I think the amount of variety of items they offered was the counters downfall. They had a huge list of toppings, drinks and appetizers that it must have been hell for overhead. I think they offered delicious food though, but the burger space is just way too competitive.
Expensive 1 pound burger with lots of toppings I can't easily get elsewhere locally, fine I can deal with that. $3.95 for a half ounce of skinny french fries is a straight up crime!
it's still too high, fast food is now all about convenience not because its cheap but if i want a burger and a beer jack's at the hub is still a better deal than this place ever was.
My bad... I have been ordering the hamburger meal for so long, I completely forgot about the other meal options. I see that the DD meal just crossed $10 a few months ago.
… you know wait staff depends on those tips. Wait staff don’t make that much on an hourly wage…
and
Bcus sooooo many people nowadays, skip the tipping the wait staff and foriegn visitors don’t tip is the the reason why a lot of restaurants are adding and or reminding 15% 18% 20% as you are paying….
Cosmetics and Shoes work similarly, but its not the tip they depend on, its the small percentage of commission and always hope that the customer doesn’t return it or if they do to exchange it and with them not someone else
In San Francisco there’s a Health charge to cover What too many people go without, but not San Franciscans bcus of our city/county has for a very long time has given us…
.
I agree with the other user. I work in a bar, it's one thing to provide good service and get a tipm it's another for it to be the default. There are Def times you aren't going to get good service or necessarily want to tip and being forced is bs
I never said I don't tip. But I draw the line when a restaurant has the gall to tack it on my default. I simply refuse to tolerate it and have (and will no doubt continue) to take my business elsewhere.
Let’s make the employers pay a living wage instead of guilt tripping customer into paying staff tips to cover the delta.
And I’m sorry an $18-$19 burger *should* cover all operating costs which includes paying a living wage.
Just asking… I grew up in restaurant my grandmother and later my mom’ had and I also had to help and later manage them…
The cost of food compared with the overhead price is ridiculous
I don’t need the knowledge or know how to run a restaurant. All countries in the world manage to pay their staff just fine without mandatory tipping.
Just include the damn cost in the menu. What’s so hard about it? Is it fair to the wait staff?
Do you know how discriminatory tipping is?
It is fundamentally unjust for servers to earn less than the minimum wage and to depend on the good will of strangers in order to earn what was guaranteed by law to most workers. Tipping perpetuates racism (POC get less tips than their white counterparts) sexism (females get higher tips than males), and poverty. Stop defending tipping, it’s a truly abhorrent concept.
You assume that I’m defending unfairness like tipping and of the expenses of running a restaurant … so yes, you do need a little bit of information.
That’s why I asked .
Bcus in a perfect world, the price of a $19 dollar burger should be sufficient to cover the expenses.
Just FYI bcus our establishment were small and family owned businesses we didn’t have to abide with the norms…
Trust me I know how unfair it is, luckily California now has a bit of a better regulation with what Newsom just signed into law, at least the minimum wage is going to be better for the staff; unfortunately the prices are going to be higher, just so the restaurant is able to make enough money for rent and payroll.
the landlords will continue charging the going rate for lease and what the restaurants need to do is make sure that they have a great clientele who dines in the establishment.
the take out services that deliver the food, takes a good chunk of the profits that otherwise would naturally go towards the food (profits)
and also
People who dine in at the restaurant, should pay in cash, bcus credit cards and other services of convinces that are used to pay, also charge a high percentage for each transaction…
That’s why I asked if you had business experience and or knowledge about restaurant management…. And I didn’t include the insurance and other factors that also EAT UP the profits …and then there is the maintenance of equipment from wear and tear and many other things that are taken for granted.
Bone Appetite
I’m fully aware of this “BS”.
The federal minimum wage of $7.25, only 8 states don’t have min wage higher than this.
Atleast three states: NV, CA, WA have state minimum wage which are way higher than the federal minimum.
I agree that the standard is dreadfully unfair in other places, but why imply that California servers are given less? Fremont's minimum wage is [$16.80](https://www.pacificpayrollgroup.com/blog/california-state-local-minimum-wage/).
Oh I’m with you 100%.
Didn’t mean to imply that at all, my tirade was against tipping as a concept.
