A Look Through The Win~Dow

As the setting sun ignites the sky with its range of oranges and reds, The Win~Dow turns on its lights. Under metal umbrellas and sitting on a similar composition of barstools, customers enjoy an easy dinner. The Win~Dow originally opened in 2019 at Venice Beach in LA, and the Santa Barbara location opened June 5 on the corner of Chapala and Ortega. They serve smash burgers, a chicken sandwich, a grain bowl, a kale salad, milkshakes, and dipped cones. The restaurant’s unique style, paired with delicious food and good pricing, makes it a popular spot, but as always, some people share criticism. Jane Murray is a customer and enjoyer of all the food at The Win~Dow, but has a few key takeaways. “For the amount of calories, I would rather have more stuff. I would rather have more variety, I’d rather have a piece of chicken and some mashed potatoes and broccoli than just like a burger.” “ I feel like a burger is nice to have, but it never feels very complete. I’ll have a burger, and I’m like okay, that was cute. What’s next?” Although the portions may be small for some, Murray wasn’t dissatisfied with the taste or the quality of the food, and she shared with me her enjoyment of the atmosphere of the establishment and its cleanliness.

When asked if she would be surprised if the ingredients were high quality, she stated, “ I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they were, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they weren’t.” In a response via email from The Win~Dow, the CEO, Jeff Goodman,  shared how they source their ingredients. “As a company, we’ve worked with the same meat company for 20 years, and they were a natural choice when we set out to create The Win~Dow. We’ve created a proprietary beef blend that strikes all the right balances. In general, we try to work with farms and producers of quality and integrity and to keep things as local as possible.” The Win~Dow is dedicated to keeping its work community-based, a moral that not many fast food restaurants share. This dedication to the community works well with customers. Murray said, “ This captures more young people. It’s more fun and hip, right?” This connects to the mission the Win-Dow has fostered of connection through community. Goodman wrote in his correspondence,“Because we’re new, we’re really focused on being a great member of the Santa Barbara restaurant community and being worthy of all of the other great burger players in the neighborhood.”