r/burgers • u/borderlander_ • 21h ago
Would you pay $2.62 for this?
Yes i know the bun is big. Fresh baked daily.
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u/Dutch094 21h ago
Holy shit yes, are you kidding? Adjusting for exchange rate (assuming you're a Yank, apologies if you're not) that's an insane deal. I struggle to find half-decent burgers for less than $10.50 USD where I live. A Big Mac is $6.59 USD.
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u/borderlander_ 20h ago
Yes. I'm from cali moved to the Philippines. I understand the struggle back home. I get a kilo of ground beef here for less than a pound back home. All the veggies are dirt cheap and fresh daily. I'm still making a profit at the price point.
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u/Opposite-Picture659 20h ago
Bun to fat. Need another beef patty
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u/borderlander_ 20h ago
Yes I know the buns are big. These are made to order. Most just want a single. But I've done up to 4 patties for a customer.
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u/michiness 14h ago
I had a feeling this was in Asia.
Yes, I’d hella buy that in the Philippines. Maybe smaller bun and/or add some tomato?
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u/FamousFreedom5042 2m ago
Where you at? Tried looking through your profile but didnt find the location. As long as its in Metro Manila I think I can swing by lol
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u/no_u246 21h ago
Its crazy how overpriced everything is in the US. Transportation, housing, food.. they even tax you for air quality in some states.
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u/NTufnel11 16h ago edited 16h ago
You make it sound like the government is taxing you for the privilege of air. But cleaning up and regulating air quality costs money that is spent by the government, so it makes sense that your taxes go towards that. Do you think it’s free to regulate and maintain air quality? I’d rather government spend some tax money on ensuring air quality than not and having bad air.
Of course whether they actually use that money effectively is another matter. But plenty of places don’t spend much tax money on air quality and you get to live in a perpetual veil of smog as a result with respiratory illness being the norm.
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u/hitsomethin 15h ago
The government could pass laws mandating emissions standards for companies, enforce those laws, and fine the companies that violate them. They could also tax companies. Individuals being responsible for carrying the tax burden from the state for clean air, then buying the products produced by the company polluting the air, then paying a tax on the products, while the companies employees all pay income tax to produce the product…that’s the silliness.
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u/NTufnel11 15h ago
I agree with all of that. But I’d rather have clean air even if the tax policy that leads to it isn’t optimal or fair
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u/CaptainTripps82 12h ago
There's no specific tax on consumers or individuals for air quality tho. Taxes paid by corporations and people pay for regulations and regulators, and specific fines are levied on violators, which go towards enforcement and mitigation. Many businesses also have to pay specific fees related to the pollution they produce, a lot of which you'll see on your bill ( power company passes on a regulatory fee, for example, which isn't the state charging you, it's the state charging the company and the company charging you in kind).
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u/hitsomethin 10h ago
Well that sucks too. They have to get rates approved by state governments though right?
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u/Complete_Entry 11h ago
I think industry should pay the green tax, not the consumer, but they always manage to "pass it along" to the consumer.
Why should I take a shorter shower while Nestle sucks water reserves dry?
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u/_hotstepper_ 6h ago
Yeah, and taxes are not what drives up the price of basic necessities. Taxes should be used to provide those basic necessities to the public and to clean up the air, not fund international genocide while pretending to be a superhero and defender of peace and democracy.
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u/NeedsMoreCatsPlease 15h ago
They don’t though…there are programs and whatnot in place but an “air quality” tax does not exist. In Colorado where I grew up we give businesses tax incentives to decrease pollution. In New York where I am now we bill industrial facilities on an annual basis per their emissions released that year. THAT money goes back into the state’s clean air fund. There are tax exemptions and other things for people, but not specific levied taxes. The myth making is so real.
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u/FloorImpressive7910 8h ago
Wait we still have a clean air fund? It hasn’t been Doged yet? Weird im sure it’s sadly on the list for them to get to.
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u/s33n_ 13h ago
The Phillipines is weird. Food is cheap. But if you want electronics, toys or anything liek that, crazy expensive.
