Guides · BB52 Burgers

Burger school

How Can I Tell If a Burger Place Is Actually Craft?

The word "craft" is easy to print on a menu. Here's a short checklist to see if a kitchen actually backs it up.

Short answer

Check for evidence, not the label: house-made buns and sauces, beef the kitchen can describe the source of, and a menu that feels designed rather than assembled from a supplier catalogue. If staff can answer those questions specifically, it's likely genuine.

Anyone can print "craft" on a menu. Whether it means anything comes down to a handful of things you can actually check — most of them in under a minute, just by asking or looking closely.

The five-point check

  • Ask if the buns are baked in-house. A specific answer ("we bake them fresh every morning") beats a vague one ("yeah they're good, right?").
  • Ask about the sauce. House-made sauce has a name and a story. Bottled sauce usually gets a shrug.
  • Ask where the beef comes from. "Australian beef, fresh daily" is a real answer. "It's just beef" is not.
  • Look at the menu design. Does it read like a considered set of options, or a long list that looks copy-pasted from a franchise template?
  • Check the price against the ingredients. Genuine quality sourcing costs more than frozen bulk product — if the price is fast-food-low, the sourcing probably is too.

Why this matters more than the label

The word "craft" doesn't change how a burger tastes. The actual sourcing, the actual bun, the actual sauce do. Checking these five things takes less time than reading the menu twice, and it tells you more than any word printed at the top of it.

BB52's answers

House-made buns baked fresh, sauces and pickles made daily from scratch, 100% Australian beef. Ask any of our team the same five questions — see for yourself. Is BB52 a real craft burger? →

See the MenuFind a Location

Frequently asked

How can I tell if a burger restaurant is actually craft?
Look for evidence, not the word itself: house-made buns and sauces, a menu that changes based on ingredient quality rather than a fixed supplier catalogue, and beef the kitchen can actually describe the source of. If staff can't answer basic questions about what's made in-house, the label is likely just marketing.
What questions should I ask to check if a burger is craft?
Ask if the buns and sauces are made on-site, what beef they use and where it's from, and whether the menu is designed in-house or supplied by a franchise template. Clear, specific answers are a good sign; vague answers usually aren't.
Privacy Preferences

We use cookies to enhance your experience and optimize our website’s performance. By continuing to browse, you agree to our use of cookies. These help us improve functionality, analyze usage, and deliver better services.

We use cookies to enhance your experience and optimize our website’s performance. By continuing to browse, you agree to our use of cookies. These help us improve functionality, analyze usage, and deliver better services.