I can't tell you how many times we've driven by this place and said we should try it. I SO wanted to like this place. It's in a non-descript mall that has been re-inventing itself for years and is still nothing to look at aesthically, so walking into The Grind is a bit of a shock to the senses. It's dark, trendy and kind of has an upscale feel to it. So far so good. It was busy, another good sign, and I'm having high expectations of this place. But they were short-lived.
We wanted to sit and enjoy our drinks for a while, but after the server asked us multiple times if we were ready to order, we decided we'd better do just that. I'm not sure where they had to go to prepare the food, but we waited an awfully long time for our burgers. When they arrived, we were all overwhelmed. The turkey burger was blah, tasteless and dry; the sweet & spicy burger as well as the steakhouse blt were overcooked. The sweet potato fries were limp and flavorless.
All this disappointment and super overpriced to boot! A lot of very good burger restaurants can be found in the Phoenix area - several in the general vicinity of The Grind! I hate to write off a place after the first visit (unless it's a major disaster) because it could just be a fluke. But having read some of the other reviews, I'm not sure our experience was a one-off. But it will be a while before I circle back to this place.