Full service with no burger temp choices?

My husband and I decided to try Champps Americana spur of the moment Sunday evening. Neither of us had ever been before. It seemed like burgers were featured prominently on the menu so I went with a burger. When I ordered, the waitress asked "well done okay for you?" I laughed and said no way, I always order my burgers medium rare. She said that wasn't possible. She said the lowest temperature they can do is medium. I was surprised (and confused) but agreed on medium. Sure enough my burger came out well done. Ha ha. I didn't even bother sending it back. I have never had a full service restaurant refuse to cook a burger to medium rare before. Is this normal?! I'm not sure what it says about the quality of their meat. Do they not trust it?

Sara,

A lot of chain-type restaurants won't cook to less than medium- it's a potential liability concern from their HQ folks. ( Not about the quality of their meat) I never get a burger less than Medium rare ( unless it's the thin patties which can't be cooked this way) and I've also had this happen at several localish places- Talbott Tavern comes to mind.

If you want a great burger cooked to your taste- go to Mussel and Burger bar- perfectly cooked medium -rare ( or anything else) everytime.

Deb

Ha, funny you should mention Mussel and Burger Bar because we had lunch there Saturday (it's our go-to for burgers.) This was just a spur of the moment thing. Like I said, I've NEVER had been told I couldn't have my burger medium rare anywhere before, chain or otherwise.

If you want a great burger cooked to your taste- go to Mussel and Burger bar- perfectly cooked medium -rare ( or anything else) everytime.

Deb

I would beg to differ....On my first (and only) visit I ordered my burger Med-Well....I even reminded the server twice before he left the table. When the burger arrived and I cut into it, it was about a quarter of a notch north of being full blown rare...

Sara,
Interesting as you've never had that issue before. I've definitely had it many times in the past- I've ended up changing orders because of it. I like my burgers medium-rare; if they can't do that I want something else.

Deb

Many states actually have laws mandating against rare or med-rare burgers!

North Carolina required med-well or well as recently as 2011 (haven't checked more recently, but I think it's still on the books), and Indiana, California, and Illinois have enacted laws requiring that burgers be cooked medium to medium well, or to a temperature that reaches at least 155 degrees in the center of the patty for 15 seconds (again, not sure if they are still on the books or have been changed).

Given this, many chains (especially) in adjacent states have required their franchisees and company-owned locations to do the same thing, to minimize potential liability under the premise that beef supplies likely come from the same sources that led to the adjacent state laws.

Personally I think it's just easier for some chains to say this, even if there is no viable reason!

Not at all uncommon, though . . . . and I'm with Deb: if they can't do it med-rare to rare, I order something else (Champps has a very good club sandwich!)

What I see more often than not is the disclaimer about eating raw or undercooked proteins. This ought to be enough to safeguard the restaurant's liability against killing people with improperly cooked meats, but I guess some just decide it's not worth any risk at all.

If I cannot get a mid-rare burger, I'll go for something else, probably a chicken dish, definitely not the ribeye...

If you want a great burger cooked to your taste- go to Mussel and Burger bar- perfectly cooked medium -rare ( or anything else) everytime.

Deb

I would beg to differ....On my first (and only) visit I ordered my burger Med-Well....I even reminded the server twice before he left the table. When the burger arrived and I cut into it, it was about a quarter of a notch north of being full blown rare...

The exact same thing happened to me...fortunately, I couldn't detect a heartbeat.

If you want a great burger cooked to your taste- go to Mussel and Burger bar- perfectly cooked medium -rare ( or anything else) everytime.

Deb

I would beg to differ....On my first (and only) visit I ordered my burger Med-Well....I even reminded the server twice before he left the table. When the burger arrived and I cut into it, it was about a quarter of a notch north of being full blown rare...

The exact same thing happened to me...fortunately, I couldn't detect a heartbeat.

I'm not really picky about my burgers, I can go half a notch either side of what I order and be perfectly happy....Unfortunately my experience at the Burger and Mussel Bar -far- exceeded those parameters. After cutting into that burger my plate looked like a cow had been axe murdered on it.

My husband and I decided to try Champps Americana spur of the moment Sunday evening. Neither of us had ever been before. It seemed like burgers were featured prominently on the menu so I went with a burger. When I ordered, the waitress asked "well done okay for you?" I laughed and said no way, I always order my burgers medium rare. She said that wasn't possible. She said the lowest temperature they can do is medium. I was surprised (and confused) but agreed on medium. Sure enough my burger came out well done. Ha ha. I didn't even bother sending it back. I have never had a full service restaurant refuse to cook a burger to medium rare before. Is this normal?! I'm not sure what it says about the quality of their meat. Do they not trust it?

Many state health codes and or internal corporate policies mandate that burgers most be cooked to a certain internal temperature to avoid E. Coli contamination. Normally that is right at around Medium.
I have encountered this numerous times so very surprised its a first for you.

I would beg to differ....On my first (and only) visit I ordered my burger Med-Well....I even reminded the server twice before he left the table. When the burger arrived and I cut into it, it was about a quarter of a notch north of being full blown rare...

The exact same thing happened to me...fortunately, I couldn't detect a heartbeat.

I'm not really picky about my burgers, I can go half a notch either side of what I order and be perfectly happy....Unfortunately my experience at the Burger and Mussel Bar -far- exceeded those parameters. After cutting into that burger my plate looked like a cow had been axe murdered on it.

It was a decent atmosphere though and their prices are very reasonable, but it just won't be my go to place whenever I'm in the mood for a burger. Their Caesar salad was excellent and I'll give the short rib nachos a try the next time I visit. If I try another burger, then it will probably be after I watch an episode of True Blood.

Some states just try to be everybody's mother and control what they eat or how it's cooked! Burgers as mentioned in this thread are just one example (anything more than medium rare ruins them in my opinion) I've actually been to one area, I think either Maryland or New Jersey where the state law prevents a restaurant from cooking an egg with a runny yolk, not sure how you make a lot of dishes that way but... (A lot of restaurants do it anyway however). Of course then you have New York City trying to ban large drinks, lots of cities banning trans fats etc. and animal rights advocates trying to ban foie gras!

Leave us alone and let us eat what we want, if I want steak tartare I ought to be able to have it!

If you want a great burger cooked to your taste- go to Mussel and Burger bar- perfectly cooked medium -rare ( or anything else) everytime.

Deb

I would beg to differ....On my first (and only) visit I ordered my burger Med-Well....I even reminded the server twice before he left the table. When the burger arrived and I cut into it, it was about a quarter of a notch north of being full blown rare...

I've also been to Mussel and Burger Bar once and had the opposite problem. I ordered my burger medium and the server responded, "Are you sure? It's going to be pink in the middle." I confirmed that I did indeed want it medium. He shrugged and moved on, so I thought all was well. When the burger arrived, it was well-done—there was no hint of pink in the middle. It wasn't very warm, so I suspect that it sat for some time before being brought to the table. Or the server could have written my order incorrectly. When he came to our table to get our drink order, he pre-emptively apologized for any mistakes he may make because he was hungover from the night before. This didn't give me much faith in his abilities as a server.

John,

Did you ask for another one? They are very good at correcting mistakes.

Deb

Couldn't resist adding this. Last night at very nice restaurant , one of the diners at our table ordered his burger extra rare. I am still trying to determine why he just didn't order Tartare!. But the order was taken without question and delivered rare. What the XXX is extra rare?