Note: This restaurant CLOSED in 2009
Ron Says…
First ~ I have no Pictures as I was on a work lunch.
Second ~ I’m not even sure if this applies to all Bennigans. Bennigans people speak up if it does.
Third ~ yes Bennigans is a chain, I don’t care, just shut up about that already.
Fourth ~ This is just my opinion, not Dan’s, Susan’s, Misty’s, or Phil’s, or yours. MINE, just get over it.
Are you ready?
$4.99 Burgers On Wednesdays.
Now this is at the Bennigans in Point Pleasant. I don’t know about the Town Center, I’ve long given up on that place, but if they have it there then they should be advertising the hell out of it.
Nevertheless, I’m not sure how long this special will run but it’s running now. I was up in Point Pleasant not long after this Bennigans opened on a Wednesday and they were running this special. Well fast forward to yesterday, and they’re still running it.
For $4.99 you get one of their regular Burger meals… including fries. I was served a shit load. The burgers are 8oz – that’s half of a pound for you that do not know. All of the toppings they offer…including cheese.
Their burgers range from $7.49 to $10.99 with most of them priced at $8.49 to $8.99. The ONLY burger not included is the $10.99 which is a whole pound of burger.
I chose the Guinness Burger for $8.99, and I had water for a drink. Hey I can get out of here for less than $6. One co-worker chose the Buffalo Burger (not buffalo meat but includes a Buffalo Wing Sauce – yea I know mischevious advertising), and another chose the Chipotle Burger. Each of these were in the $8 + price range. BUT TODAY THEY WERE $4.99!!!!!!
How was it? I ordered mine with everything included on the burger, the little onion crisps, bacon, lettuce, pickles, the guinness sauce. I ordered no cheese, but IT WAS INCLUDED – that goes out to McDonalds and all the cheap ass places that charge for this famous American topping.
My burger patty: I don’t think it was frozen. I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty good at detecting that. If it was frozen well you’re not going to get much better unless you patty it out, freeze it, thaw it, and cook it yourself. I wish it was grilled, but it was fried.
How did it taste? Well I ordered mine Medium. They didn’t offer Medium Rare…”Against State Law” I was told. Horse Shit, I say. It’s against their attorney’s advice and nothing more. The bun was a nice Sara Lee TYPE bun, with sesame seeds.
Nevertheless for $4.99 it was damn good. That’s also considering that medium is typically a little dry for me.
You know what? For the Lunch Special (and only the Lunch Special) I’m going to give it FOUR FORKS.
Editor’s Note: We called the Bennigan’s Charleston Town Center location to find out whether they also have a burger special on Wednesdays. Turns out, they do have the special but it’ll cost you $1 more in Charleston. On Wednesdays, you can order any burger off the menu (except the one-pounder) for $5.99.
Fork You... 
I don’t mind Bennigans in a pinch. But a 4? A 4 fork burger? Seriously? I suppose I’ll have to try it.
As a teacher, I’m quite interested in the specifics of the rubric that you use. I know one exists, as I’ve read it on the website. However, at times I’m finding the grading system to be a bit sporadic. I’m just looking for some clarification. I want to understand better.
I call shenanigans on the Bennigans Four Forks. And I’ve had the Wednesday special price burgers. And they are pretty good as far as chain burgers go. And you can tell the difference.
But FOUR our of FIVE? Almost the pinnacle of eating? Not hardly.
I think Chili’s has better burgers than Bennigans in the Chain World. And the new Applebee’s burgers are pretty good too.
Beyond that, I think there are better lunch specials made all over town. Might be a $1 more here or there, but lower-price than normal $5 chain burgers is never going to rate higher on my food scale than $6 or $7 daily special at local joint where the food is purchased locally and made on premises.
If Neighbormart took a mere $0.25 off a bag of chip and soda to go with a plain turkey/swiss on bread Ed baked at Dutchess, and it ended up being a $7 combo…I’d hit it.
Tracy at the Sub Shop Downtown will pull you together a hot italian sub in just a few minutes and you’ll know it was worth the $6 (if I remember the menu well enough) when you see the pile of italian meats.
When Marie bakes lasagna from scratch at Sam’s on Thursdays, and I get my salad and garlic toast to go with it for $6.50, I feel better about my meal than a $5 chain burger.
And if you have to have a cheese burger, Sam’s in $6.50. Everyday.
Head to Capitol Street and grab two slices of Graziano’s that were made by hand that morning. Less than $5 for sure.
Teddy at Swiftwater is sitting right out on Washington Street with amazing fresh sandwiches and soups, roasted red potatoes, wraps made fresh that day. Burgers on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Ray and Bear are just below in the old Daniel Boone if you want to choose between the steak sandwich, the burger, or the chili cheese fries.
