COCONUTS HOT SPOT – Normally I’d walk into restaurant and get into the food, examine the ambiance and reflect on the service and prices of the establishment. I’d try to get some background on the chef, try to ask for specials and recommendations, learn the history of the operation, and try and provide some context for the reader to make an informed decision on whether or not to try it out.
Part of writing about a restaurant is being fair and not having any conflict of interest, so I’ll go full disclosure: I hate fast food with a passion, but I live in Bangkok where trends rule the city so I had to take a trip to Carl Jr.’s to see what all the fuss was about.
I knew the shtick before I even went. In fact I knew about it a long time ago when Carl’s Jr.’s got on my radar for airing a commercial akin to soft core porn in 2005 when I was a senior in high school in the U.S. Naturally I found the ad quite novel and decided that I’d have to eat there at some point just because of this ridiculous advertisement. The chance came years later during a stint out West, where the burger chain originates. The takeaway was that Carl’s Jr. is actually pretty good – much better than Arby’s and Wendy’s and all the other East Coast joints
Going into detail about Carl’s Jr is futile. The meat is sourced from the freezer, the service staff consists of order takers, you pair your burger with a soda from a fountain machine, and the ambiance is about as lame as you can get, apart from the convenient location on Sukhumvit 26.
So how is Carl’s Jr. changing the fast food game in Thailand? Simply put, this place is raising the bar for everyone else to follow. While all the other fast food joints cheap out and fill your soda behind the counter, Carl’s Jr. lets you fill it as many times as you please. Free refills, what a novel idea! Oh, and there’s freshly sliced lemons to squeeze into your drink for free. That’s customer service.
They’re also giving back to the community. As an opening promotion, Carl’s Jr. gave 50 lucky winners the opportunity to eat their burgers for free for the duration of an entire year. Hey McDonalds: When are you gonna give out some free food, huh?
The sustenance here ain’t bad for fast food either – in fact it’s pretty great. I’d say it’s closer to an actual burger than most fast food burgers. The patty is hefty, but what really sets it apart is the selection of toppings and condiments available on all the different burgers. Onion rings, bacon, chili cheese…you’re not going to find those anywhere else.
So what isn’t so great about Carl’s Jr?
Well, the sexually charged advertisements are a bit misleading. Carl’s promised that we’d “get messy,” but did they deliver? Meh.
I was expecting walk upstairs into a room of of busty women chomping down on burgers while wearing bikinis, but that didn’t happen. But hey, there’s always room for improvement.
