Jake’s Wayback Burgers

We love coming here. They have delicious burgers and the staff is more than friendly.
We only ever ran into a problem once. We ordered milkshakes and we received them ¾’s of the way filled. Usually Jakes does a much better job at filling it up to the top. I could tell the girl who mixed the milkshake was a new hire because she was being very precise with the measurements. I only noticed because after I received it, it felt very light compared to what we are used to. I mentioned it to her and she said it’s based of a measurement. Then a longtime employee that I was used to seeing took the shakes, and began talking to her by the machine about how much she should put in. He was pulled to the back and that’s when another guy came to help her due to her struggling with the machine. Another customer was watching the whole thing and was also standing in line for the same issue. We came to the conclusion that she must have been new. After the shakes were filled, the employees apologized. We told them that we understood and had no hard feelings.
The fact that they fixed it and did it without complaint showed great customer service. We will definitely come back again.

They definitely need some adult supervision. The burgers & fries are made fresh, and therefore the food is quite good, and you have to wait a bit (we dined in). Although it was busy it wasn’t ‘crazy’ busy, we waited quite a bit, and when we were served ahead of a couple waiting at a nearby table, they demanded their money back and left (don’t blame them). My son’s order came with toppings he specifically asked them to leave off. The root beer at the soda bar was not dispensing properly, the trash cans were overflowing and the floor needed sweeping. Understaffed (possibly) and under-​managed (definitely)

Flies. Everywhere. Spawn of satan. I think this is a story of what could have been and the available labor force. When it first opened, it was a clean restaurant and the service was consistently good. However, now it’s far below what it was. Probably because high school age/​college age kids are the only employees I ever see. Tables and floor are greasy… I literally slid across the floor. I saw many people come in, eat, and leave and never saw anyone wipe a table down. The burgers are still good. We ordered cheese fries, and they were pretty sad… I had to find the cheese. Honestly, the whole operation just looked disorganized… the cook was frying burgers one minute, and the next he was making milk shakes. There were four people behind the counter, and they just seemed to be getting in each other’s way. I think whoever owns this place needs to come back and restore order.

The food was great and the staff was friendly. We would definitely come back when in town again

Definitely takes you back in time and price is average. However very delicious. Greasy but who cares a good burger is supposed to be greasy. Had the cheesy burger which just basically melted in your mouth. A quick bite for lunch recommend this place

Burgers are always fresh. The roll is a bit too big, fries are decent but not as good as other burger chains. Staff is courteous. Consistent across the many locations I have been to.

Is this a 5-​star restaurant? Maybe not, but is this a 5-​star burger joint? Yes. Yes, it is. (ETA Or at least it was before they let Nick go and the service level declined).
The service was outstanding – the manager (I think his name was Nick?) was friendly and helpful and even though it is a clean-​up behind yourself place, he went the extra mile and bussed our table for us. We were checked on several times to make sure we were satisfied with our meals.
The burgers were good, my daughter enjoyed her hot dog. And the BBQ chips were out of this world. We would definitely return.
Edited to add on ¹²⁄₂₀₁₄:
We came back when we came back to visit family in the area and I tried the grilled chicken Caesar sandwich– it was very good too! So sad to find out that Nick is no longer here, and the service was not as outstanding, so I took a star away. :(

Ever have a craving you can’t satisfy? There’s an episode of HIMYM where they scour NYC for that perfect burger. Well, whenever I’m having that greasy, melty cheesy and delicious burger craving I go to Jake’s. Add a chocolate shake and it’s the perfect unhealthy comfort meal. Craving satisfied.

My 2 year old son was served chicken fingers that were mostly raw on the inside. Unfortunately, he had already eaten several bites before we noticed. There are mostly kids running the place. We were not visited by a manager or offered a refund. We will not be visiting again.

The BBQ house-​made chips are delicious! :D

I have been going to this location for years. They changed managers and some staff and now are better than ever. The fries are great, chips are awesome and the new chili is delicious. The burgers are the BEST in Middletown. The restaurant is one of the cleanest I have been in. Keep up the great work guys!

Having been going through withdrawal of a good burger, my family has been frequently Jake’s for about 6 months now. Sadly, it is just so-​so here, and I think we’ve just about given up on it. First off, if there is even just one order in front of you be prepared to wait at least a minimum of 20 minutes. I’m pretty cool with cook-​to-​order burger places but it is exceptionally slow here. They just don’t have a handle on cooking more than one order at once it feels like! I’ve been to Five Guys and waited with about 10 orders in front of me and only waited tops 15 minutes. Another thing is your order is not going to come out together if you get a shake. You may get your shake 10 minutes later than your burger or 15 minutes BEFORE your burger. Twice I have had to remind the staff I’ve even gotten a shake! My order is been wrong twice as well and while they did attempt to fix it, again I had to wait… and wait… and wait. We actually get faster service at the Buffalo Wild Wings — a sit down restaurant — that is a few doors down. I think the most disappointing thing is, even with the long wait, the burger is mediocre. Sometimes its been burnt, sometimes its shrunken to the size of baby’s fist, once it was covered in grease, and sometimes its pretty good. The shake is another matter, and usually very tasty. Still, you can find a good shake in Middletown over at Breuster’s. Until the management gets better at Jake’s I wouldn’t recommend it. They really need some quality control in place and a manager that actually cares about what they’re serving consistently.

I’ve been to Jake’s before and always enjoy the burgers, fries and shakes. This location was the cleanest Jake’s that I’ve been to. The staff was friendly, professional and they were very attentive to all customers. If they keep up this level of customer service they will be a success.

Solid burger option in Middletown. Not nearly as good as 5 guys but if you go in the a fast food expectation you’ll leave satisfied. Beware, service here is very slow. If they quote you 15 minutes it will be closer to 25.