Burger Spot: Monthly Meat Budget

This article was written by our expert who is surveying the burger-joint industry and constantly updating the business plan for a burger joint.

Who wrote this content?

The Dojo Business Team

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We're a team of finance experts, consultants, market analysts, and specialized writers dedicated to helping new entrepreneurs launch their businesses. We help you avoid costly mistakes by providing detailed business plans, accurate market studies, and reliable financial forecasts to maximize your chances of success from day one—especially in the burger joint market.

How many burgers do we sell per month on average?

Plan on 1,000–3,500 burgers per month, with 3,000 as a solid baseline for a single-location burger joint.

Independent venues commonly see 30–120 burgers per day depending on location, footfall, and delivery mix, which translates to the monthly range above. Use your last 90 days of POS data to compute a rolling monthly average and set a conservative floor for ordering.

For budgeting, take your weekday/daypart pattern (e.g., lunch 45%, dinner 55%) and apply local events or promotions to refine peaks. Add a 5–10% cushion for weekends and holidays if you see consistent spikes.

To be decisive, lock a “Minimum Orderable Demand” (MOD) equal to 85–90% of the average to avoid overbuying in slow weeks.

This conservative baseline anchors your meat purchasing and protects margin when demand dips.

What share of those burgers uses beef vs. other meats?

Expect 65%–80% beef, with 70% a realistic planning ratio in most burger joints.

The remaining 20%–35% is typically split across chicken, pork, fish, and plant-based patties, driven by price, health positioning, and limited-time offers. Track menu mix weekly and re-forecast if beef share moves by ±5 points for two consecutive weeks.

When beef pricing spikes, customers often trade down to chicken or pork; adjust purchasing ratios early to avoid stockouts and waste. Monitor platform feedback (e.g., “most popular items” on delivery apps) for leading indicators.

We cover this exact topic in the burger joint business plan.

This ratio directly shapes your cost per burger and storage needs.

How many grams of meat go into each burger?

Use 100–120g raw for beef burgers and 85–110g for chicken or other patties; most burger joints standardize at 120g for beef.

Standardization is non-negotiable: pick a spec (e.g., 2×60g smash or 1×120g patty) and train weighing and pressing to ±2g tolerance. For chicken and fish, keep to the lower range to maintain price points while meeting portion expectations.

Audit patty weight weekly—variance beyond ±3% erodes gross margin quickly. Calibrate scales monthly and keep a backup on the line.

It’s a key part of what we outline in the burger joint business plan.

A tight spec keeps COGS predictable and your menu engineered for profit.

What is the total monthly meat required for current sales?

Multiply monthly burgers by portion size and divide by 1,000 to get kilograms, then add shrink.

Example: 3,000 burgers × 120g = 360 kg; add 5% shrink/waste = 378 kg to purchase. If 70% of sales are beef and 30% are other proteins, split the requirement: Beef ≈ 264.6 kg; Other ≈ 113.4 kg.

Repeat this math for each protein if your non-beef mix is diversified (e.g., chicken 20%, pork 7%, plant-based 3%).

You’ll find detailed market insights in our burger joint business plan, updated every quarter.

Always order to the higher of forecast or confirmed events to prevent lost sales.

What is the current cost per kilogram for beef and other meats?

Use the midpoints below to budget and then override with your quotes every month.

Which meat suppliers should we use, and what are MOQs and delivery schedules?

Shortlist at least three suppliers: a local wholesaler, a specialty importer, and a national foodservice distributor.

What bulk discounts are available at different volumes?

Most distributors use tiered price breaks; lock tiers in writing and track your rolling 4-week volume.

How do meat prices and burger sales vary by season?

Expect a 5%–15% swing in both sales and beef/chicken prices across the year.

What share of total monthly expenses should we allocate to meat?

For burger joints, meat typically represents 28%–37% of total food costs and a major driver of overall COGS.

With total food cost often landing at 28%–35% of sales, controlling patty weight, yield, and supplier pricing has the highest ROI. If your concept is beef-heavy, expect the upper end of the meat-cost range.

Run a weekly COGS bridge: (price variances) + (mix shift) + (portion variance) + (waste). Address any line item moving more than ±0.5% of sales.

This is one of the strategies explained in our burger joint business plan.

Put meat on a separate KPI dashboard so issues surface fast.

How much cold storage do we need, and how does it change order frequency?

