Hero Certified Burgers....What the $^%#!!!!!

Question

Is this place a joke?? I had lunch there today and I can't believe how bad it is. It's expensive and just plain terrible. I ordered a burger with peameal, cheddar and the other fixin's, fries and a shake. The whole thing set me back over $11. The shake was up first and I started on that. It was pretty bad. Very watery. Then my order came up. I looked at the fries and they seemed a little on the blond side. I tried one and there weren't bad. Just not cooked enough for my liking and most of them were under an inch in length. So I opened my burger and I almost cried when I saw a frozen patty. I couldn't believe someone would charge that much for a frozen patty burger. The worst part of it all was you couldn't taste the cheese, the peameal was all but lost and patty itself had no real beef flavour. Other than beef fat that is. I was pissed. I kept expecting Alan Funt to come walking out of the kitchen. I just can't believe they're getting away with this. It wasn't crowded on a Friday afternoon so I doubt they're doing well. I really felt ripped off.

DT

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In all honesty the best Hero Burger I've ever had was my first at the HAzelton Lanes location (1st in chain). I just died over it...it was moist, juicy, flavourful...it brought tears to this burger connoisseur's eye's. Then one day I saw that they were opening up one in the PATH underground...I said yippy yahoo! But then...the horror! First of all I had to wait for 30 mins in a line, but that's only if I got there 15 mins before 12 noon. Otherwise people would be standing there for at least an hour. At this point I was still enamoured with Hero Burger. But when I took my first bite of the food court Hero burger, my love affair was over...dry cold and tastless...for shame! I have tried another location that isn't bad - Queen / Tecumseth - so maybe it's the franchisor that is to blame...

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Coming to Yonge/King too.

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It may come to Yonge & King. I'll still go to Patrician Grill.

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How do these compare with the South Street Burger places that were opened by NY Fries? I actually don't mind the South St burgers - they're not great, but certainly much better than fast food quality (which they ought to be, considering a cheeseburger combo is $10). I like the condiment choices for being vaguely original without being completely trendy.

I do, though, rather wonder what would be so hard about throwing a little salt on those patties.

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Everyone is saying how much these 'chain' burgers are and expectations almost always come up short. But then Googs mentions the Patrician grill...and I recall most diner/pub burgers I've had have always been the way a burger should be...and below the $10 threshold. Why do we keep paying big bucks for fast food when non-fast is better and perhaps cheaper?

I'm going to stay away from HCB, but will try South Street -- with only 2 locations in the chain they can't be that bad...yet.

I'm just sayin'

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They Sherway Gardens location is horrible as well. The burger I had was dry and the guacamole was brown.

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My experience at the Hwy 7 location was the equivalent of taking $10, ripping it into little shreds and then throwing it into the garbage. Awful burger, worse fries and by good it took so long to make it so bad.

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I frequently jones for a burger on my way home and have to go to Hero sometime. Besides the second time I went which was a fiasco it has become a predictably mediocure yet expensive burger place. Fries thick but not crips, unremarkable patty, tasteless toppings makeup each visit. It seems to be characteristic of too many Toronto eateries these days.

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This isn't a Toronto experience. This is a chain experience. Start with bait, then switch. Judging by their website, Hero is not now nor has it ever been in the restaurant business. It's in the franchise business.

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My first experience was the PATH location. Not bad, not memorable. 2nd visit was the Hwy 7 and Leslie area. Freakin AWFUL! The burger tasted like cardboard. I ordered the side salad to attempt to be somewhat kind to my heart. I dig in. Wilted pieces of crap all through it. I brought it back to the counter and I got the 'what the f** do you want' look.... not even any words, just a glare. As I described the issue, she wrenched it off the tray and litterally tossed another one on. When I went on to say I do not want another salad (as by this point, I was truned off and could also see the wilt in the other conatiners). She said, "what do you want.... your money back". God damn straight lady... cough it up. She gave me a looney! A freakin Looney. I'm positive their salads sell for more than that. With utter disgust, I turned, walked out, and vowed never to return.

In summary - this place SUCKS!

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I love how candid everyone is :op Looks like Hero's on a downward spiral...

