find several different profiles, furthermore if that is the case i want acknowledgement on this website, that indeed it has a flavour profile, that cannot be considered bland.
25 Jason // May 11, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I’m still waiting for the much promised Jason Chin day at Vera’s.
26 Jason // May 11, 2007 at 4:25 pm
and by the by, isn’t the burden of evidence on gerald to prove that flavor exists. kind of like how the burden of evidence is on people to prove sasquatch exists.
27 Dan // May 12, 2007 at 4:23 am
THE HAMBURGER HELPER? A SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF VERA’S BURGER SHACK
A HYPOTHETICAL Manuscript submitted by Daniel JF Fishman for the review of the readers of EatVancouver.Net.
Introduction:
Me: Vera’s is “overpriced and mediocre.”(http://www.eatvancouver.net/2006/04/10/35/)
Gerald: You are a “half-witted hack.” Write a review of my restaurant, “I can take it.” (Ibid., comments 1, 8 )
Me: Ok, here is my review of Vera’s explaining why I think it is overpriced and what is mediocre about it (http://www.eatvancouver.net/2006/04/16/veras-burger-shack/)
Gerald: You are biased! (Ibid., comments) [Biased by what is not clear, all I did was explain the comments I made before I had any idea who Gerald was; in fact, all I know about him now is what I have been able to glean from his meandering, poorly reasoned posts, although he seems to know a lot about me. Creepy]
Me: Ok, here is what my friend thought of it on a recent visit.
Gerald: You have it in for me! I am going to [sue you, send my goons after you, or launch a nuclear attack on your building—not clear from vague threat to “escalate” things (Ibid.)]
Method
Me: Vera’s burger patty along with patties from other Vancouver area restaurant were subjected to various tests at the UBC food sciences laboratory.
Gerald: You have to pay for that yourself!
Results
Me: The data showed that Vera’s was less flavorful.
Gerald: That’s not fair you are biased!
Me: Here is a .pdf of the results.
Gerald: We make our patties fresh!
Me: They have very little flavor, as this data shows.
Gerald: We use Heinz ketchup! You are a moron!
Me: Not sure what that has to do with the issue at hand.
Gerald: You must apologize for th what you said about me!
Me: I didn’t say anything about you, I reported on FOOD at a restaurant you happen to own.
Gerald: You are insulting me!
Discussion
Well, the data showed that Vera’s is pretty bad. Surprisingly, Gerald was unwilling to accept this result, and instead attacked me personally. It is commonly believed that people are most sensitive to criticism in areas in which they themselves lack confidence. Our data support this idea.
Further research will be required in order to determine why Gerald has adopted the tactics of the radical Left (unfounded accusations of bias designed to shut down discussion, personal attacks, refusing to admit that he has lied about what other said even when confronted with irrefutable data, refusing to apologize for what he has said while demanding that others apologize for less offensive things they have said).
In conclusion, it seems like it was a real waste of my money to run those tests.
28 Graham // Jun 28, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Having tried three Vera’s burgers over the last five years, (Kitsalano, Davie, and Denman) their burger quality has gone down. There seems to be more filler in the burger or the meat is extremely dried out and way over cooked. My observation for all of the Vera’s is that when the kitchen staff has more female to male ratio in the back the quality really goes down, the fries seem to suffer the most, so forget about having fries.
The service has always been a 10 out of 10 but the food is hovering around a 1 or 2 on a good day.
29 Kat // Feb 3, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Just discovered your site and I completely agree that Vera’s is just average and overpriced. Because of the way the co owner responded on here, I will never patronize Vera’s again. I will not give a douche my money.
30 fmed // Feb 17, 2008 at 9:07 am
I think the owner of Vera’s should take some of this feedback as an opportunity to improve his chain.
I went to the Vera’s on Commercial and was completely aghast at the inattentive and immature service. No one seemed to be cleaning the tables the whole time I was there. I actually had to move the previous customer’s garbage myself….it wasn’t busy…but none of the staff seemed have been motivated to actually do any the dirty work.
There was The burgers were dry and flavourless…perhaps from using an overly lean beef.
I may try it again to see if they improve. In the meantime, Fets serves a decent burger just down the street.
31 Chris // Mar 26, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I find that Vera’s Burgers, fries, and all their other food bits are completely average. I have worked tirelessly for the past twenty years of my life to try and find a decent burger in this health-food-oriented city; Vera’s does not house the Holy Grail for certain!
The writers of this web-page have a biting, ribald way of expressing themselves, that is enjoyable to read. Sassy writing is a gift that they use to make a written report about bland hamburgers readable/interesting. This Gerald Tritt character should take the humorous writing as feedback without being petty and rude (while flinging poor grammar and laughable insults around). Any reviews - good or bad - should be seen as means to improvement.
Anyway, kudos to “EatVancouver”.
32 Jason // Mar 29, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Thanks Chris! We definitely appreciate your comments and help in the often disappointing search for a good burger in Vancouver.
I tried that new place Splitz on Main and it was better than veras (not saying much) but not a great burger. i hope to write it up soon.
33 red // Apr 2, 2008 at 4:20 pm
meh i dunno.
i mean i was glad that the nose picking employee was making someone elses food rather than mine.
burger tasted pretty good. onion rings came out of a freakin mccains bag.
wont be back. sucked.
34 Jason // Apr 3, 2008 at 12:03 am
Red, you are just right about shit in general. that’s why i like you.
35 Steve // Apr 12, 2008 at 6:19 pm
No question that Vera’s is not near what you should expect for the prices they charge.
The service when I went was actually pretty good but the burger, not so much. It’s hard to wreck a burger but they have managed to do it. How this place has won awards is beyond me.
The best burger in town is still on 4th…at Sophie’s.