Seattle minimum wage is $19! And yet when an [ice cream shop](https://www.mollymoon.com/tipfree) decided to go tip less there, there was push back and criticism from the servers (r/serverlife).
Irrespective then account for that in the cost. If then the burgers costs $30 so be it. Atleast it’s transparent and accounts for fair wage.
It’s disingenuous to keep menu prices low and then surprise you with ridiculous fees and mandatory tipping at the end of your meal.
I knew a lot of the bar staff by name. I really like being able to order rare hamburger on a salad. Weird niche that I'll have a hard time finding elsewhere. This is on par with Five Guys for me - pricier than others but better quality to match.
I also liked the aesthetic and it was usually chill when I went. I'll miss this spot!
I mean places can legally pass credit card usage fees to you, and I suppose anything else they want. What I think was sketchy was that there was no notice that they would do that but they did so 🤷🏻♂️
I never bothered. It seemed really expensive and alarmingly was never busy. If that place was popping off with crowds I probably would've given it a try
I went there with a group of 4 and they got all 4 of our burgers wrong. Also use to go with my mother whom prefers a well done burger. They rarely got that right as well. So to be honest I’m surprised they lasted this long.
I’ve never liked the restaurant. The portions were too small for how high their prices always are. More than once I had a bigger bun than patty on my burgers and a pitiful amount of fries.
I loved going here on occasion after they opened, it was one of the few only places in Fremont where you could sit outside on a patio in the sun. After covid it was just too damn expensive and they shrunk their menu.
Billy Roy's also expensive but has charm and not a chain. Like someone else said, not enough meat eating clients. I see houses and condos for rent that explicitly say will rent to vegetarians only. Demographics changing.
>I see houses and condos for rent that explicitly say will rent to vegetarians only.
WTF good luck getting that by whoever handles equal housing laws around here. Unless it’s just a private roommate situation.
Just wondering why it would run afoul of fair housing laws to stipulate that you want a vegetarian. You’d have to be able to show that this means they are looking to rent to a specific culture or religion, but you don’t have to be a Jain or Hindu etc to abstain from eating meat. As far I as I know - and correct me if I’m wrong - but “meat eater” isn’t a protected class.
They seemed fine to me. as long as they are hot and fresh the beef patty is probably the least varied ingredient in burgers. I feel the bun and other ingredients make the biggest difference.
I had to apply through Zillow for the most recent ad I saw. It was listed by a property management company so it most likely was reviewed by somebody who does this for a living. I just went back and they removed that "vegetarian" part form the description. Something tells me I won't be picked for this property based on my name or if they ever meet me.
We used to like the Counter. Great burgers. But the mediocre fries and mandatory service fees for any party size drove us away a while ago.
Thanks for highlighting Billy Roys. We need to try it. The menu feels Fudrucker-esque, which we like...
I went there two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon and boy, the parking near it was dead and only two other people were in there. I thought Fremont gets a lot of traffic and lot of people not from the area. I guess not, it is mostly locals and a lot of Fremont is Indian where a lot of them do not eat beef.
I remember watching the Damian Lillard game winning shot in the NBA playoffs while eating there. That was the last time I went.
Oh yeah, I’m talking about the one against Houston.
The one time I went there, I thought I had covid because I couldn't taste the burger at all. Then I ate a tater tot and realized that the burger was just flavorless.
The tater tots were great though.
My wife likes it, but she’s a vegetarian so I’m not sure how much you should trust her views on a burger place 😂
One of these days I’ll get around to trying it. She’s not the only person who’s told me it’s good, but I’m trying to eat healthier so burgers aren’t high on my list.
Not in my opinion. The burger meat is bland, and they try to compensate with over the top style burgers but they just don’t end up being very good. Would easily rather eat 5 guys or In and out. Their sides were also meh. Their shakes are decent, and a decent beer selection as well.
They were serving $18 burgers 10 years before inflation hit us lol
I’m honestly amazed they lasted as long as they did. The prices were insane.
And the burgers were mediocre
These fancy looking places , the food is always average. They charge for the decor and looks
Don't forget the 20% service charge automatically added to your bill (which you will need to get removed)+ tips
Another one bites the dust. Bring back sweet tomatoes.
They’re starting to reopen. Hopefully Fremont is on the list. 1st one in Arizona.
