Follow a burger

Sources

• Food Dollar Series: Summary Findings (2024 data, 2026 model) · USDA Economic Research Service, 2024
• Packers and Stockyards Division Annual Report 2021 & 2022 (report to Congress, April 2024), Table 5: four-firm concentration · USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, 2021
• 2022 Census of Agriculture: Majority of farms with beef cows have fewer than 50 cows (Charts of Note, July 23, 2024) · USDA Economic Research Service (data: NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture), 2022
• Cattle & Beef: Sector at a Glance · USDA Economic Research Service, 2025
• Sysco Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 27, 2026 · Sysco Corporation (filed with the U.S. SEC), 2026
• Average price: ground beef, 100% beef, per pound, U.S. city average (series APU0000703112) · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026
• Food Code 2026 (sections 2-102.12, 3-501.16, 8-201.11, 8-203.10, 8-301.11, 8-302.11, 8-303.10) · U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026
• New Association report helps operators gauge their restaurant performance (2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract) · National Restaurant Association, 2024
• Square fees: payment processing rates (Square Free plan) · Square (Block, Inc.)
• Concentration in U.S. Meatpacking Industry and How It Affects Competition and Cattle Prices (Amber Waves, January 2024) · USDA Economic Research Service (James M. MacDonald), 2024
• Farms receive larger share of spending on food at home than food away from home (Charts of Note, May 14, 2026) · USDA Economic Research Service, 2024

Every number

• 7.1 centsusda.gov ·2024 · Farm share of each dollar Americans spent on food away from home, 2024 (US-grown food, ERS's 2026 model).
• 18.5 centsusda.gov ·2024 · Farm share of each dollar spent on food at home (stores), 2024.
• 11.8 centsusda.gov ·2024 · Farm share of each dollar spent on all food, 2024.
• 6.7 centsusda.gov ·2024 · What farms themselves add (USDA calls it value added) per dollar spent on all food, 2024 (smaller than the farm share, since farms buy feed, seed and fuel).
• 65.8 centsusda.gov ·2024 · Food services' share of each dollar spent on food away from home, 2024 (industry group bill).
• 44.2 centsusda.gov ·2024 · The part of food services' share that is pay for workers, per food-away-from-home dollar, 2024.
• 81%govinfo.gov ·2021 · Share of steer and heifer slaughter (by head, federally inspected plants) by the four largest packers, 2021.
• 85%govinfo.gov ·2021 · The same share in 2019.
• 622,000usda.gov ·2022 · Farms with beef cows at the end of 2022 (Census of Agriculture).
• 47usda.gov ·2022 · Average beef cows per farm with beef cows, 2022.
• 3–7 monthsusda.gov ·2025 · Age most calves are weaned.
• 90–300 daysusda.gov ·2025 · How long a calf can spend in a feedlot.
• 84.6 billion dollarssec.gov ·2026 · Sysco's sales, fiscal 2026, in billions of dollars, rounded to one decimal.
• 18.5%sec.gov ·2026 · Gross profit as a share of sales, fiscal 2026.
• 2.1%sec.gov ·2026 · Net earnings as a share of sales, fiscal 2026.
• 19,000sec.gov ·2026 · About this many delivery vehicles, end of fiscal 2026.
• $6.79/lbbls.gov ·2026 · US average grocery price of ground beef, September 2026. Restaurants buying by the case usually pay less.
• 40 lbexample (example number: Simplified example: four ten-pound cases of patties.) · Simplified example: four ten-pound cases of patties.
• $5.40/lbexample (example number: Simplified example case price, below the grocery price.) · Simplified example case price, below the grocery price.
• 4example (example number: Quarter-pound patties: four to a pound.) · Quarter-pound patties: four to a pound.
• $216example (example number: Simplified example: forty pounds at the example case price.) · Simplified example: forty pounds at the example case price.
• $25.60example (example number: Simplified example: eight dozen buns.) · Simplified example: eight dozen buns.
• $20.50example (example number: Simplified example: five pounds of sliced cheese.) · Simplified example: five pounds of sliced cheese.
• $30example (example number: Simplified example: one case of chopped lettuce.) · Simplified example: one case of chopped lettuce.
• $292.10example (example number: Simplified example: the four lines added up.) · Simplified example: the four lines added up.
• $1.35example (example number: Simplified example, worked out: the patty line divided by the number of patties.) · Simplified example, worked out: the patty line divided by the number of patties.
• 41 °Ffda.gov ·2026 · Cold food kept at this temperature or colder (Food Code, section 3-501.16).
• $11example (example number: Simplified example menu price for a burger on its own.) · Simplified example menu price for a burger on its own.
• 4%restaurant.org ·2024 · Median for counter-service restaurants, 2024.
• 2.6%squareup.com · Square's published rate for a tapped, dipped or swiped card.
• $0.15squareup.com · Square's published fee per card payment, on top of the percentage.
• $0.44example (example number: Simplified example, worked out: Square's rate on the example burger, rounded to the cent.) · Simplified example, worked out: Square's rate on the example burger, rounded to the cent.
• $0.44example (example number: Simplified example, worked out: the median counter-service profit share of the example burger.) · Simplified example, worked out: the median counter-service profit share of the example burger.