Of course we love our mom & pops, and our favorite burger joints around the country are pretty much all independently owned, but there are certain times in life—overnight layovers, hungover Sunday mornings, all-day shopping trips at the outlets—that the only options around are the chains. This column is here to help you decide when to go for the burger, and when you're better off sticking with the chicken fingers.

[Photographs: Erin Jackson]

With 33 locations sprinkled across the United States, Rock Bottom Brewery is one of the smaller chains out there, but it's also part of CraftWorks, a multi-brand restaurant company that owns and operates 200 brewery restaurants, including two other chains: Old Chicago and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants.

On one hand, this is surprising. Rock Bottom isn't a typical chain—you won't see the logo on freeway exit signs (at least to my knowledge) and there are no wackily named items on the menu (like "Moons Over my Hammy"). On the other hand, it does have a nondescript quality that makes it the type of place that could be plopped down just about anywhere—like almost all chains.

The same predictable, generic quality also applies to the menu. Food is limited to typical bar selections: pizza, sandwiches, and wings, plus a few token salads. Things do get a little more interesting when it comes to burgers, though. There are seven different options, including an egg and hashbrown-topped burger, a patty melt, and a Kobe burger. Since I was looking for a baseline, I got the Classic Cheeseburger.

Rock Bottom's cheeseburger looked, and tasted, like a classed-up version of a fast food burger. The patty was relatively thick and juicy, with a mild beefy flavor, and some caramelization on the outside. It was topped with the standard lettuce (shredded iceberg), tomato, red onion, and pickle chips, plus a slice of fully melted cheddar. The bun tasted like it was a distant relative of a pretzel bun, in that it was slightly salty and more dense than most burger buns, with a deep brown exterior. Ultimately, it was a sturdy bun that held up very well against the juices from the patty.

But there was something strange about this burger, which made eating it turn into an experiment I termed "name that funk." It didn't hit me at first, but there was a peculiar taste I couldn't quite place. After isolating each element, I traced the funk to the "house spread" on the bun, which our server insisted was just butter with salt and pepper, but my guess is it also had garlic, or something else that gave it a sharp edge. Normally, I love a touch of garlic, but something about this spread just wasn't right. Once you tasted it, it was the only thing you could taste. And since it didn't taste great, it ultimately sealed the fate of this burger.

The shoestring fries were fairly generic, though it was good to see some skin on them. They crisped up nicely and were tasty, but since they were served at room temperature, they didn't stay warm long. If you love finding slightly cold "bonus fries" at the bottom of your take-out bag of McD's, these will hit the spot.

It felt like not ordering a beer would be completely missing the point of dining at a restaurant with 11 different house-brand beers on tap, and a brewing facility on site in direct view. I chose a pint of Rock Bottom White Ale, plus a house-made root beer for good measure. Both were tasty enough, but I wasn't blown away. I like my root beer to have enough spice and sarsaparilla to knock my teeth out, and Rock Bottom's was more on the mild side. It had a tasty vanilla sweetness, and good carbonation, but overall, it was just ok.

Really, that's how the whole experience was—not great, but ok. I have no regrets about ordering the burger, but, aside from the slightly funky spread, this wasn't a meal I'll remember. Maybe that's enough for most chains: You go in with lowered expectations, fill a basic need, and then forget about the experience by the next morning. If that's true, Rock Bottom's burger is perfectly acceptable for a chain.

About the author: Erin Jackson is a freelance food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best cheap and tasty eats in San Diego, including all things sweet and sugary, for her dessert blog San Diego Sugar.

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