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(78 posts)

Rave - Zippy Burgers

Started 4 years ago by karen
Latest reply from mrhineh

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karen
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Wow! We tried Zippy Burgers tonight and it was fantastic!! The young children ate everything - even the onion rings. The teenage boy declared that he was full. The adults loved that the burgers and chicken tasted like burgers and chicken! The prices are really reasonable, barely more than McBlah and way better! One request, though, a big ice cream milkshake!
Seriously, if you haven\'t tried them yet, go do it!!

Posted 4 years ago #
WSB
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The Zippy\'s saga is my favorite story from among the dozens we covered this week.
http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=7227

Especially what emerged in comments and in an e-mail we received after the \"opening day\" post - the fact that the owner was a well-known punk rocker back in the day.

(Not to mention the fact that WSB readers apparently swarmed the store!)

We usually google people involved in stories as we\'re writing them, to be sure we don\'t miss interesting factoids like that, but I guess the missing link here was that we didn\'t know previously that \"Zippy\" was his rocker nickname! -- TR

Posted 4 years ago #
Aim
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We couldn\'t get in the door tonight due to the crowds, nor could we park nearby due to multiple a$$clown parking jobs. But we\'ll definitely try again!

Posted 4 years ago #
Jack
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We were sadly turned away from Zippy yesterday. They were so successful they ran out of food before we arrived. We tried again today. We were the lucky LAST people served tonight and it was worth going back, 100%. REAL onion rings, great burgers, chicken was tender and moist. Two thumbs up for Zippy Burgers!!! We want a milkshake to go with it!! (A MALTED milkshake would make Zippy PERFECT) I think Zippy is here to stay.

Posted 4 years ago #
celeste17
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Hamburgers and Milkshakes what a great combo. Hopefully Zippy\'s will read all the comments here on WSB and add milkshakes. If they can\'t do it maybe one of the WSB readers will open an ice cream shop near by and sell milkshakes and ice cream to go with the Rootbeer they serve. Can\'t wait to go and try them.

Posted 4 years ago #
Sue
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I just got back from there - great burger and onion rings at a really reasonable price - bacon cheeseburger w/onion rings for $7! The place is clean and the owners and workers are so friendly and nice. I heard them talking about how they ground 50 pounds of beef the first day and ran out, then they did 75 yesterday and ran out by 7pm, so today they decided to try 88 pounds of beef and see how it goes.

The only thing I would change about the burger is the lettuce - to either shred it more, or make it more \"leafy\" - it was a bit clumpy and then ended up making the bun tear, so it was messy. Didn\'t stop me from eating it all though - LOL!

Posted 4 years ago #
JanS
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now I have to go...salivating here...hehe (sorry JT)

Posted 4 years ago #
Bonnie
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Can\'t wait to try it!

Posted 4 years ago #
celeste17
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I tried it today and all I can say is wow. I will gladly be going back there soon. Hopefully next time there will be a table open and I can enjoy it there while it is hot rather then in my car while I am driving to Trader Joe\'s in Burien. Maybe we can sneak in some ice cream and buy a root beer and make a root beer float. (Of course will have to bring a glass, a straw and a spoon) LOL!!!

Posted 4 years ago #
elgrego
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Went by at 2 today and they were closing because they were sold out. :( Gonna have to go back soon.

Posted 4 years ago #
JanS
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they must be ecstatic at the reception they\'ve gotten...now they have to plan better. Elgrego, I\'m sorry that you missed out...but nice to know that when you DO get served it\'ll be yummy good :)

Posted 4 years ago #
Bonnie
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I can\'t wait to give them a try!

Posted 4 years ago #
Sue
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I just hope that all the people (myself included) that helped them sell out the first few days actually go back again. I\'d hate for them to start planning for banner sales, only to have people lose interest and not show up.

Posted 4 years ago #
Aim
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Sue, even if a few don\'t go back, there are those of us who still haven\'t been. We\'ve tried 3 days in a row, progressively earlier in the day each day. Today (Sunday) we arrived about 1:30 only to find the place darkened and a sign on the door that they were sold out. We were very disappointed. We\'ll have to try again next weekend.

Posted 4 years ago #
Ken
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I used to design deli\'s and small restaurants in another life. Before that I was on an opening crew for a multi state pizza hut franchise.
We would come into some town in the south, large or small, and inspect the building. If the bowling balls rolled to the drains and the HVAC and power systems tested good, the company signed off and took possession from the builder. We unloaded the truck and built the restaurant and all its equipment in one 24 hour shift. The local manager and his trainees got their start while we slept and then both crews did final assembly and over prep for the opening day.

The rule of thumb for restaurant business is expect 200 to 300% of your regular weekly business for the first week. Each week you sustain over 200% of estimated, you can add 10%-20% to the estimate final ongoing traffic.

This requires staffing and service capacity to also be set to 200%.

At the end of two weeks our crew took 4 days off and moved on to the next location in one of 5 states, and did it again.