The burgers at Magoo's on Dundas, west of Parklawn in the Kingsway Mills plaza is an amazing burger shop owned by two brothers and a sister. Freakin' great homemade burgers with super fresh toppings. Fries are to die for - and don't forget the Magoo's sauce!

Organic burgers from the Healthy Butcher on Queen West between Spadina and Bathurst are unbelieveable for when you want to make some at home. My fav is the Diablo!

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I've never had anything form Hero Burger (and may, now, never will). What I inferred from friends who had, though, was that the appeal of the place was their uncommon variety of toppings. If I recall, avocado was one of the listed items that struck me. It sounded like a cool novelty and was put on the long list of "places to check out in off-case I'm ever in that area (and hungry)". 
 
Unfortunately, it seems that no matter how interesting the toppings are, they're not enough to cover a terrible meat patty.

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I also had a very good first experience at the hazelton lanes location and was excited when they opened up in the PATH. I tried it over and over and each time the burger/chicken/veggies burger we on the bad side of mediocre and each and every time, they got my toppings wrong! So frustrating.

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It must be get realy Bad When it Open in the TD Centre the line up were up to 20 min before you got the Burger now just walk up to the Counter to get it no line up

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Personally, I was very dissapointed in this chain for 2 reasons. One - the hype. Two - the idea of an affordable gourmet burger that just went down the tubes. I am no burger making pro, but the last time I made burgers (2 months back), I picked up some plain ol ground beef and formed some nice burgers mixed with a little freah garlic and fresh herbs. Roasted some baby peppers and goats cheese. A little sauteed onion. Mmmm. Amazing. I thought to myself, wow, what a simple but great idea for a restaurant. Hero obviously had the same thought, they just lost their vision in the process it seams.

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Hal and Hero make lousy burgers. Hal is VERY overpriced, dry and bland and Hero is just plain disgusting. I will not get sucked into trying Southside. Why can't a chain serve real burgers at a reasonable price? Licks USED to be so great. 

Liberty has a great burger/fries. Shanghai Cowgirl is fantastic. Epicure Cafe is a great burger/fries too. Love Beaconsfield, but they have raised the price to 15.00 - worth it once in a while.

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Ow! I hear so much burger-hate in this thread =).

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Davwud I love you! Hero DOES absolutely suck.

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Hero burgers truly do suck. Take a bite and look at the inside..
It's horribly dense compressed beef (I hope it's beef) grilled until it's dark grey. An awful awful burger.

Where is good?

Allen's are good. Simplicity.

Jule's on Spadina and Queen is a 'French' styled burger.. lots of herbs and seasoning + dijon, in a crusty bun. Definietly not traditional, but pretty good. And the fries are excellent.

Utopia - good sized, good toppings.

Barberians - Almost obscene in it's carnivorosity (I made that one up). A great big massive, perfectly cooked burger. Expensive.

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Yeah, I checked the website ... no burger listed.
Not sure if they removed it, or it's an old website.

I went there about a year ago for lunch... massive, massive burger.

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Conceived by marketing students, what do you expect?

Certified average at best.

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Hero's lousiness has nothing to do with its having been franchised. I tried the original location in Hazelton Lanes soon after it opened, and was disappointed with an overcooked, dry and tasteless burger. For those excited about all of the toppings available, when a burger is really well made and juicy, no toppings at all are required.

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I agree wholeheartedly at the less-than-mediocreness of Hero. Tried the Queen W location, and was severely disappointed. My friends were okay with it, but I was horrified by the quality/cost ratio.

Also scary is Hal's. Trying so hard for the avante-garde burger thing, and coming up only luke-warm at best, and far overpriced. Only good thing there is the dessert, and the beers are okay.

For my money, I'm gonna stick to the little hole in the wall College bar Bistro 422 for burgers on burger night! Cheap and tasty! And cheap beer, too!

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I agree. Hero Certified Burger is not quite up to par. If you want a great burger go to DB Bistro.