36 _ts // Apr 16, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Hello Jason,
We seem to be of the same mind, re this whole burger-Vera’s-Splitz thing.
http://eatingclubvancouver.blogspot.com/2008/02/weekend-of-burger.html
http://eatingclubvancouver.blogspot.com/2008/02/lets-close-book-on-burger-discussion.html
37 Mik // Jun 9, 2008 at 3:09 pm
No need to fret burger lovers, I’ve tried Splitz Grill, at Main and 27th (ish…on the east side of Main up from Wing Nuts a ways)
The Chorizo burger is bloody good.
Sadly, (or not sadly, really) I will no longer be going to Vera’s.
38 A Real Burger // Jul 1, 2008 at 11:31 am
[…] of joint opened up in Vancouver? It really makes you think about the downright thievery going on at Vera’s Burger Shack, and the garbage they call “Vancouver’s Best […]
39 Joseph // Jul 2, 2008 at 5:08 am
Actually bad publicity sometimes generates more business. People are curious as to what makes it so bad. Anyway, I haven’t tried Vera’s but from the sounds of it, Burger King’s Whopper would be a better choice. I tried the original Splitz in Whistler last weekend and it was alright.
40 Jen // Jul 7, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Vera’s burgers are mediocre.
Interesting this Gerald Tritt character has spent so much time personally attacking these reviewers. You’d think he’d be a little more appreciative about the comments and in turn better Vera’s burger joints.
Very classy.
41 gerald tritt // Jul 8, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hi Jen;
I’m sorry, I don’t think I have attacked reviews, I made a comment about a reviewer on this site, read everything and tell me how I have attacked the reviews. I felt, on the heels of the moderne burger review attacking my business was uncalled for, i stood up for myself and my business, and this has ensued.
In any event, if you can show me where i have spent so much time attacking reviewer(s) please do,
did I attack
Lorna Yee, no
Jason Chin, not really
Dan Fishman, absolutely
On this and other websites, people from this website have chosen to sling crap at me, insult me personally attack , insult my restaurants and franchisees. Further I have posted nothing on this regarding vera’s in over a year and Jason has not been in my stores for almost 2 years.
we serve roughly 2500 burgers a day systemwide, we make mistakes, everyone does. We will continue to do what do and try to make it better, its the reason that I still come this website, because despite what “jen” and “fmed” think, I read these blogs and try to cull the wheat from the sheaf and get better.
“jen” if you don’t think I’m classy I can live with that (bearing in mund that it was the “classy” owner of this website Jason Chin that called me a douche (he did apologize)), but if you don’t think that I am constantly trying to improve our product, then you just don’t get the restaurant business.
Further if you read everything on this webiste about Vera’s, tell me how often I respond.
If you think the burger is dry, ask them to ensure that the burger is pink in the middle, we use 81%lean beef, so if cooked properly it should be moist.
As for me, I’ll crawl back under my rock and keep on keepin on, trying to make the next burger better, with our without the commentary.
btw, thanks for not saying mediocre and overpriced (bit of a hotspot for me).
Cheers
gerald
42 annoymous // Jul 13, 2008 at 12:38 am
I’ve used to work at vera’s burger shack. (just to not offend anyone i won’t say which one n when i worked.) Burgers are actually made fresh daily and come into the store every morning from their central kitchen. Cooking them are not hard but people actually expect too much from their staff. For god sakes… this is a burger joint, an introductory job level, no one is willing to make a career out of flipping burgers unless you are the owner or at a very high level of the job.
can someone please tell me where i can get a burger under 10 dollars with fresh produce and good nice sizable patty with it. thier daily speacails are a steal for under 15 dollars with fries or drink compared to other burger joints it sets u back like 10 dollars for some crappy artifical stuff. ( but good when u are drunk)
I’ve meet this gerlad character if this this is actually him. Im gonna be honest and frank. He’s an douche bag with no respect for his employees and staff. He’s extremmally snooby and very inconsiderate. This guy would come into a store when it’s extreammly busy and goes up to a random worker that is busy making people’s food and force them to clean this table. After he finishs a meal with his kids that caused the mess.
BTW gerald u should stop replying to this article. You are te one that keeps bringing this article back to life by replying. if u just leave it n walk off this article it will die.
43 gerald tritt // Jul 13, 2008 at 8:47 am
All I can say is wow,
If I have employees that don’t think I respect them, then I am truly sorry, I’ve done their job, I know how tough it is. If they think I’m snobby and inconsiderate, then as well, I’m truly sorry.
As for the cleaning of the table, if I have left a mess again my apologies, I have always tried to set a good example for my kids, and ensured that we cleared our table of cups, baskets and such, to ensure that the only things a staff member might have to do is, sweep and wipe.
Going forward when I do a “drop in and dine”, to check on cleanliness, quality and service, I will try harder to ensure that I clean my table fully.
As for letting this die, why would I want to, I’m gettting feedback that I otherwise would not get (noting that msg I put here was the first one regarding Vera’s in over a year, I’ve tried to let it die). Anon’s comments would not have gotten back to me, any other way, you have not told your franchisee your opinion, or I would have heard about it. So this is a good forum.
44 Dan Fishman // Jul 20, 2008 at 1:13 am
I’m sorry, I have been out of Vancouver for too long… but is it my imagination or did Gerald a few posts up finally admit that he personally attacked me for no reason other than that I criticized his burger joint? What a treat!
PS I have been to Ray’s Hell Burgers and to even compare it to Vera’s is a joke. Underpriced and above average is probably the best way to describe Ray’s…
45 gerald tritt // Jul 20, 2008 at 8:03 am
Hey Dan;
Hows the wine business?
Looks like I might have to go to Ray’s and check it out.
Leave a Comment