Why Your Burger and Fries Cost $24 at Southwark

This article was originally published by Philadelphia Magazine. You can read the full article here.

There are several topics that I'd like to see restaurant guests and restaurant owners discuss more. How to best cancel a reservation, for instance. Or how health insurance at restaurants works. Right now, though, the subject being lamented most in group texts and angry Yelp reviews is menu prices. Inflation-related price increases are affecting everyone in the restaurant ecosystem. But, beyond diners' complaints, the details are rarely being discussed out in the open. If you ask the right people the right questions, you can learn a lot. In my case, I talked to the owners of Southwark in Queen Village, Marina de Oliveira and Chris D’Ambro, about the rationale behind how they price their double cheeseburger in 2022: What goes into the cost of each ingredient and how does labor get factored in?

Let's back up for a moment. When examining how Philly restaurants and diners are being affected by rising costs, the humble burger (with fries) provides an unusually good microscope. Restaurant burgers typically contain four or five components, most of which are in high demand by chefs and home cooks alike — bread, beef, bacon, eggs (for aioli), potatoes and dairy. Also, burgers have long existed on menus in Philly, making it easier to track changes in price over time.

Southwark's burger has always weighed in at six ounces of meat, and always been topped with grilled onions and crisp bacon, plus a crumble of blue cheese and a swipe of aioli. What's changed is the price. At the end of 2019, Southwark's burger with fries was priced at $17. Now, in 2022, the same dish will cost you $24.

Read the rest of the article here.