Chow!
HL

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I guess there are just a lot of mediocre to lousy burgers to be had.
This has been discussed in previous threads, but I find that Burger Shack (Eglinton east of Avenue rd) and Goldenstar (yonge n of steeles) have excellent homemade burgers, as well as very good fries. I actually like Lick's burgers too (although I suspect there would be a wide range of opinions on this) - the problem, to me, with Lick's is that their fries are frozen gross things (their onion rings are at least decent though)

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the burgers at Hero are BEYOND gross. I made the mistake of trying one out at the Hazelton location. I had to return it to the counter - easily the worst burger in Toronto IMO. Their expansion totally puzzles me and makes my brain hurt! Of course the owner is the same as Lettieri - easily the worst coffee in town and that should have been a clue.

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I love burgers. Today I followed some friends to Hero Burger at Hazelton Lanes. Brutal. Seriously. The burger was dry, the toppings (their "signature") were tasteless, and the fries were soggy. If I weren't filling my post-valentine's day wine needs, I would not have finished it. Is there any explanation for how this place continues to exist? I could get better food and a real beer instead of a root beer for less money. Damn.

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Dangerous Dans downtown Toronto, at Queen and Broadview. MUCH better burgers....I last had Hero Burgers at Toronto General Hospital on University. I found a hard piece of white stuff...which was either bone or cartiledge.

I am never eating there again. THE END.

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Best Burgers!!! I am suprized to hear anyone suggest Dangerous Dan's this is NOT good. It's all quantity NO quality. Like a really bad meatloaf on a bun.
Fat Phil's is Fantastic and try the Tulip everything else they do is Awesome. and the buger is awesome.

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I had a burger combo at the Hwy 7/Leslie location and it was awful imo. I frozen patty that was salty and very compressed. I'll never have a burger from there again.

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You know what pissed me off the most about Hero, they wouldn't put lettuce on my burger. I'm paying $10 for a burger and fries and you are not going to honour my request for lettuce? They serve a garden salad so its not like there isn't lettuce on hand. It's a burger, a burger sold by a chain, it's not a work of art... if I want lettuce put it on the god damn burger.

Needless to say, I waited until the burger was up and then walked out without paying.

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Yes, they totally suck, I was at the Highway 7 and Leslie location last year and they got my order totally wrong! As others have pointed out, the patty was overcooked and dry.

I took over 35 minutes for me to get my order ... I was not impressed at all.

I sent a complaint letter to the store and to their head office, they didn't bother calling me back to apologize. Hey, a quick 2 minute I'm sorry call (or even a form letter) would have kept this disparaging remark off of Chowhound.

But I guess, this crappy burger joint has a lot of unhappy customers ;-)

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Hero...three sizes of patty all cooked by an idiot. If you order small patty then it may be cooked, but if you order medium size be prepared for outside done inside pink mush. Twice have experienced it on medium patties. DON'T order anything larger than the small because cooking in the kitchen at Hero isn't yet perfected at least at the one where I had to get served. The fries often are inferior overdone. By the way they used to wrap the burgers in a silvery paper in which the words Hero were printed but the ink would imprint on the next one printed on the side which touched the sandwhich. I pointed it out to the manager and they served the last burger with paper that no longer has the printing on it. At least they got that right.

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no discussion of burgers would be complete without honourable mention to Apache burger, west yonder Etobicoke way, around where Dundas and Bloor meet again. Downtown, a little pub on Dundonald is putting a lot of love into their burger and doing it right. Check out Local 4 for a juicy burger.

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There are worse and even MORE overpriced places, if you can believe it.

For a truely crappy overpriced SMALL burger go and waste some money at South St. Burger

That place is pathetic. $1 for a slice of cheese and $1 to add one strip of bacon.. And the burger is so BLAND

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they fucking suck ass! overpriced shit on a bun! you're money is better spent next door buying bondage gear at Misbehavin'

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My vote goes out to Hero's. I think they're a bit expensive (that's why i never get the add-ons!), but their cheeseburger, IMHO, is the best fast-food burger you can find in Toronto. Notice how i said FAST FOOD... I'm not comparing it with restaurant burgers.

Of the big fast food franchises, I like A & W.

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I experienced the same thing at the Hero Certified Burgers outlet at Yonge and Eglinton. I was totally unimpressed with my buger that tasted the same as a frozen patty from the supermarket. Total rippoff and I'm not going back! I found the burgers at South Street Burgers (on Laird Drive south of Eglinton) to be far superior and they truly tasted fresh. In fact, they were the best burgers I've tasted in years -- way better than Licks.

