How much should a burger cost? The general rule (as I’ve heard it) in the restaurant industry is that food costs should be about 30% of your menu price. We all know when you buy in bulk things tend to be cheaper.

With that in mind, what’s up with $15 to 20 burgers at normal spots? Like seriously it’s a F-ing burger. All the scraps ground up with about 20 to 30% fat ratio

Image Source: https://ag.purdue.edu/cfdas/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/BurgerCostInfographic.pdf

Above is the cost of a ‘At-Home’ cheeseburger you can make yourself. Restuaurants are able to scale this down 25-40% based upon quality and bulk costs.

Restaurants are treating the burger like a piece of coal someone stuck up their a$$ and it magically turned into a diamond. Who do we blame? I think “The Infatuation” summed it up best so I’m going to quote them

{The year was 2009, … and Minetta Tavern was by far and away the biggest restaurant opening of the year. Food media was completely enamored with the place. It was impossible to get in, they had a bouncer, and it was a MASSIVE deal that the “Black Label Burger” cost $26. These days, no one raises an eyebrow when burgers are on fancy restaurant menus, clocking in anywhere from $20-40. This is 1000% all Minetta Taven’s influence. We weren’t as in awe of Minetta like everyone else was, though. We liked it OK and felt like the hype outshined the actual restaurant experience.}

Minetta Tavern NYC Burger Costs:

2009 – $26

2014 – $28

2018 – $33

2024 – $38

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Great! Eat your $20 pub burger. I hope your chick enjoys her $25 cauliflower steak. 

Sounding cheap I want my:

• Fast Food burgers to be a couple bucks
• Casual lunch spot burgers w/ fries under $10
• Sit-down spots (pub grub) $10-14

For the people who want burgers at Formal / Fine Dining
 – If you are ordering a burger try to explain to someone what’s wrong with the steak, then go to a shrink to understand your obsession with ketchup, then re-assess your priorities in life

Crumbs!