And the Midtown will gut-bust you for $6 with daily specials like brisket, pulled pork bbq, burgers.
Cilantro’s will fill you up with two meals worth of food for just over $7.
Cheap and chain have their places in the food world, I won’t deny it. But Four Forks for a chain Burger when there are sooooo many other choices around is too much.
~ in my opinion.~
Heather my rubric is the only one that is correct and should be used. In doing so you can never go wrong. I will tell you at the end of this useless comment.
That being said, I’m sure Susan will tell you otherwise, as would Daniel, or Misty, that each of their rubrics is the sole correct one.
Eating a burger is not like math where 2+2 is always 4. (note I did not say 2+(-2) which would equal zero) . Thus five different people eating the same burger you will often find that you will get five different opinions.
Is now a good time to mention that opinions are not facts? We have some people that misunderstand that. I know, it’s hard to imagine that what I think sucks someone else may not, but that is often the case. Hence, it’s an opinion in fact, and only an unofficial fact in life.
For me my rubric is simply – get this, it’s a very original thought…
Are you ready, as I’m going to tell you.
Sitting down???
Are you sure?
Bang for the Buck.
Who would have thought of it? I mean serious?
I don’t give a rat’s ass about a piece of arugalu or a splash of Basalmic Vinegar on a white square plate.
Simply did I leave satisfied and not feeling like I got jacked up?
One other thing I forgot to mention… all places loose one fork in my rubric if there’s undocumented kindergarten artwork on the walls.
KitchenGeeking….
Call all the shenanigans you want…
I admit, those places you mention Chili’s and Applebees.. do have good burgers. I especially like the Quesadilla burger at Applebees…
But it’s not $4.99!!!!!!!
I call shenanigans on you, because I don’t think you read the god damn review!!!
You show me one better lunch special for $5.
I’m still referring to Pt. Pleasant and it’s unfortunate the guy running the one in the Town Center is the same one that does Pt. Pleasant, but hey, its his place he can do what the hell he wants.
Swiftwater is pretty good… But their buffet is not all that great.. .sometimes I don’t like what they have.. Plus it isn’t always stocked in a timely manner. I have a limeted amount of time. I can’t wait for them to bring more food out.
The challenge still stands….. you show me a better lunch special than the Pt. Pleasant Bennigans for a $4.99 Burger. Includes fries remember.
Oh, I don’t pay $6 for sub sandwiches unless I get them at Sheetz.
I love pushing the buttons….
is now a good time to mention that I do not pay $6 for a seafood taco with three pieces of 100-200 size shrimp?
lol
it would be nice to spelchek the commints.
So Ron you would say that quantity, aka “bang for buck” trumps quality EVERY time??
Nice double entendre with ‘pushing the buttons.’ Credit where credit is due sir. Though, I’m much more detached and analytical on this one to get sidetracked by rude comments being rehashed from several months ago.
And the only $6 for subs at Sheetz just plays into my ‘opinion’ just as much as it validates your rating system.
I think it is an intrinsically better ‘value’ to pay $6 for a sandwich at a local business that is not purchasing its supplies from a national supplier with food pre-weighed and packaged for its specifically designed quick-cook ovens.
It’s been my experience that the taste is actually better. That matters quite a bit to me.
And while ‘bang for your buck’ as the rubric is as legitimate as locally produced and flavorful food served in a pleasant environment; I’d wager that Bennigan’s would rather be known for the quality of its food as the draw, not it’s ‘cheap’ prices. Since the Wednesday special is likely a loss-leader, a menu item that will barely, if at all, cover costs in order to entice a higher volume of customers in to order higher-priced, and more profitable items.
My challenge isn’t to find a better $4.99 burger and fries. That’s not the system by which I choose my lunch options.
It certainly appears it’s your criteria. Which as I said above, is fine. To each their own. But when you allow, and even ask for, other people’s comments, you tend to get them.
As you say on your page “The Forks:”
“Whether you are a diner or a restaurateur, we would love to hear your comments. Please “talk back” when you wholeheartedly agree and especially if you think we’re full of it.”
Just doing what you all told us to…
Yes, yes, well aware of the difference between fact and opinion, Ron. I don’t teach math; I teach English. English teachers deal with opinion and the vast variances of stated opinions daily.
Barbie thinks Math is hard, but understands simple addition, subtraction, and algebra. Thank you for the slam on the intelligence level. I was unaware that reviewing on a local yokel foodie blog meant personal attacks in the comment section. Then again, I have read some of the rebuttals in other reviews and they make me laugh like those in the reader’s voice and vent line. I do however, prefer to deal with quality over quantity and pleasant environments versus hostile ones.
