How to Tell If a Burger Is Craft

"Craft" gets printed on a lot of menus that don't back it up. Since the word itself is unregulated, the only reliable way to know is to look at what's actually happening in the kitchen.

How to Tell If a Burger Is Craft — What to Actually Check

• Ask about the bun. Baked in-house, or delivered frozen from a supplier? A real craft kitchen usually mentions this proudly, unprompted.
• Ask about the sauce. House-made, or squeezed from a catering-size bottle? You can often taste the difference — bottled sauces taste more uniform and less distinct.
• Check the beef sourcing. A craft kitchen can usually tell you where the beef comes from and roughly what fat ratio they target. A non-answer is itself an answer.
• Look for consistency across items. If the pickles, sauce, and bun are all clearly bought-in, "craft" is describing marketing, not the kitchen.

None of this needs to be interrogated aggressively — most genuinely craft kitchens will tell you unprompted, because it's the thing they're proud of.