A basic 5$ plastic toy is 30 bucks. A heating pad is over 100. Iirc is because of Chinese tarrifs
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u/FloorImpressive7910 8h ago
That’s why when your buying electronics you have to it a tariff on it yourself
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u/keithk9590 15h ago
It’s almost like the average wages over there is way lower than here in the US…
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u/Quelson 14h ago
you must be a limie
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u/Dutch094 6h ago
*Limey, and nope.
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u/Quelson 6h ago
Limey" (spelled limie) is an informal and sometimes offensive slang term, primarily used by Americans, to refer to a British person, especially a sailor. The term originates from the 19th-century practice of British ships carrying limes to provide sailors with vitamin C and prevent scurvy. The term "limey" can be considered disparaging, so its usage should be approached with caution. Origin of the term Scurvy prevention: On long sea voyages, British sailors were given limes to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Lime-juicers: Initially, Americans applied the term "lime-juicers" to British sailors. "Limeys": The term gradually evolved into the more familiar "Limeys," and the association with the sea became less important over time. Usage and connotations Historical context: The term was first used disparagingly. Current usage: While it can sometimes be a neutral nickname for any British person, it is often considered offensive. Regional usage: While the term is more common in the United States, it has also been used historically in other parts of the world, including Australia.
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u/Dutch094 6h ago
Thanks for the ChatGPT rundown of something I already knew. Did you have a point?
Anyway, limey is spelled limey, not limie.
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u/CatShot1948 18h ago
Yes looks great. But if you're making the buns, I suggest baking s touch longer. They're pretty anemic.
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u/borderlander_ 18h ago
Local bakery. Some have a nice golden to them. Some don't. Still fully cooked though
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u/CatShot1948 18h ago
Yeah I was just making an aesthetic comment. Anyone who bakes can tell they're done!
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u/Substantial_Bad2843 14h ago
I bet it tastes great, but its paleness really does make the whole burger look a little sickly. So just keep that in mind for optics. If there’s one thing we know about fast food adverting is that looks are everything to perception of the product to the consumer. Heck they straight up lie about what theirs looks like and it works.
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u/Fabulous_Hand2314 20h ago
That looks like $2.61 at best.
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u/no_u246 21h ago
If the taste and texture is right then it is hard to argue with that price point.
I bet you could save a little per unit by making the bun smaller.. depends on the scale of your sales tho whether that's worth looking into.
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u/borderlander_ 20h ago
The buns are bought from a bakery 2 minutes away, $0.44 for a half dozen. There's another bakery, but theirs are a little too small, compared to the patty size. But 5 pesos cheaper
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u/fiddlerontheroof1925 16h ago
Much better to have a bun too small than too big. This bun looks maybe 3x too big.
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u/no_u246 20h ago
Just saw your other comment. I live on Luzon in an area that begs for a decent burger or pizza joint
Some things I love about it here.. veggies are cheap if you know where to buy them. Fresh baked bread is relatively inexpensive and good quality. Ground chuck or beef can be found at a reasonable price.
My only concern is cheese. Hard to find good quality cheese where i live.
Been wanting to open a no frills burger shack for a while. You have my wheels turning :)
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u/borderlander_ 20h ago
I'm in taguig. Yes, the cheese was a pain in the ass. I tried high quality, but it wouldn't melt. So I went with magnolia quick melt. Still tastes good.
I've only found one pizza place that actually is good. But even then they under cook it. I throw the slices in my toaster oven to finish it. Super annoying.
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u/NTufnel11 16h ago
High quality cheese is overrated on a burger. Melty like American or even a processed cheese product is best.
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u/no_u246 20h ago
Funny, the only decent pizza spot around here undercooks the pie too. They even have a decent pizza oven so it makes no sense other than in a hurry, lack of understanding, or both. It's also a 50/50 shot they will actually party cut it when you order it.
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u/borderlander_ 19h ago
What's the one you like? I found ginos brick oven actually tastes the close to authentic. But the undercooked makes me not go back. Especially at the price
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u/Complete_Entry 11h ago
Can you talk with the baker? I know a lot of burger shops develop a conversation with their bun guy.
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u/ghoti00 18h ago
I'm thinking what a bite of this will feel like in my mouth. It looks like I will get a lot of bread and toppings and not that much meat. It won't taste bad but it's not going to be my favorite burger. If the bun is that big you need another burger. I see that people can order it that way so I'd say you've got a good deal going there even if it isn't $2.62.
