Jim’s Burgers

May 1, 2016

By Denise DePaolo

Sioux City-based Jim’s Burgers recently opened its first location in Sioux Falls. The restaurant, which is the chain’s sixth, can be found in a former KFC building on Minnesota Avenue. Having never been to a Jim’s location before, I had no idea what to expect when I stopped by for lunch with three friends on a Wednesday.

We got in line and tried to take in the extensive, and somewhat scattered, menu before we got to the cashier. The one expectation I did have walking in was that the menu would be largely burger-based (of course, because of the name, but also because of the telltale burger scent wafting through the parking lot). This, I found, was not the case.

While the burgers listed were mostly variations on popular basics (a patty melt, bacon cheeseburger, Western burger, chili cheese burger, etc.), the sandwich menu was actually pretty vast, including options like a tuna melt, philly, ham sandwich, and hot dogs. But sandwiches are just a small fraction of the offerings, which include a rather wide variety of Mexican foods, fried seafood dinners, breakfast items, and salads.

As mentioned, there were four people in our party, so we tried to represent as much of the menu as possible on our table. When I reached the cashier, I ordered a patty melt combo, plus two tacos – one carnitas and one asada. I was given a paper ticket with my order number on it, and handed my root beer, which came in a startlingly small cup – the size one might get for water at most places. There was a sign posted explaining that everyone was entitled to one free refill. At first, this seemed strange, but then I noticed the prices. They’re actually really reasonable. Perhaps that’s why.

We sat down at a booth and waited for our food. A glance around the dining room revealed a clean, if unremarkable, space with navy and burgundy booths and hotel-style artwork. After five or ten minutes, our lunch was delivered to the table.