With all these 5 star reviews I had the highest of hopes, but Burnin99 fell a bit flat. I love the all-you-can-drink cooler, it is absolutely worth the money! But that's about where the things I love ends.
Service is weird...first time going to Burnin, we got our food and put the plates on our table and went to grab drinks and hit the sauce bar. Our waitress came over while we were away and started putting our food on the grill and in our soups. We like to do our hotpot and KBBQ in a system (veggies and frozen items first, meat second, seafood last) so we weren't thrilled that she just took the initiative of starting to cook our food without asking or even letting us know. Second time we went, we never left food alone at the table to ensure it didn't happen to us again, but we did see it happen to at least two other tables and they were equally unimpressed by this "service." Both times at Burnin, the wait staff has seemed entirely too focused on watching their tables like hawks...it's a little off putting because you can literally feel your waiter staring at you, and when it's completely dead inside with few other tables, it's even more awkward. First trip, our waitress was at our table asking us if we were okay or if we needed anything literally every 3-5 minutes, to the point it was difficult for us to have a conversation. It was way too much. She told us we could take one drink from the cooler to-go if we got the all you can drink option...we found out on our next trip that is not the case. We got yelled at and it was uncomfortable since we were absolutely told we could take ONE...but whatever. Just be aware that if you're told that, you're being given incorrect information. When our waitress rang us up, she stared at the screen while we selected tip options...again, super strange and off putting. Second trip, our waiter stared at us the entire time we were there but only came to the table two or three times total and was less overbearing when it came to closing us out, but he definitely didn't even try to give any illusion of "privacy" while selecting the tip.
Now on to the food...hotpot meat is kept in massive bins in a cooler. It is messy, gross looking, and people are using their hands to use the tongs to grab meat and then just throwing the tongs back into the meat container, often times on to the meat and not off to the side. It grossed me out beyond reason, so I mostly stick with veggies. Hotpot meats are 1 cut of lamb, 1 cut of super fatty beef, and 1 cut of super fatty pork...that's it. Seafood and frozen selection is great, and the veggie selection is very good, too. But they lose a lot of points for me by not having many options for hotpot meats, and for the way that they keep them...it just grosses me out. Soup broths are all okay, but they lack depth of flavor compared to other hotpot spots. The pork bone broth was wimpy and disappointing entirely. The dessert options and fruits are sparse and unimpressive. Very obviously not made in house. Buffet style is cool, but I dont think it offers any enhanced experience. It would be cool if you
I can basically do without KBBQ for the most part, but sometimes I like it to add a little diversity to my meal, but it's just not worth it at Burnin. Wait staff constantly comes over to turn down the grill while you're actively using it and they try to tell you your food is done cooking...they'll say this literally seconds after you put meat on the grill. They'll also invade your personal space in a big way by reaching in front of your belly to turn down your hotpot. Personal space does not seem to exist at this restaurant.
All in all: I'll stick to KPOT. The presentation, service, and meat offerings are much better. read more