So Zippy should not make plans for an ongoing crowd based on current demand, but every bit of work he does in the next two weeks making sure everyone has a good quality \"Zippy\" experience will pay off with increased traffic in the long run.

BTW I got my burgers and o-rings on opening day just before they ran out of the large patties. Get plenty of napkins :)

Suggestions:
outdoor tables
rethink the layout and traffic pattern in that kitchen. I foresee some colorful collisions in that X between the fry station and the make table.

Keep the C-store owner happy too. Brainstorm for tie ins like rolls of paper towels, moist towelettes, cup holders, whatever.

Above all, grind more burger :)

Posted 4 years ago #
add
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We also stopped by today after they had closed early - had a short chat with the owner who was very friendly, offered us a menu, etc. - I got the feeling it was one of those \"mixed blessings\" - great to have all the business, hard to manage it. We will be back and support them - seems to be a huge need (or more accurately, desire) for some decent burgers in WS!!!

I hope they read your message Ken - good advice for planning ahead.

Posted 4 years ago #
kirida
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I was turned away on Thursday because they had sold out, and came back on Friday to pick up a few burgers for a road trip. It was definitely worth returning. The burgers tasted delicious--fresh and messy!

Posted 4 years ago #
RonM
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I\'ve been on the hunt for a good hamburger most of my life. They are a rare breed! I\'m very anxious to try a Zippy Burger, but haven\'t found the place open yet (now we know why). I\'ll certainly keep trying.

I found the best burgers (IMHO) long ago in a little gas station just west of Auburn before the freeway bulldozed the area. It was called \"Galleger\'s Corner\". Owned by a widow who lived in a little house across the street. She had added a tiny lunch room on one end of the service station with one table and 4 or 5 bar stools and a fireplace. Her hamburgers were nearly perfect with the right combinations of ingredients and she served them with a frozen mug of root beer from a keg.

I\'m still looking for an equivalent...will let you know once we try a Zippy Burger and am willing to forgo the root beer!

Posted 4 years ago #
JoB
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went on sunday and the cupboard was bare...

will definately go back.

Posted 4 years ago #
celeste17
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RonM maybe you can bring your own frozen mug that way you can have the root beer!

Posted 4 years ago #
JoB
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i went back today...

i really enjoyed the burger and the onion rings... cooked on the spot.

and i got the added bonus of running into another West Seattle Blog forum member...

i give it two thumbs up.

Posted 4 years ago #
DJSonsteng
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I agree with JoB. Zippys is awesome!!

Posted 4 years ago #
JoB
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i wish there was room for outdoor tables...

when i went i had no cash so i stopped at the c-store next door to use the machine and get a coke..... and asked about the hamburger joint. she told me it was very good... and the lady at the espresso stand told me they were good for business...

in the hour i was there i observed that this may be where all the old rockers in West Seattle hang out in the afternoon... if nothing else, the people watching was great fun...

Posted 4 years ago #
elgrego
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Finally had one today. Really good! Definitely gonna go back.

Posted 4 years ago #
RonM
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Had time to go by today at noon. Bad idea! The parking lot was full and I couldn\'t find another. Probably okay because there were people waiting outside too. Maybe I can talk my wife into taking turns driving around the block while we each try them out. If they are really that good, maybe they\'ll find a bigger place.

By all of the interest, there must be something good there. And perhaps there are many more readers of this blog than I would have thought.

Still willing to forgo the root beer if we can just get in!

Posted 4 years ago #
Anonymous
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RonM, they do have rootbeer by the bottle. Many different kinds at that. Try an off peak time. When I went the other day at 11:00, it was a breeze to get in and out. And getting it as take-out, it was still warm and amazing at home.

Posted 4 years ago #
Bonnie
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Can you call ahead to pick up your order? Has anybody done that?

Posted 4 years ago #
DJSonsteng
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You can call ahead to order the number is 206/763/1347. It even says so on their menu!

Posted 4 years ago #
c@lbob
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We stopped by for some bunless bacon cheese burgers after work today (jumpstarting some weight loss w/ Atkins.)

SO GOOD!!! Don\'t pass up Zippy Burger!. They said the state of rush had settled down a bit, but they still have strong business. If you have to wait, though, it will be worth it, believe me.

Posted 4 years ago #
WSB
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RonM, we have almost 5,000 homes/businesses reading WSB at least once a day, thousands more who check in at least once a week (I haven\'t crunched that number lately but it\'s usually into five digits), just in case you really were wondering -- TR

Posted 4 years ago #
add
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catlbob - i don\'t usually associate bacon cheeseburgers with weight loss - LOL! Glad to hear the good reviews are still coming in for Zippy\'s. Will get there soon!

Posted 4 years ago #
charlabob
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add, I never would have made the connection either -- until I met the bob half. Atkins actually does work to jumpstart so I figure the more bacon cheeseburgers i eat the more i\'ll lose -- as long as i don\'t eat bread :-)

Zippy\'s really is everything folks said -- and and more.

