Jake’s Wayback Burgers

Food is great… but wait time was awful. 25+ minutes for a single cheeseburger and a side fry!

Good product, bad service. It just seems like they are really inconsistent on wait times. Had to wait a half hour twice, so I can’t even afford to go back. wastes too much of my lunch hour.
If their management reads this, take note. Seems like there is a lot of turnover, no one is trained properly, and they seemed surprised that it is lunch time. I was talking to a guy outside that was pissed off and having the same experience.
Fix these issues, and I am sure you will be more successful!

I was in the mood for a cheeseburger but I didn’t want it from a fast food place so we decided to give Jakes another try. I had the cheesy burger and I have to say it was very good. Not as greasy as they have been before. Hubby had the WB cod sandwich platter and he practically inhaled it. Also we got an order of onion rings. They are one of the best onion rings I have ever had. Hubby hates onion rings. He tried a bite and ended up eating half of my order. We will definitely try Jakes again. Hope it will be as good.

Horrible service, rude staff that needs to be trained better on how to keep customers. I will not be returning, worst first experience ever.

I always wonder how eateries can get such varied reviews here on Unilocal.One reviewer thinks the fries and milkshakes here are «to die for,» another calls the experience a «nightmare.» Anytime I see these extremes, I always decide to try the place and find out for myself.
Okay, so it wasn’t a nightmare. But it was like a dramatic flashback scene in a Lifetime movie where a 16-​year-​old mother of five first discovered all three of her children’s fathers loved to wear the SAME EXACT TYPE OF WOMEN’S UNDERGARMENTS: it felt cheap, hopeless, a complete sham, and embarrassing when I realized the time and money wasted on such junk.
I care more about milkshakes than I ever will about burgers, so when a joint prides itself on its «hand dipped» milkshakes made like they did it «wayback» when, I expect something more than a metal malt cup just three-​fourths full of a thin, tasteless heap of low-​budget ice cream and skim milk. (Jake, head on over to Charcoal Pit a few miles up on Concord to learn a few tricks here.) This alone gave the place its two generous stars.
The food almost pulled it down to one star. We had the Philly burger (beef patty, onions, shrooms), a turkey burger, the Irish nachos, and cheese fries. None of these were disgusting or inedible, but everything tasted like it came from a box off the supermarket shelf (think «Chef Boyardee Jacked-​Up Nachos Kit» or «Hungry Man All-​in-​One Pub Favorite Burger and Cheez Friez»). I’m no snob but seriously this tasted like the cheap food-​service stuff my college dorm used to serve. I have no idea why someone would purposely go to a place like this and pay for the privilege of scarfing down mediocrity.
As others have mentioned, the interior leaves a lot to be desired. The place wasn’t dirty but wasn’t exactly clean, either, and everything just looked cheap (example: the Target curtains thrown on a cheap rod acting as a door between the dining area and the backroom). The workers were inattentive and bored, but that was the least of this place’s issues.
There’s nothing I can think of that could make me recommend paying the prices Jake’s charges for the food they serve. I swore off McDonald’s years ago, but I’d rather go there and spend half as much for food that is a step up than to ever go back to Jake’s.

After reading the previous reviews I felt obligated to write a review. I went there today and ordered a burger with onion rings and a shake. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by two employees who were cheerful and polite. The cashier was extra friendly and chatty and the burger was juicy and delicious. Not as good as five guys but definitely worth a try.

I just joined Unilocal mainly for this post. The recent ratings had me concerned as I also had a Groupon for this location and saw the bad experiences previously posted. All I can say is someone there got the message, and got it good. The burgers have always been good but the service, cleanliness and friendliness were very good. I think all owners read these posts but the key is how they react to the negative ones. In this case I have to congratulate whomever it was in the Jakes organization to turn this around. Thankfully it was done before I started cashing in on those Groupons.

I’ve tried this place a few times and have regretted it.
The dining room is gross. Overflowing trash cans, dirty tables, and sticky counters.
The burgers are decent (for fast food) The fries could be good if they were cooked fully and served fresh. I haven’t tried the shakes.
Honestly this place has the potential to be good. It just has never hit that mark when I’ve visited.

Food is fresh and hot fries are average burgers are juicy but lacking flavor. Shakes were good and service is great.

The burgers were good, but the fries and strawberry-​banana milkshake were to die for. Will defnitely be back for more fries and milkshakes!

Great burgers, tasty milkshakes and homemade potato chips!
The downside is this location seems to take forever to make anything. Seems like they are understaffed but the wait is worth it. You can also call ahead and order online as well to cut down the wait.

I love the Jakes franchise, I do, but this place is an imposter! Subpar food, long waits for what you order even when they are not busy, and just doesn’t taste as fresh as other locations. Do the franchise a favor and close this down!

Was in a rush today and realized I hadn’t packed lunch today. In the mood for something satisfying I hit up jakes AGAIN gave them 5stars this go round b/​c the vey friendly order taker remembered me. I speak a little fast and instead of him jacking up my order by putting fungus on my meatless sandwich he included mustard and mushrooms on the side! Way to take initiative… And they game me cutlery OMG it was like a dream come true.

Jake’s is a great fast food burger joint. Good meat, delicious cheese, and virtually all the toppings you could want — most for free.
Now Jakes is not meant to be a $ 6 or $ 8 burger. The basic burger is $ 3, and it’s made from meat that’s never been frozen. For those of you that enjoy In-​N-​Out in the west, this is the closest thing on the East coast.
Jake’s makes their own fresh French fries and potato chips. Yum.

Cheap food and real malts! Not bad for a $ 7.00 meal ticket. A junior burger (3.3 oz of beef), fries and a malt. The malt was listed as hand pulled, we weren’t sure what that meant, but saw that it meant that it was made from «scratch» versus being a malt that comes out of a machine straight into the cup.
The burger tasted good, with fresh toppings. The french fries are fried in peanut oil. A nice quick lunch.

I saw that Jake’s had opened nearby and since it was supposed to have «Best of Delaware» burgers (though Baby and I have found that more often than not the «BoD» designation has been the kiss of death for those places we’ve tried), I gave it a try. I tried it and have no reason to return.
The keys to a good burger place are obviously the burgers and the fries and if you can’t get them right then I’m not coming back. Needless to say, Jake’s didn’t get them right.
Now I know that in a semi-​quick food outlet like Jake’s, I’m not going to get the thick, juicy medium rare burger I might get in a decent sit-​down restaurant. But it should at least be moist and constructed with a modicum of care. Jake’s burger was flat, dry, and chewy and was a bit of a mess to behold. Not very appealing to say the least.
I know some places will cheat on their fries by using the frozen batter-​dipped option to give them crispness so give Jake’s some credit for using fresh potatoes. But then take the credit away for serving limp, undercooked fries.
Finally, the piece de resistance — as I was waiting for my order to come up, one of the staffers was cleaning off tables and removing dirty trays. Instead of carrying them to the back, he slid them across the counter where the orders would come out. Yuck!