Good Truckin’ Diner Cheeseburger Review

What the front of the Good Truckin' Diner may look like.

The Good Truckin’ Diner is the poster child of Lansing’s REO Town neighborhood’s resurgence in the past half-decade. After starting as a food truck, Good Truckin’ Diner moved into a tiny 800-square-foot storefront near South Washington and Elm in November of 2014. Since then, business has boomed. Having to wait for a seat is the norm. And, owner Nick Sinicropi recently opened Art’s Pub where Art’s Bar & Grill used to be at 809 East Kalamazoo. So now, there are two places where you can enjoy their unique comfort foods.

We visited the Diner for lunch on a Tuesday and were joined by Ryan Wert, the Executive Director of REO Town and my good friend for 20+ years. Ryan told us all about the Diner’s history (he’s been a regular there since the early days.) He let us know that they have a rotation of burgers on their menu, which explains why their website has an olive burger that wasn’t listed on the in-restaurant menu. Here’s what we thought of the place.

Jerome’s Review

The flavors so overwhelm the senses that you have to close your eyes.

When we first arrived at GTD, there was a line going out the door. My first immediate thought was that it would take much more time than it was worth to be seated. To my surprise, we were seated outside in around 10 minutes and got our drinks a few minutes later. The patio is lacking shade but is otherwise very nice compared to other restaurants. As customers cleared out, we were offered a table inside.

When entering the building, a few things caught my eye. The decor was quite cool with several license plates from Michigan lining the walls, further adding upon the trucking aspect, along with the top halves of parking meters on each table. Though the inside was a small space, it was packed to the brim with hungry people, and after tasting the food, I understand why.

The burger had great quality meat, and it was cooked to meet my standards exactly. The produce was also very fresh: the lettuce being crisp and delicious. The fries lacked some salt, but they were still very tasty. In the end, whenever you go there, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you’re in the right place for an amazing meal.

James’s Review

Cheeseburger 19/25

If your mouth isn't watering looking at this, you have no soul.

Good Truckin’ Diner currently has 11 burgers on their menu, including a Gotham City burger with smoked pork, bacon, house coleslaw, BBQ, and cheddar on a brioche bun. For me, it was between this and the Mac Attack burger. I got the Mac Attack burger, which features macaroni (actually, cavatappi) and cheese, bacon, American cheese, and BBQ sauce on a Kaiser bun. The mac and cheese tasted excellent. The bacon was cooked to crispy perfection. The BBQ sauce was great.

The actual patty was where the burger lost points. I didn’t have the opportunity to choose the doneness, and it turned out to be overcooked and dry. Plus, it was not seasoned at all. To call it a hockey puck would be unfair, but the allusion comes to mind. I would also have liked more of the delicious sweet & tangy BBQ sauce to make up for the dryness of the burger. I can’t stand American cheese. I should have asked for cheddar instead. Is it too late to change my order?

Fries 23/25

Pretty fly for a fry guy.

I decided to splurge and get Garlic Parm Fries instead of the chips that come with the burgers. These waffle fries get their name from being tossed with a garlic parmesan sauce and topped with shredded parmesan cheese. In my hierarchy of fries, waffle fries are at the top - just barely beating out curly fries. The fries that were not covered with the sauce were still well seasoned. With the sauce, it was extra good. The garlic could have been more pronounced, but I’m not complaining.

Bucky refused to even try the Garlic Parm Fries, but he did eat plenty of Jerome’s traditional fries. Yet, he did reach a point of satiation before the fries expired.

Value 21/25

Ryan Wert and his Italian Grilled Cheese and chips

Ryan Wert told me that he usually gets a discount at Good Truckin’ Diner, but I think he’s a liar. There was no discount. For three sandwiches (two with fries), three tacos (for Erin to go), and drinks all around, the bill came to $48.72 with tax. Plus, we left a $10 tip. This was kind of hefty for five people eating lunch, but it wasn’t absurd. We also kind of got some premium menu items. Oh yeah, and there was more than enough food. Jerome had to take most of his home in a box.

Ambiance 11/15

For the record, I visited my mother the very next day.

The Good Truckin’ Diner doesn’t appear to really cater to kids. So, it was a little rough going there with a kid. The place is fairly claustrophobic. For instance, one has to be careful how far back they sit in their seat, or they’ll hit the person at the table behind them. The small size put me on edge a bit. As a fat man, I like to have room to stretch out and maybe manspread a bit. This might suggest that it would be better to get to-go orders here, but they don’t always offer a to-go option.

Service 9/10

Jerome and Bucky squeezing in some screen time while waiting to be seated.

We arrived at 12:35, waited 10 minutes for a seat, and were out of there by 1:35. The server was accommodating in letting us move inside as the mid-day sun became a little too much for my vampiric skin. And, there was never a point where we were wondering where our truckin’ side of mayo (or any other item) was.

Good Truckin’ Diner’s Overall Score: 83/100

You wanna know how I know I was in REO Town?

I plan on working my way through the Good Truckin’ Diner’s burger menu. I’m hoping an olive burger reappears. And, might I suggest a Reuben burger? Either way, the Gotham City burger will soon be in my belly. Since I don’t like waiting or being crowded, I’ll probably visit at an awkward time next time. Maybe 2 pm or something. I’ll also leave Bucky at home.