With that said, I wasn’t attacking your personal opinion, I was asking for clarification. There is a stated rubric on the website. I now know that it is misleading because in fact, stated by you in your colorful response to my questions, you use a different rubric for ever reviewer. This would then be a opinion based rating scale rather a true rubric. Just call it what it is, which you finally did in your last response. Thank you for that.
Now according to your bang for the buck scale, someone could advertise and sell absolute crap, but as long as it is in mass quantity for a low cost, then it ranks a 5 fork?
As for the blow to the 5 year old artists of the world, haven’t we heard enough of this already? No one gives a rat’s ass about anyone’s opinion on this anymore. Over kill, man.
I haven’t seen a Bennigan’s in years…I’ll have to track one down.
not feeling the love on this site. I also would answer the shenanigans call. Off to grab the pitchfork!
We have a lousy rubric on this site but we a ton of rigor.
Who let Ron post a chain review? Susan…
If you met Ron in person you would understand. He’s “special”
We all try to follow the guidelines on The Forks page. All of us except for Ron, the Rogue Reviewer. He’s more of a gut-feeling kind of guy, and by that I mean: if his gut gets full and he didn’t pay what he considers to be too much, then he thinks it’s a great meal deserving of many forks.
One of the great things about this blog is that there are 5 (sometimes 6) of us that write. There are other Ron’s in this world who probably agree with most of his opinions and there are others who don’t take his ratings very seriously. Maybe you are more of a Misty, so you tend to follow her recommendations. Or maybe you are a Dan who will try anything so you usually like the places he raves about.
I don’t believe any of us try to personally attack people or are mean-spirited about what we write.
I think Ron’s rubric consists of: portion, price, and beer availability. Plus, I am beginning to think he sometimes writes things just to get people in an uproar. Imagine!
Okay, people, do we need some Dead here and flower people and the sixties to bring back the love?
This blog is a waste of time just like most other internet fads.
What you get here is some social interaction, our opinions, and hopefully some humor thrown in all for free! You don’t even have to expend material amounts of time (posting, editing, etc.) and money (eating out all the time).
Don’t take the comments too seriously just sit back and laugh, interact, but most importantly, go out on the town, meet up with some friends and be the social creatures that we are. Life is too short to be so uptight!
Ron. Seriously. I have no doubt that you’re a smart, thoughtful guy. So one blogger to another, I’m telling you that you have to learn to not take this stuff so personally. It’s the blessing and the curse of publishing your opinions on the internet: within seconds, some asshat from 3 time zones away can either shower you with praise, or lay a big brown fudge dragon all over the brilliant idea you’ve worked so carefully to express. Either way, you’ve just got to roll with it.
Dan, we post chain reviews all the time. Nobody has yet to define a “Chain” on this site? I tried awhile back to question what a chain is, but noone bit on that. So what is a chain to you may not be a chain to others.
So in no particular order…
Kitchen – buying local is like buying American. It’s very noble but not very smart. Any economist worth his weight in salt will tell you that. If it makes you feel good then by all means do it. But it goes against the grain of a free market economy. Also how many of these “local non chain places” buy from Sams Club?? ( a very local establishment I may add) I’m sure some do. Come on -who is the local supplier of plates and plastic forks? Bayer does make the bug spray that prevents/kills the roaches. Does Leonora’s serve off of Fiesta Ware? Does the wheat/flour used in a Lola’s pizza crust come from Jackson County? Do the Olives used as a Pizza topping come from Marion County. Can I get a glass of Lamberts in Bluegrass? (I may be able to as I haven’t been there lately) Does the shrimp used in a Fish Taco come from the Kanawha River? Does the burger used at Murads come from Cows grown in WV? I doubt it.
If you wish to subsidize a local business for a product that is equal to or greater in quality that can be obtained cheaper elsewhere then that is your choice. But we live in a global economy, and I personally do not have the money to throw away on a product that does not satisfy me.
My point about “reading the review” was simply that I forked the lunch special and nothing more. Personally I think Bennigans is pretty subpar, quality of food I got for $4.99 it beat any sandwich I’ve had around Charleston in a long time. Acutally I think Uno’s several years ago had a $4.99 burger special for lunch. My favorite comment about Bennigans is that the only thing you can get Irish there is a baked Potato.
Sheetz, was a joke, I think it’s a rip off but I love stopping there going to football games in Morgantown and getting obsessed with pushing buttons for the options. My subs typically cost more than a case of beer after I’m all said and done. Then I fill up on kettle corn at the game and end up not eating the damn thing, then find it a few days later spoiled in the backseat of a hot car.
