Ground Chuck's - Udderly Good Burgers

Ground Chuck's - Udderly Good Burgers
900 N. Woodland Boulevard
DeLand, FL 32724
(386)734-8665

Julynn and I decided to venture out today and went to DeLand for lunch. We really didn't know where or what we wanted to eat, but finally decided to try a burger joint we hadn't been to, but had heard a lot of good things about. The restaurant is called Ground Chuck's - Udderly Good Burgers. I love their tag line.

We got there after the normal lunch rush at 2:00 and found it to be perfect. We were greeted with a welcome by the young lady at the register and began perusing the menu board for what we wanted. That was not hard to do as Ground Chuck's serves burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and salads. I list the salads as a category, but in my mind that is a non-event for me at a burger joint. At Ground Chuck's, you order your food at the register and then they call you to pick it up. Julynn orders a burger and a side of onion strings and I order a cheeseburger with bacon and a side of fries. I ask the lady at the register what comes on the burgers and she tells me, "Whatever you want to put on it at our fixin's bar.", which she points out to me. Many of you know I am not a fan of fixin's bars as I feel they are havens for bacteria, but this one looks really good. Everything on it looked incredibly fresh. They had two kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, peppers and they even have the blue/green relish you are used to seeing on a Chicago hot dog. Of course there was plenty of ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard available as well. I should also note that when you order your burger, they ask you if you want to add grilled onions or mushrooms, which are free of charge. I thought that was a nice touch.

I do have a funny story about the ketchup though. As part of the decor, they have a lot of product signs like Mountain Dew, Pepsi and Heinz Ketchup. These are all nostalgic signs to give the place an old-fashioned feel. These are all great, but I found it funny that they were not serving Heinz Ketchup. The inside of the restaurant is designed to look like an old cow barn and they have pulled it off well. There is a lot of tin walls around the counter and kitchen area giving the place a nice homey feel. They also have a combination of seating from booths, tables and high top tables. We chose to sit at a high top.

We were not seated for very long when they called our number to let us know our order was up. I went to the fixin's bar and got some lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and mustard. When I first touched my bun, I was a bit turned off as it felt cold, but once I had my burger dressed and took my first bite, I was fine as the buns are baked fresh making them nice and soft. The burger was served hot and juicy, but mine was a little too charred for my liking. Overall though, it was a good burger. The fries are of the fresh cut variety, but were just warm instead of hot. By the time I got to the last of my fries, they were cold. Julynn let me try some of her onion straws and they were tasty. I still would always opt for the fries personally.

Going back to when we were deciding what to drink, I was tempted to get a milkshake. They advertise that they serve Blue Bell ice cream in their shakes. The only thing that stopped me is that I noticed the shake would be served in a Styrofoam cup. I am a bit old-fashioned in that I think if you are going to serve milkshakes in-house, they should be served in a glass. It just makes for a better milkshake experience. I know that glasses cost the establishment more money, but this is just my preference. I decided to have a Budweiser with my burger, served in a glass bottle, thank you. Ground Chuck's serves a number of different beers in bottles and they have Bud Light on tap.

I was glad we decided to stop at Ground Chuck's and would definitely go there again if I was in DeLand and wanted a burger. Given that I live nearer to the Brickyard and Five Guys, I am not so sure I'd make a specific trip to Ground Chuck's. One thing that might pull me back out there is they have a burger called the 20-Buck Chuck. This is a three patty burger with three slices of cheese, lettuce and tomato and if you eat it you also get a Ground Chuck's t-shirt. I just might have to head back out there for the challenge.

If you are in DeLand or just feeling adventurous to go find a new burger, Ground Chuck's should be on your list. For my visit today to Ground Chuck's, I am going to give them three Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry