Elevation Burger

Excellent concept (i.e., offering custom-​made grass-​fed organic burgers), but the actual execution is terrible.
Let me note up front that the rather dismal 1-​star rating and review that I have rendered for this shop is likely applicable not only to this particular shop, but to to all shops belonging to this chain. I say this because it appears that none of my complaints about the burgers that I ordered at this shop were likely unique to this particular shop, but rather were a reflection of the policies and procedures of the entire Elevation Burger chain.
Around late September of last year (2015), inspired by the wide selection of burger chain shops offering organic grass-​fed (aka pasture-​fed) burgers that I had been finding in cities like Manhattan, Philadelphia, New Orleans and even in Las Vegas, I decided to do a Google search for any burger joints located within 20 miles of Frederick MD that offered organic grass-​fed burgers (I already knew about the existence The Lodge Restaurant at Westview Promenade on Buckeystown Pike, but the service there was consistently truly terrible, and I was quite glad to hear that The Lodge had finally, and mercifully, closed early in the third quarter of 2015!).
One of the few Frederick-​area burger joints offering organic grass-​fed burgers that emerged from my Google search was Elevation Burger, an outpost of a nationwide chain that claimed to offer organic grass-​fed burgers. I had never before heard of the Elevation Burger chain, and so I visited their website and spent a few minutes learning about their guiding philosophy and their burgers. What I read impressed me, and so, in short order, early on a a sunny Sunday afternoon, I hopped in my car and made the 30 minute drive (I live up in the mountains, in the boondocks, far from civilization) to this particular Elevation Burger shop, where I ordered five of the organic grass-​fed burgers (two patties each), cooked medium-​rare, with some toppings (avocado, etc.) to go, because I had mistakenly assumed that the burgers were so good that I would want to put some in the fridge to save for later meals.
When I got home from the shop, I proceeded to eat one of the burgers, and a female friend tackled a second one. Within the space of one minute or less, we had both stopped chewing, and had decided that we could not finish our burgers. Why? Well, the burgers were totally flavorless, and worse, the meat (despite the fact that I had ordered the burgers cooked medium-​rare) was dry and overcooked, and as tough as shoe leather. Even the house sauce and the avocado topping were unable to save these burgers; they were dry, dead and inedible. So, we each tossed the reminders of our burgers into the compost bucket.
The next day, upon finding the remaining three burgers still sitting in their Evolution burger bag in the fridge, I decided to try one of the burgers again, to give them a second chance, and so I took it out and heated it up a bit in a microwave oven. Unfortunately, this burger was as tough, dry and flavorless as the first two had been, and so at this point I tossed this burger as well in the compost bucket, and also retrieved the two remaining burgers from the fridge, unwrapped them and tossed them in the compost bucket as well.
I then sat down and made a firm resolve to myself to NEVER again ever visit any Elevation Burger location, for any reason whatsoever! All in all, a truly terrible experience, and it is very rare that I find a burger so dry, so tough, so overcooked and so flavorless that I cannot even eat it. Even a burger from a low-​end mass-​market burger chain such as McDonalds or Burger King would have been a hundred times more palatable than the five burgers that I purchased from Elevation Burger.
In closing, I will tell you that when I visited the Unilocal page for this shop today to leave my belated review, I was quite relieved to learn that the shop had closed a month or two after my visit. This is good; I am sure that the closing was a mercy killing.

Better than average food. Very similar to Five Guys except it’s grass feed beef.

This location is permanently closed. Attempted to go, but restaurant was empty. Not sure what happened. I thought it was an excellent burger joint, but it’s gone!

not even impressed. I will say the fries are better than smash burger but the burgers them selves are a total disappointment. Dry, tasteless and small. Five Guys fries are light years ahead of both of these places. I would not waste any more money here. They do have milk shakes… At 12:30 on a tuesday we were the only ones there. Now I know why
1 double burger, 1 small burger, 1 fry and two small drinks $ 22 really…

Good place for organic burgers. The place was nice and clean, everything was well restocked and the wait time for our food was quick. Only problem was the staff here.
I took my son here for the first time today and definitely felt extremely unwelcome. The cashier was not friendly and not helpful and the staff in the back seemed like they could be doing better things rather than serving customers.
I really liked the burgers and so did my son, that I give a good review. However, the employees here need to be worked on.

