Got out for lunch recently to beat the winter blues and wanted to stuff myself full of some burger goodness. I wanted to go to a place where I had enjoyed a burger before, so I headed to 8bit in Swanston Street. This was still new for me, as I had only tried the burger at their Footscray store. This place was packed and almost standing room only, which was a good sign and I was fortunate enough to grab a seat.
This time, I wanted to order something different to last time, and (for a change) straight from the menu too – the way it was supposed to be enjoyed. I ended up ordering the well named, “Altered Beast” which came with beef, bacon, cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, 8bit sauce and BBQ sauce. As I waited, I thought about how much I enjoyed the 8bit burger last time and my mouth was watering!
Finally it arrived. Standing up in it’s own little cardboard box. It looked good. I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it. The bun was as soft and fresh as I remembered, and the flavour combinations hit me early and tasted great too! Then, as I was eating I couldn’t help but think how the patty was so thin. And how it kind of got lost in the sauces and bacon. I wished I had have thrown in an extra patty or some chicken to give me that carnivorous craving I desired. Maybe I have become too accustomed to having a larger sized burger and this smaller burg just didn’t spin my wheels?! Who knows?!
Chips on the side might have been ok if they were hot, in fact even if they were warm! Drink of choice was a chocolate milkshake, which was unfortunately below average. It was kinda “funky” tasting and I couldn’t work out why. All I knew was it wasn’t great.
So overall, it was “OK”! The burger was pretty tasty and you would probably be satisfied, but unfortunately, this time it just didn’t hit the same high standard that had been set by my first 8bit experience. Maybe it has fallen victim to what I like to call the “multiple store dilution effect” or MSDE. This is where a single store starts out producing a high quality burger, and due to the success of the store, they decide to expand and open more stores, however this can also dilute the quality of their product. This problem can also be referred to as “Police Academy Syndrome”, ie the first one is good but then despite getting worse, they keep making more of them anyway! Sometimes, just like the Blues Brothers, you don’t need to make a sequel! Lol
Anyway, regardless of the situation, the burgers at 8bit are still tasty enough to make the effort to get in there and find out for yourself.