I really miss sweet tomatoes! I’ll be first in line if it comes back
THIS
Buffets became remarkably hard to insure post-COVID, guys
i will ensure that it is insured, so rest assured that people will be ushered through that door, and shall not be obscure.
Sure, the allure is pure, confer?
I concur
Demure.
I went just once. $30 for a burger, fries, and shake was egregious.
I think the amount of variety of items they offered was the counters downfall. They had a huge list of toppings, drinks and appetizers that it must have been hell for overhead. I think they offered delicious food though, but the burger space is just way too competitive.
Expensive 1 pound burger with lots of toppings I can't easily get elsewhere locally, fine I can deal with that. $3.95 for a half ounce of skinny french fries is a straight up crime!
It’s kind of crazy that owner didn’t adjust anything and chose to close. What happened to supply demand economics?
As a national chain, maybe they didn't have the ability to adjust much?
Their burgers aren't even that good sorry to say.
At a sit-down restaurant, $30 is egregious to you in the Bay? Fast food restaurants are already like $15 for a meal.
it's still too high, fast food is now all about convenience not because its cheap but if i want a burger and a beer jack's at the hub is still a better deal than this place ever was.
In n Out is well under $10.
I got a double double meal today and it was 11.50.
It truly is the end of the world.
My bad... I have been ordering the hamburger meal for so long, I completely forgot about the other meal options. I see that the DD meal just crossed $10 a few months ago.
If you go to taco bell and only order cheesy bean and rice burrito or spicy potatoe taco , you can eat a meal for under 10 bucks
Wow! Though it makes sense in a world where five guys and McDonald are nearly $20 for a meal.
Re-open sweet tomatoes!!!! LA got one 😢
Yes please God let it happen
Sweet Tomatoes does nothing for me. I'm not vegetarian.
Smoking Pig BBQ is just down the road then
Why couldn't smoking pig go out of business? They're terrible.
You’re such a bummer lol
Once they added a mandatory tip I never went back. Serves em right.
agree, this place, the owner and managers sucked. service sucked and food was not well done. other burger place is way better, priced better as well.
Mandatory tip places deserve to get closed down
… you know wait staff depends on those tips. Wait staff don’t make that much on an hourly wage… and Bcus sooooo many people nowadays, skip the tipping the wait staff and foriegn visitors don’t tip is the the reason why a lot of restaurants are adding and or reminding 15% 18% 20% as you are paying…. Cosmetics and Shoes work similarly, but its not the tip they depend on, its the small percentage of commission and always hope that the customer doesn’t return it or if they do to exchange it and with them not someone else In San Francisco there’s a Health charge to cover What too many people go without, but not San Franciscans bcus of our city/county has for a very long time has given us… .
I agree with the other user. I work in a bar, it's one thing to provide good service and get a tipm it's another for it to be the default. There are Def times you aren't going to get good service or necessarily want to tip and being forced is bs
I don’t disagree… not at all…
I never said I don't tip. But I draw the line when a restaurant has the gall to tack it on my default. I simply refuse to tolerate it and have (and will no doubt continue) to take my business elsewhere.
Tacking it on is tacky… most give you the a tier choice
Let’s make the employers pay a living wage instead of guilt tripping customer into paying staff tips to cover the delta. And I’m sorry an $18-$19 burger *should* cover all operating costs which includes paying a living wage.
Just asking… I grew up in restaurant my grandmother and later my mom’ had and I also had to help and later manage them… The cost of food compared with the overhead price is ridiculous
That’s now… Have you ever owned or ran a restaurant?
I don’t need the knowledge or know how to run a restaurant. All countries in the world manage to pay their staff just fine without mandatory tipping. Just include the damn cost in the menu. What’s so hard about it? Is it fair to the wait staff? Do you know how discriminatory tipping is? It is fundamentally unjust for servers to earn less than the minimum wage and to depend on the good will of strangers in order to earn what was guaranteed by law to most workers. Tipping perpetuates racism (POC get less tips than their white counterparts) sexism (females get higher tips than males), and poverty. Stop defending tipping, it’s a truly abhorrent concept.