The good: the place is very clean and SOME of the staff were very polite and helpful.
The bad: first, our cashier was incompetent. As we ordered by the menu listed right above our heads, I had to clarify for him that a Veggie #2 doesn’t come with cheese — it’s vegan. He then asks again, «so, no cheese?» ok ok, maybe I’m being a little to critical, I thought. Our total for two sandwiches, two fries and 1 soda came to $ 25!!! I didn’t think that was right so I check and quickly saw he rang up 3 fry orders. I went to get it corrected and he was 4 feet away from me chatting with some customer in the dining area. Thats when the helpful employee who appeared to be a cook/​awesome dude that knows how to put in refunds helped me out.
We left, I only made it through ½ my veggie burger and handful of fries before I realized this meal was a mistake — gastrointestinally speaking. Fiancé had the same regrets. That will be our final visit… paying $ 20+ for stomach aches is out of my budget!

I’ll never understand why Elevation Burger chains get mediocre reviews. They’re no different than Five Guys — except that they’re organic. The food isn’t «healthy» and you’re not getting McDonald’s, so don’t expect to pay those bargain prices.
It’s cooked to order — so you’ll wait longer. I’ve been coming to this particular chain for years and have always been pleased. I rarely eat meat but when I do, I want peace of mind that what I’m putting into my body isn’t a patty full of all sorts of shady *&#!
The end.

When this restaurant recently opened, I went to try a burger. It was very good tasting. However in the past few months it seems to me that the quality has declined somewhat. Still great burgers though. Shoestring fries are a nice side, and the shakes are pretty tasty. They also offer a «vertigo» burger with ten beef patties! I have not tried it. By the way, the single patty burger is usually enough to satisfy one person.

Good. Better then 5 Guys. Burgers were NOT over cooked or flavorless like others have posted. I was quite pleased. Very fresh. Wish they had let the grease drip off little more before building the samich. Cashier (blonde girl) was very nice. Even came and checked on me to make sure we were pleased. Then came back again to take my tray. TIP: Make your own fresh buns! I’ve seen simular places in DC do this. It really steps it up a bit from presentation to taste instead of the mcds style. :/

Elevation would be given a ZERO rating if possible.
Organic is cool and hip. But pieces of plastic in my burger? Bro, that’s not even close to organic.
My first time here will also be my last time ever. The prices are cool, the service is quick and decent and the wait is very short. But that’s about all they’ve got going for them.
I ordered a veggie burger and milkshake and fries to-​go. The milkshake was decent, nothing to write home about. The fries were mediocre at best, nothing to rave about. Then the burger… As I took my first bite I had a couple crunches in there. I assumed it was like idk, beans or something. (Now in retrospect that notion was probably bc I really wanted to like Elevation) so I opened up my burger and *GAGS* wtf!!! A load of small pieces of hard black plastic? It had to have been an old spatula they were using? Either ways… DISGUSTING AND INEXCUSABLE. (Posted the pictures)
Whatever, with so many other options for burgers in Frederick now I won’t feel bad about having had a crappy experience here.
Over it.

All I can say is, I love it and I want more.
How much better can you get — grass fed organic beef patties, topping choices galore and consistent quality every time!
I have been to this location in Frederick 5 times now. I have ordered burgers with a range of different toppings (fried onions, mushrooms, elevation sauce, mayo, tomato, bacon, cheese, etc = YUM!)
I love that you can go naked on the burger (no bun) or lettuce wrapped (better than gluten free bun for a $ 1 more). The lettuce is never wilted or slimy, it’s always green and crisp (except when it has been wrapped around a burger for 10 minutes while I get it to-​go at work.)
I am gluten-​free so the lettuce wrap is a nice touch on the bun-​alternative menu option.
The fries are simply awesome– fresh cut, shoe-​string fries, fried in olive oil. You can order the fries loaded with cheese and bacon for additional cost, it is worth it — so good!
I haven’t tried anything else here yet but I likely will as I go more often. I just can’t seem to pull myself from the burgers and fries LOL.

Love their burgers! You can definitely tell it is organic meat. I always get the kids burger because 2 patties is a bit too much.

