Like my opinion matters... Smashburger (restaurant review)

Having heard rumors that Smashburger was better than Stumpy Burger,  we had to go check it out.  It's hard to imagine that this could be true--but,  in the quest for the perfect burger it's important to check out all competitors.  Smashburger is located in the front of the parking lot on University Parkway near the Sunflower Market in Orem.  The restaurant is a fast food type place, with an upbeat and contemporary interior.  Employees were very friendly, offering to get us drinks before we ordered while we waited for a friend (not unusual for a sit-down restaurant but more unusual when you order at a counter) and checking with us to make sure the food was good after we started eating.  One employee gave us an enthusiastic rundown on the food and what was best on the menu.  I always like it when employees are enthusiastic about the food-- figuring it is either an indication that the food is really good or that there is an excellent training program.  Either of these is good in my opinion.

  Think that burger looks good?  I thought so too-- too bad it is the picture on the front of the "to go" menu.  I was playing around and this picture turned out to be the best of any that I took.  Luckily the real food looked good too although didn't photograph quite as well.  The variety of specialty burgers is greater than at Stumpy Burger and I ordered the Beehive Burger, a Utah specialty and the best selling burger according to the waiter/clerk/manager (not sure who we were actually talking to).  The Beehive Burger has a sweet honey BBQ sauce which I kinda liked although it is different tasting on a burger and I can see how some might not like it.  It also had applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and haystack onions (the thin, crispy kind) on an egg bun.   The suggestion was made that hamburger ratings be changed to a rating system based on the number of napkins you use when you eat it.  This burger took a small stack of napkins... I found the burger juicy and really liked the combination of flavors.

  Not a great picture of the burger but at least it is a real burger and not a picture of a picture of a burger.  I thought the bacon was slightly undercooked  but everything else was cooked well.

We shared an order of fries and talked about burger places standing out partly based on their fries since burgers aren't dramatically different from one place to another.. Five Guys has their cajun fries, Stumpy Burger has their stumpy sauce, In-N- Out Burger has fries that actually taste like potatoes, and Smashburger fries are tossed in rosemary, olive oil, and garlic.  They were really good!  Besides burgers, Smashburger also has chicken sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, and a variety of sides.  Plus, they have milk shakes and malts made from Haagen-Dazs ice cream. 

So... the big question is how does it rate compared to Stumpy Burger?  I still give the edge to Stumpy, but Smashburger gets a solid 4 Star rating.  The best quote of the evening (and I wish it was made by me) was:  "Man cannot live by Stumpy Burgers alone-- there has to be options".  And Smashburger would be a very good option!