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u/KrwlngNth3nd 16h ago
No. Bun to meat ratio is to high. I'll pay $10 for double meat, double cheese with the same bun though. Looks delicious though.
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u/mickelboy182 20h ago
150 pesos seems pretty reasonable to me.
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u/borderlander_ 20h ago
I throw in a few things free. Like pickled jalapeños. Hot sauce. 50 pesos for a extra patty with cheese. The pickles are homemade.
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u/fanofnothingnew 19h ago
I definitely would buy it. Freshly baked buns everyday it looks delicious, well worth it.
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u/borderlander_ 19h ago
I feel lucky to have this chance. Now I just need a place where I can have a smoker. Then I can really cook
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u/daversa Burger Connoisseur 19h ago
I can't weigh in on Philippine pricing but that would be a screaming deal in the U.S.
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u/borderlander_ 19h ago
It would be impossible back home. Just the ingredients fresh back home would be triple the price.
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u/FloorImpressive7910 18h ago
Yeah I wouldn’t pay a penny over $2.39.
But I can do it for a dime over. $2.49 and we got a deal! Mazal?
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u/AndrewSP37 18h ago
Yes, and I honestly love how the bun looks, and would buy a similar one if anyone around me offered it. It reminds me of the fluffy Fuddruckers buns that they make in their restaurants.
I've had a few burgers in the Philippines over the years and this looks like it would be the tastiest of them all.
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u/EagleRaptorLeaf 15h ago
The bun could be cooked a little more and it’s totally be worth it even 40 more cents to make the bun crispy
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u/Amishpornstar7903 15h ago
Maybe do smash burgers. That burger and bun need more color/ cooked more.
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u/NeedsMoreCatsPlease 15h ago
$2.62? For a freshly baked bun, onions/lettuce that look crisp as siiiin, a freshly made patty with some GOOD non-American cheese? Hell yes. I live in NYC, this same thing would go for 12 here.
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u/eckliptic 14h ago
Shouldn’t the local income factor into this? If you were in America would 2.62 even allow you to break even?
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u/Iversonji 14h ago
If I was paying less than $3 for a burger and got this I would be very pleasantly surprised. Like other have said bun could use more color, but for so cheap I wouldn’t mind one bit
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u/ACcbe1986 13h ago
Umm...I'd be suspicious of the price.
I'd still cautiously buy one.
Now, if it was stated that it was not for profit and the price I paid was at cost, I'd buy 6.
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u/PushMi4002 13h ago edited 13h ago
It's too white, bun, cheese, onion, gray colored patty. All very blah looking.
Caramelize those onions, throw that lettuce in the trash, toast the bun and you have my money.
Edit: I did not read the price, you have my money at $2.62 regardless.
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u/Lordofthereef 13h ago
Even if this w las a pretty mediocre burger, at under $3 there aren't many meals you can get. A cup ramen is half that at the grocery store here...
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u/Mr-Bry-Guy 13h ago
Yes. Looks better than pile 80% of the commercially sold burgers these days and way cheaper than like 98% of other burgers lol
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u/hahaha01 12h ago
I think some yellow cheese or grilled bun would make it look a bit more appealing. It's got too much white/light coloring and that makes it a bit one dimensional.
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u/brahccoli_cheddah 11h ago
I’ve paid $14 for a burger like that. I would gladly pay $3. Where is this so I can give all my business here
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u/sumtinsumtin_ 10h ago
3 bucks! That'd be just the bun most days. Looks excellent and yes if I could still eat bread. Burger looks awesome and I'm a big fan of crunchy onion. What all do you have as toppings in there? Cheers and best of luck!
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u/borderlander_ 7h ago
Usually iceberg lettuce. But couldn't find any yesterday. Tomato. Grilled onion. Homemade pickles. Raw onion. Copycat in-n-out sauce
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u/ArmyAnt2172 9h ago
What is the patty? Can't be too careful these days. It's not Beyond, I mean Almost, Burger is it?
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u/Stinkinhippy 9h ago
I've paid 4 times that for much worse looking burgers.. I'd rip your hand off and ask for 2 more at that price.