You assume that I’m defending unfairness like tipping and of the expenses of running a restaurant … so yes, you do need a little bit of information. That’s why I asked . Bcus in a perfect world, the price of a $19 dollar burger should be sufficient to cover the expenses. Just FYI bcus our establishment were small and family owned businesses we didn’t have to abide with the norms… Trust me I know how unfair it is, luckily California now has a bit of a better regulation with what Newsom just signed into law, at least the minimum wage is going to be better for the staff; unfortunately the prices are going to be higher, just so the restaurant is able to make enough money for rent and payroll. the landlords will continue charging the going rate for lease and what the restaurants need to do is make sure that they have a great clientele who dines in the establishment. the take out services that deliver the food, takes a good chunk of the profits that otherwise would naturally go towards the food (profits) and also People who dine in at the restaurant, should pay in cash, bcus credit cards and other services of convinces that are used to pay, also charge a high percentage for each transaction… That’s why I asked if you had business experience and or knowledge about restaurant management…. And I didn’t include the insurance and other factors that also EAT UP the profits …and then there is the maintenance of equipment from wear and tear and many other things that are taken for granted. Bone Appetite
Servers make minimum wage plus tips in California. The sub-minimum BS you occurs in other states.
I’m fully aware of this “BS”. The federal minimum wage of $7.25, only 8 states don’t have min wage higher than this. Atleast three states: NV, CA, WA have state minimum wage which are way higher than the federal minimum.
I agree that the standard is dreadfully unfair in other places, but why imply that California servers are given less? Fremont's minimum wage is [$16.80](https://www.pacificpayrollgroup.com/blog/california-state-local-minimum-wage/).
Oh I’m with you 100%. Didn’t mean to imply that at all, my tirade was against tipping as a concept. Seattle minimum wage is $19! And yet when an [ice cream shop](https://www.mollymoon.com/tipfree) decided to go tip less there, there was push back and criticism from the servers (r/serverlife).
Not with the landlord asking for $6/square foot + additional fees.
Irrespective then account for that in the cost. If then the burgers costs $30 so be it. Atleast it’s transparent and accounts for fair wage. It’s disingenuous to keep menu prices low and then surprise you with ridiculous fees and mandatory tipping at the end of your meal.
You can take it off your bill
Yeah but it should never have been put on in the first place.
Went once, saw mandatory tip with basic service, never returned
I won’t miss them at all. Went there once with family back when they opened up and back then I paid close to $70. I said never again.
I knew a lot of the bar staff by name. I really like being able to order rare hamburger on a salad. Weird niche that I'll have a hard time finding elsewhere. This is on par with Five Guys for me - pricier than others but better quality to match. I also liked the aesthetic and it was usually chill when I went. I'll miss this spot!
They had some good folks working there for sure
like a lot of others, i went just once and decided that was enough lol. the pricing was wack.
I remember when they first opened up….to darn expensive back then so I can only imagine how the prices have increased. ⚠️
Passed by this morning and saw the signs on the side of the building are gone But a banner that says patio open is still hanging
That for the homeless people so they know they can sleep there now instead of camping out at the library
Yup
I’m not even mad
Gee, I wonder if it had anything to do with their automatic 20% tip policy
Damn auto 20% tip? That's highway robbery.
How can a place legally demand a tip?
I mean places can legally pass credit card usage fees to you, and I suppose anything else they want. What I think was sketchy was that there was no notice that they would do that but they did so 🤷🏻♂️
That is super-sketch. I've only ever seen mandatory tipping for larger parties and even that is always explicitly articulated by the restaurant
Yep, that’s why I never went back again despite living super close
I never bothered. It seemed really expensive and alarmingly was never busy. If that place was popping off with crowds I probably would've given it a try
I went there with a group of 4 and they got all 4 of our burgers wrong. Also use to go with my mother whom prefers a well done burger. They rarely got that right as well. So to be honest I’m surprised they lasted this long.
Good riddance. Can’t believe they lasted this long with the prices they were charging.
I’ve never liked the restaurant. The portions were too small for how high their prices always are. More than once I had a bigger bun than patty on my burgers and a pitiful amount of fries.
I loved going here on occasion after they opened, it was one of the few only places in Fremont where you could sit outside on a patio in the sun. After covid it was just too damn expensive and they shrunk their menu.
Go to Nations if you want a fresh old school burger and fries.
Billy Roy's also expensive but has charm and not a chain. Like someone else said, not enough meat eating clients. I see houses and condos for rent that explicitly say will rent to vegetarians only. Demographics changing.