Next..
Heather – you drew first blood by stating that I reviewed “THE BURGER” incorrectly in my own review… or at least not by Fork You’s policy (rubric).
TIME OUT – I think we all have work to do, I know the merits of hamburger reviewing take precedence of world economies, child care, the education system, and everyone’s 401K’s going down the drain. But you may pause from reading this comment, and go give your boss at least one hours worth of honest work.
TIME IN
(Heather cont.) Thus as I often do I just felt compelled to point out it was my review, and I didn’t care if you liked it or not. Same goes with anyone. It’s opinion. Opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one and THEY ALL STINK. I even stated that Misty’s, Susan’s, and Dan’s opinion would probably be different than mine. Thus implying that your opinion would be different than mine also.
Stating that you deal in opinions all day long only reinforces my feeling that you then should have understood what the hell I was saying.
“Simply leaving satisfied and not feeling like I got jacked up” is what I said. That would mean that if I was served a load of dog crap for $1 I could still give it a crappy review because I didn’t feel satisfied and felt jacked up. So again your assumption is off base and I would not call that a good deal.
Let’s go back and beat the dead horse of me not following Fork You’s rubric…. (notice the multiple periods I have to throw that in there because my fans love it)
You say you’ve read our “rubric”, did you read the note at the end?
Now let me humor you more:
I rated the Wed. Burger Special in Pt. Pleasent Four Forks and Not Five. By Fork You’s “rubric”:
First: Did this meal provide me with a great meal? yes I felt it did. Along with seven other individuals I was eating with, all walked away feeling satisfied, I’ve emailed them and asked just to make sure.
Second: Did this place have some minor annoying details? Yes.. the AC was turned on and it was cold. The service was a little slow, but it was lunch time and crowded. But I can’t say it was quite up to standard. I have no clue what Bennigans “culinary goals” are but I do know what mine are and it was very close to it.
Third: Visit with Confidence – hmmm I think we’ve had this discussion before about familiarity and chain places.. I’m pretty confident in what I’m going to get served and I think it lived up to that.
So Heather I think my Four Fork rating was dead on according to my interpretation of Fork You’s rubric. Please point out to me how?
No Heather, I can not get enough of playing Simon Cowell with Kindergarten art. I’m looking at a mangled flying WV from my stepdaughter that I love very much posted on my office wall.. Cracks me up every time, but I wouldn’t submit it to Life Magazine for cover art. Plus it does clearly say “To Ron” and is obviously ment to be special to me. I’m sure if I went and put it in the Elevator or the building lobby, with no frame and only hung with a single piece of tape, the King Joe would come around and yank it down as thinking it was trashy and trash.
I mention kindergarten art anytime Fork You needs hits. It helps sell advertising.. So click the links (oh wait we don’t have any, I’m doing this for free, I’m perverted that way)
Ryan – Bennigans is OK, but it’s not worth reading this much useless babble about. But if you go, try to go to the one in Pt. Pleasant, it doesn’t reek of stale beer at the bar, plus their Burger Special is to die for… (psst… “to die for” is my opinion and it’s quite possible you may not agree as several people do not even though they’ve never had it don’t tell them I let you in on that secret) If you can’t make it to Pt. Pleasant, another good sandwich that most people get at Bennigans is their Monty Christo. I don’t like it but it seems most people do.
Downtown Mike – don’t forget your tomatoes, noose, tar, feathers, and send me off to Gitmo.
Dan / Susan – keep your mouths shut, you guys do not have the pot stirring abilities that I have. They are so powerful that only I can get Phillip to post something. That is something neither of you can do. (best line of whole comment you have just read)
Phillip – thanks for commenting, now do you not have a post to write? Two maybe? BTW I can’t stand the dead…. but The Damned are another band entirely.
HippieKiller – smart/thoughtful do not apply. I like to use the phrase “amusement purposes only”. I am the one person on here that doesn’t take myself serious that should be obvious by the nonsense I say. I have very thick skin, and I love to roll with it.
NOW TO ALL
I leave you with one final thought before I go back into my whole to think of some other way to condemn the artistic abilities of five year olds……
THIS IS A HAMBURGER REVIEW, who would have thought it would garner so much attention.
I’m glad it did..but something tells me it wasn’t worth it.
Total number of comments by Phillip in Fork You’s short history…1! You go Ron.
The test scores are right, the state really does have a problem with reading comprehension skills.