East Side Guy

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I've been to two of them now. The funny thing is that I had a really good burger at the one in the food court in Sherway Gardens (I think that's where it was ). It wasn't the best burger I've ever had and it was a little expensive, but it was worth coming back for.

Then a few weeks later we went to the one in Queen Street West, and it was much worse. The meat was dry and gristly, and the fries were a bit undercooked. I won't be going back.

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Once upon a time, Hero Certified Burger opened a shop in Hazelton Lanes. It was good.... REALLY good.

Then when they grew popular enough to open a second location - it went to the shitter.

Never eat at Hero Certified Burger, it is THE WORST BURGER JOINT IN THE CITY!

However, the idiots that buy their food will continue to support them, which means we need to support worthwhile restaurants.

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I completely agree with you! I heard Hero Burgers were really good and was so shocked to see it was basically Burger King but double the price. Completely ridiculous for the price. I would never eat there again.

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I don't know about now...but I tried Hero burger a long time ago. I can't even remember..last year? As for location not too sure but I am guessing its around Markham since my friend lives up there and took us to Hero.
My memory tells me their food was okay. It was bit pricey I must said but I got a big chunky burger which makes totally sense.
I dont find it as bad as most of you make it sound, but I guess its different now. I just have to say...its not oh-so-tasty that's why I said earlier "was okay". I can save myself time and just do it myself at home and get a same-or-better quality burger

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Well smack me upside the head for not listening to my inner chowhound. I was running errands and starving and there was a Hero Burgers right next to the Shoppers Drug Mart I was at. I knew it was going to be a not-that-good burger, but I didn't expect it to be a take-a-bite-and-spit-it-out burger. It was revolting. Gray, processed, rubbery protein masquerading as a burger. Why anyone one would eat one of these for free, let alone pay $8 for it, is beyond me. The whole thing went into the trash. I'll take a Wendy's burger over one of these any day.

The pricing at Holy Chuck, Stockyards and Burger's Priest suddenly don't seem that bad.

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I recall having the large burger in the past and it being gross. About 6 months ago I had one of their smaller sized burgers (maybe 4 oz patty?) and I liked it better. Anyone tried their salmon burger or other options?

And yeah, the chain is really growing fast. They seem to really be trying to expand quickly.

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I've only tried Hero Burger a few times in the past. Experience was forgettable. Better burger at Southstreet Burger I thought.

These days, I try to avoid red meat but when the cravings hit, I enjoy the offerings at Burger Priest and Holy Chuck. I hope to complete the trinity with Stockyards soon though.

My wife rarely eats red meat but loves the Burger Priest (both outlets).

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Everyone trashes the places. How do the succeed in their business?

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There has been recent controversy/debate about them (Hero Burger) winning a RFP for a new Nathan Philips Square location. Some of the councilors said there should be something better/more exciting/unique/etc/etc there. I don't know why they didn't work that into the RFP then. Anyway, bottom line is that they voted to award it to Hero in the end.

What really got me was the media talking about this. On Newstalk 1010 various hosts were talking about this issue and they and others were calling in to say that Hero was a "good" burger/etc. Some people were calling in with high praise... I want to think they were employees but I guess some people really do love Hero burger! 

I have had "okay" burgers from there in the past (I find the larger ones disgusting, but, the smallest burger is bearable/ok to me). I would have also liked to have seen something more unique/healthier/etc there but oh well.

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On a side note. I went to 'Taro' on Sheppard for some sushi and sashimi on Tuesday and ended up having a char-broiled burger at the ' Burger/Souvlaki ' joint next door instead!! Surprisingly good!! Very smokey and pate not dry at all. Like the way they toasted the bun. Fries and gravy were amazingly good as well. Apparently Post City magazine voted it 2nd best diner burger out of 10 candidates. Beating out Steer Inn and Golden Star...etc

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I actually like this place. I went to the Queen and Spadina shop around 3am and there wasn't many people in it. I order the largest size burger with the usual toppings and it came out delicious. The biggest downfall was that afterwards I went online to see how much fat it contained and the patty alone contained 60 grams of fat... uh... never again... i wanna puke just thinking about it.. but the burger was quite tasty :)

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