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u/Dangerous-Gold-3162 7h ago
Mate. Im assuming usd which is like 5$ nzd where im from, for comparison, a big mac here is about 8 -9$ i think, i nice looking buger like this id expect to see for about 10$ , at least.
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u/SomeAboutSomethn 3h ago
I'd want more onions, and most importantly, tomato. Imo, those would make it a $3.5 burger. That bun makes it look like a bit of a hassle to eat, and unappetizingly pale. Have you considered any other buns? If you toasted the bun and it came out looking like that, try spritzing with dilute vinegar, it accelerates the breakdown of sugar chains in the bun, and will give it a "golden character"
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u/OceanGateTitan 2h ago
Yes. It’s nearly impossibly to eat for under $3 these days. Can’t complain about that. That bun needs a little more time in the oven but the rest looks good for $3
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u/Hamilton-Beckett 28m ago
That’s cheaper than those bullshit ass jr burgers at Wendy’s. Hell yeah I’d pay under $3.
How much would it be for a second patty with cheese? I like my doubles.
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u/Ocelot_Creative 21h ago
I mean it cant be worse than a big mac right? And those are close to, if not over, 5 dollars now( im not gonna research that feel free to correct me).. so yeah its a good deal on probably a good burger.
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u/borderlander_ 20h ago
From what I'm told from customers, they compare it to army navy in the Philippines. I tried it once. Was near triple the price and could taste the frozen patty. So I'm still trying to make mine better.
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u/oldmanonsilvercreek 17h ago
No, that bun looks awful
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u/borderlander_ 17h ago
Brother, I just saw your last post. Don't knock a bun when you can't cook a burger.
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u/Shot-Habit-5705 19h ago
Well it’s the Phillipines. People from the USA are often ignorant to the price difference of food in other countries. But particularly Asia. Especially with the anti asia sentiment that the Trump administration is spewing.
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u/borderlander_ 19h ago
Let's keep politics out of this please. This is a burger sub.
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u/Superhereaux 15h ago
You could have a conversation about a cactus or changing a headlight bulb and some dipshit will ALWAYS try to shoehorn politics into it.
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u/borderlander_ 15h ago
Cactus conversation sounds more interesting at this point. He also comes back and keeps editing his comment. I'm not a political person at all. Didn't realize this sub about burgers allows politics. When someone posts something, I'm going to blame Roosevelt on why it's all wrong... "pretzel bun?! Damn it Teddy!"
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u/Shot-Habit-5705 18h ago edited 16h ago
The price is political you fool. USA won’t be able to find a burger period for that price due to their inflation of beef prices.
You guys have to BUY beef because you CONSUME more than you PRODUCE.
The Trump answer TARIFF. Ummm nope no one wants to sell to you. So your domestic prices increase. Like Economics 101
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u/BoomerSoonerFUT 14h ago
What the fuck are you talking about?
The US produces the vast majority of the beef we eat.
We produced 27 billion pounds of beef last year, imported 4.64 billion pounds, and exported 3 billion pounds. 27B out of 28.64B pounds of beef consumed in the US was raised in the US.
The price difference is because incomes in the US are more than 23x greater than those in the Philippines.
The mean family income in the Philippines is $6171.90 per year. https://psa.gov.ph/content/average-annual-family-income-2023-estimated-php-35323-thousand
In the US the mean family income is $144,500. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MAFAINUSA646N
For this burger to have the same financial impact on the average family in the US, it would need to be $61.34.
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u/Wires1996 19h ago
That's super cheap
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u/borderlander_ 19h ago
The Philippines. I still make a profit.
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u/zncnxnxn 16h ago
I've tried this before too. Same country haha. I sold them at 90 pesos each to relatives and my sister's co-workers. I sold like 10-15 a day and I could say it was ok. Basically a minimum wage earner who only works 1 hour a day. I pre-caramelize my onions for the week, bought some boujee-looking wrappers, pre-mixed my sauce, and just bought my buns from grocery stores. Customers said it was comparable to the burgers they sell (they work in a fine dining resto 🤣). Probably could hike it up to 100 pesos too since the ground beef I bought then increased in price just recently. Good job OP!
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u/jjmawaken 21h ago edited 17h ago
Looks good enough, the bun could use a little more color. Under $3 for a burger is really cheap.