Posted 4 years ago #
RonM
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I finally made it inside and it was worth the wait! The owner says that he was overwhelmed by all the response from the WSB and hopes he can live up to everyone\'s expectations. He also mentioned that he grinds his own hamburger every morning.

Zippy\'s gets my vote and we\'ll be back for sure!

Posted 4 years ago #
barmargia
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I finally got there, and the burgers were good, maybe not the best I\'ve ever had, but I think what made the experience good (despite the wait) was that the owner was awesome, handing out fries for people to munch on while they waited, letting people know where they were at in the wait, and just constantly smiling. I am glad that there is a place that isn\'t a fast food place (like McDonald\'s/Burger King) where you can get a burger that doesn\'t cost $12.00. I will definitely go back, if not for the burger then definitely for the friendly service...and really isn\'t that the hardest thing to come by nowadays?

Posted 4 years ago #
Gina
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I went yesterday, and let me tell you that was a damn fine burger!

Posted 4 years ago #
JanS
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yes, they\'re Zipalicious..secret sauce running down your arm - lol...

Posted 4 years ago #
add
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My husband just ran over there for some to-go burgers - they are out of fries, onion rings, and the large patties and it\'s only 6:30! Seems like things are still going strong for them - that\'s great. Haven\'t tasted \'em yet, they\'re on their way home at the moment! Droooool....

Posted 4 years ago #
k
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just got back from zippy\'s! love it! the royale is a wonder! delicious! the vegetarian in our house was thrilled to see the black bean burger and said it was yummy! so happy to have you guys! we needed you!

Posted 4 years ago #
Huindekmi
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Had my first Zip Burger (w/ cheese) tonight. I can\'t say enough good things about this place. THe people are friendly and accomodating and the burger is GREAT. For the money, the only thing better is Jaks during happy hour. Outside of those limited happy hours, Zippy rules the grill.

Posted 4 years ago #
RonM
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Got burgers again today and this time took my wife. Our burgers were superb and my wife was impressed and burgers aren\'t her thing. The only burgers she\'s experienced until now are the one\'s in fast food chains. We both will be going back. Things are better organized now and there seemed to be a much larger volume of patrons ordering by phone and making quick pickups. That helps keep the pressure off the parking and we didn\'t have trouble finding a parking place today. BTW - their fries are good too.

Posted 4 years ago #
wundrgrrrl
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Decided today was the day to stop by for a late lunch... and they were packed! The long wait was well worth it. A Zippy Royale and a Number 11 later and we were fat happy cats. Be sure to grab extra napkins - \"secret sauce running down your arm\" is no joke! I\'m sure there will be many cravings for these to come... though next time it will be the \'lil Zip for me!

Posted 3 years ago #
squareeyes
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Friends and I went yesterday...first visit. 5:30pm and closed due to running out of food. ...bummer...

Posted 3 years ago #
MrJT
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Does this place not have a fridge?

Posted 3 years ago #
RonM
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Of course they have a frig! If it weren\'t for all of those %&#@$ customers who pack the place they\'d never run out of food!

They grind their own hamburger every morning and try to anticipate the day\'s business, but when it\'s busy they sometimes don\'t have enough. Would you rather get weeks old frozen hamburger or stale buns?

It\'s worth it to keep trying, their burgers are one of the best I\'ve had in years.

Posted 3 years ago #
bunnypug
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We finally found them open last Monday. We had a cheese burger and black bean burger with the peppers, french fries and onion rings it was all very tasty-and the best part was the friendly, fun service.

Posted 3 years ago #
MrJT
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Thanks for the encouragement RonM, I have been several times around 5pm and they are closed. We figured that this long into it 1. They would be grinding more 2) the crowds would have subsided... But we\'ll keep trying..

Posted 3 years ago #
raindance42
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FYI, Zippy Burgers is closed on Sundays. I didn\'t realize that and was in for a sad surprise when, dreaming of real onion rings and thick juicy burgers, we got there to find they weren\'t open.

I look forward to eating there in the future!

Posted 3 years ago #
raindance42
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Well, we finally made it in on Thursday. Around 5:00 it was not too busy and the staff was extremely friendly (and restaurant had not run out of food!) The onion rings (fried fresh for each order) were excellent dipped in secret sauce--I only wished we had more! We also had bacon cheeseburgers, which were juicy and delicious and more than worth the $5.50 each they cost.

Posted 3 years ago #
AdmiralJaneway
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I finally ate at Zippy\'s this afternoon. My cheeseburger was delicious and the onion rings were very good. I hope they put up a menu board soon. The kitchen took our order before we got to the register and forgot they served milkshakes. Oh well, it\'s another opportunity to eat there again.

Posted 3 years ago #
bcollins
Member Profile

I think they put sort of drug in their burgers to make one like them so much!

I NEED A ZIPPY\'S MAN!

Posted 3 years ago #