$20 bucks for a very good top end burger use to be reasonable…$29 doesn’t seem crazy after the pandemic and all that, especially with fries. I remember after the Great Recession in ‘08, the one thing that became a phenomenon many, many places started to serve was a good bar burger and a beer for about $20. That’s when value became a thing. I remember $16 burger/beer combos and being able to leave a tip.
re: blended meat…I can’t remember the place on San Pablo in Oakland (closed a couple of years ago) that had a very good burger and part of the blend was beef tongue, which gave it a very beefy taste.
I agree, $29 for a burger is a touch high…the key here is the french fries come with the burger, so the burger is more like $22. And it’s an excellent burger, and so are the fries. Given Bay Area prices, it’s reasonable.
I think the prices are location dependent. That same burger with fries in Manhattan or on the Vegas Strip might be $39.
I live where I can get an excellent burger of this style with a large serving of house-made shoestrings all for $18. The meat is ground in the same block, and the buns are baked next door. No real need for a destination burger at destination prices for me.
Way back in the 90s, Daniel Boulud started the crazy over the top burger trend. Dry aged beef stuffed with foie and braised short ribs. It was amazing. Crazy good. The price then was $20. Some people were outraged that a burger could cost so much when you could get a basic burger for less than $10. Well the DB burger was 3x better so I thought it was a relative bargain. These days seeing a $29 burger would generate no more than a shrug as a plate of pasta costs as much. If a $29 burger made with dry aged beef and fries is crazy, well then what is a a combo meal at McD in the teens? That’s more crazy. Industrial beef and potatoes served up by ordering kiosk or app and minimum wage labor. I would happily pay $29 for the Red Hook Tavern burger and hand cut wedge fries that are perfectly seasoned and crisp served on china by a friendly waiter and would feel ripped off at McD regardless of the price.
I don’t complain much about food prices but have drawn the line at 5 Guys … they’ve turned a burger into a high-priced meal that I just can’t justify. Sucks bc I really like their food.
I do have to admit I am still susceptible to sticker shock. A local steakhouse has a $22 burger on its lunch menu. I have not tried it. I make most of my burgers pub style at home!