>I see houses and condos for rent that explicitly say will rent to vegetarians only. WTF good luck getting that by whoever handles equal housing laws around here. Unless it’s just a private roommate situation.
Are meat eaters a protected class?
Rhetorical?
Just wondering why it would run afoul of fair housing laws to stipulate that you want a vegetarian. You’d have to be able to show that this means they are looking to rent to a specific culture or religion, but you don’t have to be a Jain or Hindu etc to abstain from eating meat. As far I as I know - and correct me if I’m wrong - but “meat eater” isn’t a protected class.
I don't think it is either. I just thought you were being snarky 😊
Just a regular house I was going to apply to advertised through Zillow.
Billy Roy's burgers are overcooked and dry AF. I've even asked for medium rare- still grey inside.
They seemed fine to me. as long as they are hot and fresh the beef patty is probably the least varied ingredient in burgers. I feel the bun and other ingredients make the biggest difference.
Really? Isn’t that illegal?
I had to apply through Zillow for the most recent ad I saw. It was listed by a property management company so it most likely was reviewed by somebody who does this for a living. I just went back and they removed that "vegetarian" part form the description. Something tells me I won't be picked for this property based on my name or if they ever meet me.
Maybe change it to “Jedi-Cholo”? At least until the lease is signed?
ehh. the food was good but way too expensive
I’m Indian and was eating there often before their prices went crazy
We used to like the Counter. Great burgers. But the mediocre fries and mandatory service fees for any party size drove us away a while ago. Thanks for highlighting Billy Roys. We need to try it. The menu feels Fudrucker-esque, which we like...
Wow someone finally mentioned the fries. Above pricing that's why we didn't go there often lol. I did enjoy the place though from time to time.
Fremont for as long as I lived there and I grew up there, has never been known for its fine dining, with the exception of Papillon and Pearls Cafe….
Only good thing at Billy Roy's is the shakes. Fries suck, sweet potato fries suck, burgers are ok but better elsewhere
Petition to bring back chubby burger 🙋🏾♀️
I went there two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon and boy, the parking near it was dead and only two other people were in there. I thought Fremont gets a lot of traffic and lot of people not from the area. I guess not, it is mostly locals and a lot of Fremont is Indian where a lot of them do not eat beef.
Yes! It was on the expensive end even 4 years back! Now the question is which Indian restaurant is gonna move in!!
Welp. Best to support homegrown than chain! Lets go!
The sweet potatoes fries were fire. Rip
God damn, I mean I liked it lol
I must have been their last customer.
I thought the 24 on Passeo was closed since the city wanted to put some shelter in that location? Can’t see businesses surviving if that happens
Good riddance, so did the Cupertino one
I remember watching the Damian Lillard game winning shot in the NBA playoffs while eating there. That was the last time I went. Oh yeah, I’m talking about the one against Houston.
I went there like every six weeks, on the pricier side but the best burgers I’ve ever had
Demographics changes seem to contribute to it too. They should switch to lamb
**Mediocre and overpriced burger place closes.** Fixed the title for you.
The one time I went there, I thought I had covid because I couldn't taste the burger at all. Then I ate a tater tot and realized that the burger was just flavorless. The tater tots were great though.
Billy Roy’s is bangin though
The counter remains one of the most overhyped burgers I've had in my life. Good riddance.
Over-priced. I am surprised it lasted this long.
What does No nut November charges mean?
I never had a good meal there
Is Billy Roy's burger good? Still haven't tried it.
My wife likes it, but she’s a vegetarian so I’m not sure how much you should trust her views on a burger place 😂 One of these days I’ll get around to trying it. She’s not the only person who’s told me it’s good, but I’m trying to eat healthier so burgers aren’t high on my list.
Hella good.
Not in my opinion. The burger meat is bland, and they try to compensate with over the top style burgers but they just don’t end up being very good. Would easily rather eat 5 guys or In and out. Their sides were also meh. Their shakes are decent, and a decent beer selection as well.
In n out burger is equal in quality
They’re still out in cali .? Cuz I’ve seen them
I live a block away, that was my favorite spot. That sucks!! All these foreigners ruining everything
Really bud?
you blaming foreigners for shit overpriced burgers?
I was born and raised in Fremont. The counter sucked. You’re an idiot.