• Target storage for 3–5 days of maximum projected sales to keep freshness high and cash tied up low.
• With 3,000 burgers/month at 120g (≈360 kg) and 70% beef, keep ~160–200 kg cold at any time; receive 2–3 deliveries/week.
• If storage is limited, split deliveries (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri) and prioritize higher-turn proteins (beef, chicken).
• Use clear FIFO labeling, rack maps, and dated prep logs to reduce dwell time and temperature abuse.
• When adding new SKUs (e.g., fish), re-audit cubic capacity so you don’t squeeze core items.

What level of waste, spoilage, or shrink should we expect each month?

• Budget 5% shrink on meat; best-in-class runs 3% and poorly managed ops can exceed 10%.
• Separate “prep loss” (trim, cook-off) from “inventory loss” (expired, temperature abuse) to target fixes.
• Weigh patties pre/post-cook once per week to validate yield; adjust grill settings to reduce cook loss.
• Track waste by reason code at the station (returned, overcooked, expired, cross-contamination).
• Close the loop: update par sheets and orders when waste exceeds thresholds for 2 weeks.

What forecasted changes could raise or lower monthly meat needs?

Menu changes and price moves are the main drivers of future meat demand in a burger joint.

Adding chicken, pork, or plant-based options can reduce beef share and stabilize costs during beef volatility. Limited-time offers and bundle deals can spike volume; pre-book supply and confirm delivery windows to match campaigns.

Be cautious with price hikes: a 10%–20% beef price surge historically triggers a 5%–10% drop in beef burger demand as customers trade down or buy fewer units. Balance the menu with a well-priced chicken hero to keep throughput.

Get expert guidance and actionable steps inside our burger joint business plan.

Re-forecast weekly when running promotions or when commodity alerts hit.

How do I turn these numbers into a monthly order plan?

Convert forecast to kilograms by protein, add shrink, and align delivery cadence to storage.

Example baseline for a single-location burger joint: 3,000 burgers × 120g = 360 kg; with 70% beef/30% other and 5% shrink, order Beef ≈ 278 kg and Other ≈ 119 kg across the month. Split across 3 deliveries/week to keep on-hand stock near 3–5 days of sales.

Lock bulk tiers where possible (e.g., ≥250 kg/month beef) and use chicken or pork to hedge costs in high-price weeks. Keep a “rain plan” for unexpected events impacting deliveries.

This is one of the many elements we break down in the burger joint business plan.

Refresh the plan on the first business day each month using the last 4 weeks of data.

What’s the simplest KPI set to manage meat costs weekly?

Use five KPIs to control meat spend without drowning in data.

Track: (1) Meat COGS % of sales, (2) Portion variance %, (3) Shrink %, (4) Mix (beef vs. other) %, and (5) Purchase price vs. contract. Review every Monday with the kitchen lead and buyer.

Set alert thresholds: ±0.5% of sales for COGS; ±3% for portion variance; ±2 points for mix shift; and any price variance over contract greater than US$0.20/kg. Investigate any alert within 24 hours.

Assign one owner per KPI and document corrective actions in the prep log.

Simple, disciplined routines beat complex dashboards every time.

What documentation should we keep for audits and negotiations?

Keep a clean paper trail to win pricing disputes and refine forecasts.

Maintain: signed quotes, delivery temperature logs, receiving checklists, scale calibration records, prep yield sheets, and waste logs with reason codes. Store supplier emails and rebate terms in a shared folder.

Reconcile invoices to POs weekly; note shortages, substitutions, and late deliveries. Use photo evidence for any damaged or thawed product and request credits within the supplier’s window.

These habits make renegotiations faster and support food safety compliance.

Good records are leverage.

How do we engineer menu pricing around meat volatility?

Design tiers and add “proteins that hedge” so your margin survives beef spikes.

Price premium beef burgers to absorb seasonal highs; keep at least one chicken hero and one value burger to protect conversion. Use add-ons (cheese, sauces) with high margin to balance plate costs.

When beef indexes rise, switch limited-time features to chicken or pork, and highlight bundles that steer mix. Always display gram weights clearly so guests perceive value even when prices move.

Update recipe cards as costs change so staff portions remain aligned with targets.

Menu engineering is your shock absorber.

Conclusion

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Readers are encouraged to consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. We accept no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided.

Sources

1. DojoBusiness — Burger joint daily sales & profitability
2. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner — Ground Beef at Retail & Foodservice
3. University Meat — Understanding Meat Portion Sizes
4. Makro Pro — Wholesale Beef Pricing (catalog)
5. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner — Ground Beef Sales & Seasonality
6. National Restaurant Association — Food Costs Seasonality
7. 7shifts — Restaurant Cost of Goods Sold
8. The Restaurant Times — Inventory Monitoring & Storage
9. Refrigeration Technologies — Food Spoilage Impact
10. Tridge — Fresh Beef Price Intelligence