Ron, I never once said that you rated your burger wrong. In fact, from the get go I asked for clarification on how you rated your burger. There was no inference, no implied meaning, no secret whisperings from the hamburger gods… (yes I like to use the ellpises too) just simple clarification. You provided said clarification.
And if being antagonistic is your game, then go forth and prosper. Just be prepared for a second helping of your own medicine from time to time.
And if I’m going for buck banging, I’m heading to Wendy’s for a fat girls value menu meal.
You’re not the only one who is funny…
Oh and by the way…I’ve been told by individuals who know both us that in the real world, we would be friends. Apparently, Chez is the asshole female version of Ron. And Ron is the bitchy male version of Chez and together that makes for comedic godliness not to mention a snarky good time.
On burgers and reviews… (note thematic inclusion of ellipsis)
Well, you finally got my point. You reviewed based on your personal criteria. You posted it publicly on a site that invites people to comment and even suggests that disagreement is what you’re looking for in comments.
I said I thought your review was way off base and stated not only what I look for, but several examples that not only meet my standards, but I think are comparable under your ‘get full or die trying’ grading scale.
You decided your next course of action was to add extraneous comments that had nothing to do with your post, my response, or anything else anyone said.
It’s not just the hamburger review. By posting it here, it’s also how you reviewed the hamburger. So for that, thanks for actually popping off the criteria and how they fit with your review. You could have done that in the original post and not much of this snark-fest would have happened.
I suspect you’ll respond with something to the effect of “But I wanted to rile people up, it’s fun.” True, it can be. I’ve had fun.
Local Esoterica…
You can eat your meals at Bluegrass on Fiestaware. While the flour at Lola’s may not come from Jackson County, the meat in the burger at Bluegrass does (Sandy Creek Farms).
And speaking of Lola’s, almost every topping on a pizza at Lola’s in the summertime comes from local farmers. They get local when they can get local.
Buying local is both similar and very far away from jingoistic ‘Buy American’ campaigns.
Your global economy and the factory farms it creates and nurtures drive the price of meat down. They also drive the quality of meat down.
Doesn’t mean I don’t eat meat unless it’s brushed by virgins and slaughtered by diamond-edged holy swords. It just means that in my mind “quality” includes a thought toward where the meat was raised and how it was raised. I choose to rate food that is produced by the hands of farmers higher than food produced by the hands of chemists.
There are still virgins out there? Who knew?
No offense, Dano, but I don’t think I want a virgin messing with my meat, if you know what I mean.
Just consider it “on the blog training” for them.
The ‘geek’ in kitchengeeking just proved itself to be true.
Best lunch special ever? Maybe.
But does just being a great deal really make it worthy of top honors?
Surely a burger from Bennigans is not the best tasting or best cooked or best anything burger.
Oh, and guarantee it’s prefrozen and comes in a box of 48 patties.
If all you’re looking for is a great deal, why not say so.
This is good stuff! Welcome to the team Ron!
Well I, for one, am indeed having a snarky good time reading the banter. Except for the part where Ron told me to keep my mouth shut.
I recently ate at a non-chain, locally-owned establishment where the menu was mostly comprised of pre-fab, frozen items they reheat and/or assemble – review coming soon. So there are plenty of places like that, not just chains.
I feel good about eating local fresh food and I don’t mind paying a bit more for it. Ron and I frequently disagree on a dining locale due to our differences of what we look for in a meal. Thank God for my work-husband.
Oh, and another thing: I very seriously doubt that Bennigan’s burger wasn’t frozen. Get real.
I really like the Murad’s burgers – they are the best burgers I have had around Charleston so far. They taste just like what Mom used to make.
Amateurs.
When you are ready for some real hatin, I’ll be in my trailer, Ron. Have your people call my people.
Phil’s comment total isn’t much larger than his review total! ; -)
Seriously, we don’t hear enough about Thousand Island dressing without him. He has a review in the hopper right now.
demo, Bring it on. I’ll be over at my place waitin for ya.
What the fork did you say to me, do you want to take it forking outside? I will fork you up buddy!
Sincerely – an internet tough guy and fan
forkin eh!
I love this part where Ron writes:
“Hey I can get out of here for less than $6. ”
The burger special is $4.99, and he gets water for free. I like the way he incorporates a Rachel Ray tip of $0.77 in order to keep his total under $6. That’s 14% in case you aren’t near a calculator.
Rach gets awful stingey on $40 A Day with her tipping. I guess I have forced Ron to watch too many of her shows and it’s rubbing off.
Rio also uses Fiestaware.
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$4.99 for a burger at a sit down resturant isn’t bad. Lots of fast food chains are close to that level know a days. At least here in Southen Cali.
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