I had heard about this place a few years ago but finally visited on a recent business trip to the…read morearea. It's a hole in the wall just 1 block off the main street in downtown Cleveland. After dining here, it's pretty obvious that alot of their food items are pre-cooked. It doesn't mean they're bad, or not fresh, it just means they like to prep to ensure their customers receive food in a timely manner. It is a little ironic though since they have a sign inside the dining room stating "Good food ain't fast and fast food aint good!". They do have a small prep area / kitchen to make meals, but it has short ceilings, limited space, and no vent hoods for exhausting steam/smoke. There are 2 microwaves in the kitchen area, if that gives you any idea. Not sure they even have an oven in their kitchen. The dining area is a beachy, tropical theme to fit the name "The Big Kahuna".
Their menu is pretty simple, 2 pages with burgers and salads being their specialty. However, they have a weekly steam table special which consists of a meat, 2 sides and a roll for about $10. They also serve bbq, and some Mexican food and even chicken fried steak.
Since they seem to specialize in burgers, I ordered a burger. Just traditional burgers here, no fancy toppings. The handformed patty is about 1/3 lb, and comes standard with mayo, lettuce and tomato, served on a Hawaiian sweet bun. I ordered their highly touted fresh cut French fries, which are a la carte and good. Portion size of the fries was a little on the small size. Overall I enjoyed this meal since the taste of the burger and fries were actually good. They didn't ask how you want your burger cooked though, which makes sense since it's a pre cooked patty. How do I know this? Because the burger came out less than 5 mins after ordering from the waitress, and was cooked at least medium well...faster than even some fast food restaurants I've visited lately!
They do not have cheddar cheese, just some shredded American cheese blend, so no cheese for me. I did add bacon to my burger, and they initially forgot to add it after bringing the plate to my table. Luckily they remembered though, asked for the plate back, and placed it on the burger.
Another complaint is that the bacon is crumbles, not strips. They apparently don't cook the bacon fresh and seemingly use a pre-packaged, pre-cooked product which was pretty salty. Bacon strips are preferred on burgers since they leave less mess on a plate at the end of the meal.
I also ordered a sweet tea and a dessert before I left. On my tea refill, the waitress gave me unsweetened tea, which was strange. There were 3 bundt cakes on a cart beside the steam table with slices of vanilla, red velvet and chocolate. I chose the red velvet flavor and it was okay, but I've had better. Maybe the strangest part of the meal is that they give you a spoon to eat your cake!!
In summary, the best part of the experience were the prices. The service, food quality, and taste /preparation of some menu items were a little questionable. This might be the reasoning behind the prices....not sure. Some items are just meant to be "cooked to order", and some you can get away with pre-made such as items on a steam table for faster service. I feel burgers should always be cooked to order at a sit down restaurant!
