On the streets outside the San Diego Convention Center, burger nerds face a tough choice this weekend. Two activations feature a burger franchise, and with long lines who can be sure which one to brave? I’ve been through both and can offer up a humble picky eater opinion.
Paramount Plus’ The Lodge features Good Burger sliders, tying in with the Fall release of Good Burger 2 on streaming. Located in the heart of the Gaslamp District, The Lodge has a snowy chalet motif that doesn’t quite tie all the promoted programming together, but… do we care?
When entering, you pass a Krusty Krab set-up, but they do not offer actual Krabby Patties, so the decision is made slightly easier. Moving deep into the Lodge past set-ups for Lioness, Yellowjackets, and Transformers: Age of Extinction (thanks for confirming that will stream soon), things get darker. But that’s where the Good Burgers are. Sometimes in life, you have to walk past the Pet Sematary and boldly go into the Star Trek area (which also includes 1923 and Inkmasters. It’s dark.)
Though friendly, no person offering the sliders said “welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, how may I help you?” Instead they just smiled and offered a slider. Options are regular, with cheese, and some boxes had a “V” across the top so let’s assume vegan. Props to them for a wide variety. Pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes hide under a decent sponge dough bun. Tangy sauce gives life to the patty.
A decent snack in an air-conditioned location. Depending on time of day, points to them.
However, the Hulu Animayhem activation behind the Convention Center facing the marina will do a better job of convincing you you’re having a meal. More to come on the activation itself, but know that smack dab in the middle is Bob’s Burgers. Their slider also features lettuce and pickles with a tangy sauce. The burger held up on its own, though. The Good Burger had a slight hint of filler, but the medium-cooked Bob’s Burger definitely had love.
Plus it came with fries. Granted, because of being in a small cardboard container, steam had made the fries a little limp. They still had some snap to them, so points to Bob’s Burgers. I didn’t see a vegan option, so if you need that, this might not be the line for you. (But the activation overall was brighter.)
Both places offer an iced tea drink option, though the Lodge also has alcohol, if that’s what you’re also looking for.
My personal satisfaction went toward Hulu Animayhem. I may love Star Trek, but it’s not about the shows. This was about the sliders.
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