Stacks Burger

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Stacks Burger is one of the earliest burger stalls in Penang to popularize the bamboo charcoal bun. In addition, Stacks Burger takes pride for its hand-crafted pork patties, instead of those frozen meat patties from the supermarket.

Stacks Burger used to operate at Siam Road, but it recently moved to a new, more permanent location at Transfer Road. Customers now have the privilege of enjoying food in an air-conditioned dining area. This avoids the unpleasant smoke from the griddle at the previous location.

For its first two days at this new location, Stacks Burger is offering a free Smoked BBQ Pork Burger for free, with purchase of any burger. Sounds like a bargain!

The menu at Stacks Burger retains its simplicity. A customer first chooses the basic burger (pork or chicken), select add-ons such as bacon or extra patties, or simply upgrade to a set meal which includes fries and a drink.

At the griddle, minced pork is weighed and manually shaped into patties by hand. The patties are then seasoned with barbecue sauce and grilled to perfection. The chicken patties are done the similar way, except that they are made from meat fillet, not minced chicken.

The Smoked BBQ Chicken Burger (RM11.90) is a real delicacy indeed. Made from pure chicken fillet instead of "mystery meat" from the supermarket's frozen food section, the chicken patty is very juicy and oozing with natural meaty goodness. The delicious burger stack also consists a slice of cheese, lettuce and mayonnaise.

As for the bun, it is soft and fluffy when invaded by two rows of vicious teeth. Charcoal bread carries a different aftertaste compared to regular wheat bread. I have not decided which type that I love more, but since the former is not as commonly available, I tend to go for black whenever possible.

The Smoked BBQ Pork Burger (RM9.90) is complimentary today as it is Stacks Burger's opening promotion. The pork patty is thicker but not as wide as the chicken. Made of minced meat, it still packs a whole load of carnivorous goodness with each bite. The meat is also tender and very enjoyable till the very last bite.

The only shortcoming is that it tastes a bit too dry. A flatter patty (which meats the grilling time can be shorter) and more barbecue sauce would have saved the day.

For RM4.90, the burger can be upgraded to a set meal which includes fries and a drink.

The Fries are a bit too dry and lacks flavor. I would have preferred if each dining table has some kind of condiments to go with the Fries, such as ketchup or mustard.

For drinks, I am a big fan of A&W Root Beer. I am not sure why exactly; I just love it.

The waiting time for the food can be really grueling; we waited over an hour to be served. Considering that today is their first day of operation at this new location, one can forgive the staff for the lack of familiarity and surge in customer traffic. However in the coming days, Stacks Burger really needs to pull its socks up to stay in the game.

Grilling can be done at a quicker pace since griddle size is not a constraint. Waiting staff should devise an effective system to track the order from each customer. For burgers, I consider 30 minutes of waiting time as red alarm. Anything longer than that is a sign of inefficiency.

On the positive side, the staff is wise to seek feedback from its loyal customers. Multinational corporations spend millions on customer surveys, so there is no reason for any F&B business not do so, even in the cheapest and most rudimentary way.

Overall, we still met the objective for dinner today: enjoy some nice burgers at Stacks Burger - albeit longer-than-usual waiting time. It's nice to know that these guys are still in business and still kicking ass when it comes to delicious burgers.