Some people will tell you that the key to a good restaurant is making good food, but I’d argue that the stuff on the menu is only half the battle. The other half is making your joint stand out from the others with something clever and creative enough for people to remember, and if you can combine that with food that doesn’t make people vomit, then you’re already winning. That said, living over here on the East Coast, I don’t know how the so-called “American comfort food influenced by Maryland and mid-Atlantic roots” at Burbank’s Not a Burger Stand tastes, but after a friend told me that I was “guaranteed to love” this place’s chalkboard art, I knew I was halfway to a new favorite spot.
Not a Burger Stand currently has a 4.6 star rating on Facebook (out of 5) based on 209 reviews. One of the 155 perfect reviews claims this place has the “greatest food in Burbank,” while one of the seven 1-star reviews claimed that the server was rude and the whole meal sucked. Unfortunately, I won’t know until my next trip to the Left Coast, but I know that I’ll be swinging by the Not a Burger Stand’s Facebook page to check on which special they’ll be running that week so I can start prepping my terrible impressions.
Of course, one of the problems with something as fun as chalkboard art is that there are always haters with two hands walking by, ready to spoil all of the fun. For example, look at this wonderful “Stone Cold” Steve Austin chalkboard:
Now look at what some jerkbag did to it:
But don’t worry, there’s always a high road to take.