Thurman Cafe

11/12/09

Underwhelmed

by maryrose09 at Citysearch

I've lived in Columbus for 8 years and finally made it to Thurman's for lunch. I was looking forward to it because I heard so many good things about the burgers. We had a group of 6 and arrived at 11:30 AM. The place was already packed and there were eight names in front of us. Finally, we were seated an hour later into a very tight booth. The waitress was friendly but after she brought out our orders (which were correct), that was it as far as service. I tried to catch her eye several times to ask for a take-away box and one of our party wanted a refill on his iced tea. Although at one point she was wiping down the bar, she couldn't seem to notice us. I got the Jack Cheeseburger, which was so soggy that I had to eat it with a fork and knife. And yes, the burgers come with chips so you have to pay extra for their fries. The fries were good but at $2.79 a plate ($3.99 a basket), too pricey. Here's the deal: If I have to 1) Park 3 blocks away 2) wait 1 hour to be seated and 3) pay about $15 - then doggonit, I want a waiter who pays attention. One of our party finally went to the bar to get me the take-away box (I didn't realize that's what she was doing, I was ready to do it myself at that point) and also grab our checks. (Surprisingly the waitress didn't even seem to have time to give us those.) I'm stunned by the amount of people who consider a long wait, inconvenient parking, and inattentive wait staff to be "part of the experience." Fine, you can have it. Listen, if this is a Columbus "landmark" (and been in existence for so many years), then for the love of pete... HIRE. MORE. SERVERS. Meanwhile, if you want a delicious burger and better service, head to The Rusty Bucket. Their burgers are delicious, juicy, and you can actually eat one without utensils and looking like a slob. (P.S. Chris1961, if you comment, I'll comment again. I think at this point we all know you're a die-hard Thurman's regular. To each their own. Oh, and I don't work for The Rusty Bucket, Easy Street Cafe, or McDonalds.)

• Pros: big burgers
• Cons: parking, slowslowslow wait, frazzled wait staff

09/16/09

Overrated Burgers

by LShaw at Citysearch

These burgers are nothing to rave about. All burgers have to be cooked well-done (must not use that great of quality of beef then). They also are served with chips. Who serves burgers with chips? Ridiculous. They wouldn't even substitute fries for the chips. You have to order a whole basket. The service was very poor. Of course, we also waited in a long line. Go down a few buildings for a great burger at Easy Street Cafe. They are fantastic!

• Pros: Good options
• Cons: All burgers well-done, served with chips, poor service

06/21/09

A unique dining experience

by buckeyekevin at Citysearch

This restaurant has been in the same location for over 50 years and is rather tiny. However, that is part of it's charm in my opinion. We waited for over 1.5 hours and that was fine.

The service is a different style. They will treat you like a regular even on your first visit and you can't be bashful. They might give you a hard time, but you can do the same right back to them. Thats what they expect. Food was pretty good. I had the Thurman Burger, which was as massive as they say. Only complaint I would have is that there was so much beef that by the end of the burger thats all I had. I needed more onions and such to go along with it. Fries were great. Its a busy, overcrowded family owned establishment... and thats why we love it!

• Pros: Unique atmosphere and Good Food
• Cons: There is a wait...