New Hope Store

THE SCENE
While on vacation in McKinney, friends of ours made this statement: «If you guys love food, you have to try this place down the road. It’s arguably the best burger you’ll ever have.»
*Ding, Ding, Ding!* I’ll take ‘let’s go right now’ for $ 200 Alex!
Well, needless to say, we have a slight difference of opinion in the definition of «best». The recent history of this place is rather sad. The previous owner was accidentally killed in an incident involving a riding lawn tractor last year.
Although the new owners try very hard to maintain previous standards, the food appears to have suffered with the loss. My friend did not tell me it had been several years since his last visit, which was prior to the death of the original owner. So he was also a little surprised with the taste.
The folks running the place now are very friendly, but also take their time in delivering your food. I was on vacation, so I had all the time in the world. But if I were stopping on my lunch break, I would have been very annoyed.
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THE DETAILS
Date & Time: Thursday, July 12^th, 2012 @ 12:15pm
Dining Companions: my good friend
What to expect: Old school tables & chairs, simple décor, signature wall
Décor: reminded me of an old classroom trailer (except much larger)
Service: Friendly
Liquid: Vanilla Root Beer (bottled)
Ordered: ½ pound & reg. burger, Jr. burger, 2 fries, onion ring, drink
Dislikes: Charred onions and black charred remains from the grill on my burger
Total: $ 19.78
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THE FOOD
My ½ pound cheeseburger ($ 5.89 + .50 cheese) was very good, but a long way from being considered the best. I liked the toasted bun but disliked having charred grilled onions which also still had the skin on prior to grilling. Instead of a beautiful caramel color, they were burnt and ugly. Also, I can’t properly describe it, but the juiciness of my burger was marred by the fact it seemed too dark in color (see napkin on pic). The fries on the other hand were excellent!
I also ordered a local vanilla Root Beer brand labelled Frosties. The 4-​pack containers these drinks come in made for whimsical table decorations (gotta love country folks). Unfortunately, it had a medicine taste to it, so I really didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have hoped.
THE VERDICT
Overall it’s a decent burger choice and BONUS, they let you write comments with a permanent marker on the wall near the entrance. I probably will not visit again, especially now that In-​N-​Out Burger has a store nearby. However, I did enjoy the experience and met a few really nice people.

Great burgers + fantastic service. It’s a New Hope fixture.