I really cannot give EB more than 3 stars at this point. I commend them for serving quality ingredients (for this I hope to upgrade this review to 5 stars).
I have been to only this one location of Elevation Burger. I believe I’ve eaten here 4 – 5 times the past year. I have not been back most of 2014 because those first few times there did not earn my business back.
I read a number of reviews here on Unilocal and have to agree with a few of the reviewers on a couple items:
1. Most (not all) burgers I had here were dry patties. They definitely were not juicy or even tasty. I had a grass-​fed burger in DC at «Burger Tap and Shake» that literally was 10x more flavored and juicy than the EB burger.
2. The fries are hit and miss. Sometimes they are good and other times not so good. Just interesting that EB is expanding its market reach and growing. I don’t get it when I’ve really not heard amazing things here on Unilocal or from my friends.
3. Service and Staff: Same thing… I’d say it was neutral. I’ve not really been impressed with above average or extrodinary service. To charge the prices EB does, they really need to step up the service, the friendliness, the excitement. Maybe it is just me, but it just does NOT have the energy like Burger Lounge (San Diego) or In N Out Burger (West Coast).
4. If they want to go all «organic» and natural, they really are missing the mark by serving crapping fountain drinks and ice cream. That blows my mind, and I will keep any health nut (and there are lots in the DC area) away from EB. They really need to look at stepping up the drinks they serve and the ice cream. They are already charging higher prices, so they can slip in grass-​fed ice cream and natural soft drinks. They’d be a one of a kind place. With all the mom blogs out there talking about being healthy, this would be a two thumbs up suggestion for EB.

This location need to step it up a notch. I don’t frequent elevation burgers but I’ve been too a few. The burgers are okay and they could work on the fries but we all no Mcdonalds has the best ones anyway. So they are doing what they can I guess. What is the elevation about? I felt that I needed and elevation to take me to the air condition building because this one was HOT. I know it’s cool outside at night but not inside. I need this location to use the air condition or open some doors. It will help you to get more customers for sure and they will want to return. I don’t eat in the heat in doors in the summer time.

I’m pleased to announce the wet dog smell is gone from EB Frederick!
My recent weekend was most pleasing. The service was friendly and fast. My kid’s burger with cheese, bacon, lettuce, and ketchup was delicious! Nice and juicy– you can really taste the difference in the quality of ingredients they use versus other burger chains.
The fries were tasty but I gotta say they were unusually greasy. I’m glad they use olive oil but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye on how much olive oil is used!
Can I go on a quick rant please? I need yall to stop complaining about the size of EB’s burgers! They’re not too small… Your stomachs are too big! Believe me, I’m not some skinny, size 0 chick– I can put away a double patty or half pound burger with the best of them. That doesn’t mean it’s a good habit to have. Sometimes it’s best to walk away from the table a little hungry… beats having a heart attack!

One and done.
Fries were soft and plain. The burger was overcooked and flavorless. The tea on the other hand… delish.
There are just too many good burger joints to return to this one.

Elevation burger…
There’s not much to say about it. The burger was not very good. When I think if an outstanding burger I think of a big, juicy, mouth watering burger. But my burger was rather small and dry. The prices were pretty high for what you are receiving in my opinion. BUT on the other hand, I got myself a chocolate milkshake that was outstanding. They have a wide selection of milkshakes to choose from and for a decent price.
If I ever go there again, it would be just for a milkshake.

Three stars is generous, but the milkshake was SO GOOD. I got a chocolate shake with oreos. I like that you can add two toppings to the shake for the same price. Definitely good. A tad overpriced, I thought.
The burgers just tasted healthy, but I liked being able to put as many toppings as I wanted on it. I liked the fries. If I’m going to eat a burger I want it to be juicy and good (rather than healthy/​dry), so I would rather go to Five Guys.

Excellent concept, shoddy execution.
The idea of organic burgers is very appealing. The actual burger was disappointing. It was pouring grease every time I took a bite. The burgers are also pretty expensive. I feel like they nickel and dime you for everything possible.
The one bright, sunny spot in this dismal burger environment are the fries. These delicious, super-​thin shoestring fries are phenomenal. If I didn’t have to deal with the insane lines and awkward layout of the seating area, I would probably eat these fries more often.

Nice, grill-​flavored burgers made from grass-​fed beef, and crisp, thin fries. The roll is soft, so I recommend eating-​in if you have the time.