On Walkabout At: Drifter’s Hamburgers In Colorado Springs

I have pretty much over the past 2 years eliminated eating any beef with antibiotics or hormones.  This has led to pretty much elimination of fast food hamburgers from my diet.  However, I recently heard about a local burger restaurant here in Colorado Springs that offers hormone and antibiotic free beef.  The restaurant is called Drifter’s Hamburgers and they currently have two locations in Colorado Springs.  The other day my family and I decided to check out their recently opened restaurant near the Chapel Hills Mall on the north side of town.

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This is Drifter’s second restaurant with their original continuing to operate near the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus.

The Drifter’s near the Chapel Hills Mall is located inside an old Taco Bell building that could probably use some renovations.  When recently visiting the location we found the building a bit rundown and in need of heat.  Yes it was cold inside and we had to keep our jackets on while eating.  To be fair the next time we visited this location the heat was set higher and much more pleasant to eat in the restaurant.

Drifter’s tries to come across as a In-N-Out type of restaurant and unfortunately at their Chapel Hills location I did not gets this vibe though they had a few surfer pictures hanging up on the walls.  I am assuming since the restaurant just recently opened they have plans to improve the building.  However, it is a good location with plenty of traffic that should attract customers if they renovate the place a bit.  Besides location, good food is another key attribute for a successful restaurant.  I found that at least on the hamburger front Drifter’s is actually pretty good.

The burgers are not very large and not greasy like most other fast food burgers.  People used to large patties may not like the small size of these patties, but I like them because I don’t feel so bloated after eating one of these burgers.  The lack of grease is also much better for the body than what most fast food restaurants provide.  Something else I like is that the buns also are organic and do not use any genetically modified crops.  So compared to its fast food competition Drifter’s provides a quality hamburger.  However their french fries I was not impressed by.  The fries are basically the standard fare you could buy on sale at the Wal-Mart food aisle.  They taste very average which is surprising considering the high quality burgers Drifter’s makes:

Conclusion

Overall, I like Drifter’s, but I think they still need to take the extra step to be comparable to the In-N-Out burger franchise from California they are trying to imitate.  They got the burger figure out, but more needs to be done to improve the fries.  At In-N-Out’s you can actually see them using peeled potatoes to make their freshly made french fries with.  If Drifter’s can continue to improve their product they could really be on to something.  I definitely will be going back whenever I feel the urge to eat a hamburger.  I will pass on the fries though.