Smashburger — ~200 locations

31.7%

of customer reviews mention operational issues

The #1 complaint: Speed (16.7% of reviews)

24
locations audited
14
US metros
120
reviews classified
4.2
avg Google rating

National Audit Methodology

24
locations audited
14
US metros covered
8
states represented
120
reviews classified

Markets Sampled

New YorkLos AngelesChicagoHoustonPhoenixAtlantaDenverAustinPortlandSacramentoLas VegasTucsonCharlotteColumbus

States

AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, NJ, NY, TX

How we collected this: We searched Google Places across 16 major US metro areas, selected 24 geographically diverse locations, and analyzed 120 customer reviews. These locations represent 29,312 total Google reviews. Complaints were classified using keyword pattern matching across 4 operational categories. This is a representative national sample — the same patterns appear consistently across markets.

Complaint Breakdown

SpeedWait time complaints
16.7%
CapacityPeak-time breakdown
8.3%
AccuracyOrder errors
3.3%
QualityFood quality issues
3.3%

What Their Customers Are Saying

Real reviews from Google — unedited

Accuracy

Before leaving I asked for a refund of my avocado, another employee challenged due to the food being gone, luckily the employee who was supposed to bring the food admitted she forgot

New York, NY

Speed

Extremely slow service even when the place wasn’t busy

Chicago, IL

Quality

The patties were overcooked and tasted like a tire

New York, NY

Capacity

———- 1st try: My order was: double classic smash, was tasty and really big BUT messy packed and bun was oily

Houston, TX

Speed

Literally had to wait more than 30 minutes for a single standard burger

Chicago, IL

Speed

I've been here several times and each time the wait is extremely long

Alpharetta, GA

Speed

Burgers not cooked fully, lettuce old, and service is painfully slow

New York, NY

Speed

While waiting for our connecting flight, my son and I decided to grab a quick meal

Denver, CO

Location-Level Breakdown

88%
of sampled locations show complaints
55%
avg complaint rate in worst 30% of locations
21/24
locations with operational issues

If this pattern holds across your 200 locations, an estimated 176 locations are generating operational complaints right now.

LocationRatingReviewsSpeedAccuracyCapacityQuality
Smashburger
New York, NY
4.11,84140%20%20%
Smashburger
Chicago, IL
3.71,43040%20%
Smashburger
Denver, CO
2.430660%
Smashburger
New York, NY
4.21,84840%20%
Smashburger
Manhattan Beach, CA
4.81,30420%20%20%
Smashburger
Houston, TX
4.31,74040%
Smashburger
Phoenix, AZ
4.21,57620%20%
Smashburger
Clifton, NJ
4.41,68720%20%
Smashburger
Johns Creek, GA
3.737920%20%
Smashburger
Westminster, CO
41,81440%
Smashburger
New Hyde Park, NY
4.51,89340%
Smashburger
New Providence, NJ
4.51,15520%
Flipz Smashburger
Rosemead, CA
51220%
Smashburger
Alpharetta, GA
3.611020%
Bark & Char SMASHburger
Los Angeles, CA
52020%
Smashburger
Schaumburg, IL
4.63,00420%
Smashburger
Houston, TX
4.52,01220%
Smashburger
Denver, CO
3.61520%
SAINT LOUIE SMASHBURGER
New York, NY
4.52020%
Smashburger
Houston, TX
4.31,42320%
Smashburger
Queen Creek, AZ
4.73,02420%
Smashburger
Mesa, AZ
4.41,359
Smashburger
Atlanta, GA
4496
Smashburger
Naperville, IL
4.6844
Bottom 30% — highest complaint concentration

What This Costs Smashburger

$100M

estimated annual revenue at risk from operational complaints

200
locations
19,020
affected orders/day
31.7%
complaint rate
30%
churn after bad exp.

Based on 300 orders/day/location, $12 avg ticket, 30% churn rate, and 4 annual visits. Industry estimates from QSR Magazine & Deloitte.

How Curbit Fixes This

+33%
Goldilocks Rate
CAVA
Orders delivered at the perfect moment
+30%
Kitchen Throughput
Dave's Hot Chicken
More orders through the same kitchen
+35%
Speed of Service
Caliber Fresh Grill
Faster without sacrificing quality
0.2★
Google Rating Lift
Avg across customers
Measurable brand health improvement

Next Step

See What's Behind the Numbers

We see the problem in your public reviews. Let us quantify it.

Quote Time Analysis
Quoted vs. actual performance across every location
🎯
Goldilocks Rate
What % of orders arrive at the perfect moment
📊
Capacity Intelligence
Where throttling costs you orders during peak
💰
Revenue Impact
Guest attrition and throughput loss, quantified

“We'll benchmark it. We'll show you the problem. We'll show you the improvement.”

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Results in days, not months
No hardware required
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