The Score
How every burger gets graded — nine categories, weighted, out of 100.
Every burger gets a Burger Notes Score out of 100. Nine categories, each scored 0–10, weighted by how much they matter to a real burger experience — the patty matters more than the seasoning, even though both count.
We always order two: One Plain & Dry, One How it Comes. The Plain & Dry is what gets scored — no toppings, no sauce — so the patty, bun, seasoning, and cook have to stand on their own. The How it Comes version gets noted in the prose for context, since it tells you what the kitchen intended. Cheese is optional; when it shows up it gets noted but isn’t part of the weighted score.
The categories split into two macro scores: The Build (65 points, everything on the plate) and The Experience (35 points, everything around it). The food carries roughly two-thirds of the total — a great room can elevate a great burger, but it can’t rescue a bad one.
The Build
65 pts- Patty up to 23 pts
Cook, juiciness, texture, crust. Whatever the protein.
- Bun up to 19 pts
Toast, structure, freshness, ratio.
- Seasoning up to 14 pts
Salt, pepper, char. Is the patty actually flavored?
- Freshness up to 9 pts
Made-for-you feel. Bun and patty both just-cooked.
The Experience
35 pts- Value up to 9 pts
Price vs. portion vs. quality.
- Vibe up to 6 pts
Room, music, lighting, the feel of the place.
- Service up to 6 pts
Speed, friendliness, getting the order right.
- Location & Access up to 6 pts
Parking, transit, walk-up vs. reservation, ADA.
- Cravability up to 8 pts
Would you think about this burger tomorrow?
Score tiers
- 90+
Drop everything
Worth a flight.
- 80–89
Excellent
Plan a trip around it.
- 70–79
Solid
Happy to be here.
- 60–69
Fine
Wouldn't go out of my way.
- 50–59
Mid
Better options nearby.
- <50
Skip it
Order something else.
How the math works
Every category is scored 0–10. Multiply by the category's weight, divide by 10, and that's the points it contributes. Sum all nine contributions to get the Burger Notes Score.
(your score ÷ 10) × weight = points earned
Example: an 8/10 on Patty (worth 23 pts) earns 8 ÷ 10 × 23 = 18.4 pts toward the 100-point total.