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In the beloved animated series Bob’s Burgers, viewers are consistently entertained by Bob’s relentless struggle to transform his family restaurant into a thriving business. Bob’s dedicated staff includes his three children—Tina, Louise, and Gene—and his supportive wife, Linda. However, this familial dynamic often leads to more chaos than success.
It’s hard to believe that Bob could sustain a profitable venture. After multiple grand re-openings, we wanted to dive into the financial realities of Bob’s Burgers as if it were a real establishment. Surprisingly, Bob’s Burgers generates approximately $6,000 in monthly revenue, a figure that doesn’t account for operational costs. Living in a high-cost area like New Jersey while trying to support a family on about $4,000 a month in profit is quite a challenge.
Join us as we explore how Bob manages to keep his burger joint afloat amidst these challenges.
The Menu
What does Bob offer at his restaurant, and how are the prices structured?
Here’s a glimpse of the chalkboard menu from the show’s pilot episode, “Human Flesh”:
Bob also features a daily special, consistently priced at $5.95.
Calculating the Number of Paying Customers Each Month
To estimate customer traffic, we analyzed the first season of Bob’s Burgers, equating one season to one real-time month.
The restaurant includes 10 bar stools and four booths, accommodating a maximum of 26 patrons. Unfortunately, this limited capacity poses a significant challenge for Bob’s business.
Assuming 31 days in a month, we noted that during the first season’s 13 episodes, Bob’s children occasionally sparked an uptick in business with three notable events, but for the other 28 days, business was bleak.
1. Number of Paying Customers for 28 Days
During the 28 days without these miraculous events, customer traffic is significantly slower, exacerbated by distractions like the children’s antics.
We estimated that Teddy and Mort would dine at the restaurant daily, contributing two customers. For the rest of the month, Bob’s Burgers typically sees between four and ten guests per meal. Averaging this, we estimate about seven customers each lunch and nine for dinner, totaling 16 paying customers per day for those 28 days.
2. Number of Paying Customers on Miracle Days
Now, what happens during those three miracle days? The first surge occurs when rumors circulate that Bob’s Burgers uses human meat, thanks to Louise’s mischievous announcement at school. This draws in a crowd, and 26 patrons dine in that day.
Two other miraculous events follow, each attracting a full house of 26 diners, with a line of about five people. Including Teddy and Mort, we assume an additional seven customers join in. This gives us 40 paying customers on those three miracle days.
3. Total Number of Paying Customers Each Month
In total, Bob’s Burgers hosts 40 paying customers on miracle days and only 16 on other days, leading to a total of 568 paying customers each month.
What the Customers Ate
While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what every customer orders, it seems that cheeseburgers, fries, and drinks dominate the menu.
Assuming 568 customers, let’s estimate that 300 opt for a cheeseburger combo, priced at $9.50 ($5.50 for the burger, $2.00 for fries, and $2.00 for a drink).
For the special of the day, let’s say 200 customers choose the $5.95 special plus a beer at $4.00, totaling $9.95 each.
The remaining 68 customers might go for a salad, fries, and water, bringing in $4.50 each.
Thus, monthly revenue is calculated as follows:
300 x $9.50 + 200 x $9.95 + 68 x $4.50 = $5,146 in revenue each month.
Bob’s Total Annual Revenue
With a monthly revenue of $5,146, Bob’s total annual revenue would be $61,752 before tips. Including a 15% tip increase, the final annual revenue would be $71,014.
What About Bob’s Profit?
Calculating Bob’s annual profit reveals that with $71,014 in revenue, operational costs would need to be considered. While we won’t detail every expense, typical restaurant expenditures include:
- Cost of goods sold (food) generally ranges from 25% to 40% of revenue.
- Bob employs no additional staff, relying solely on his family.
- Rent typically accounts for about 8% of revenue.
- Marketing is minimal, relying on the children’s antics.
- Taxes will also impact the final profit, but we’ll focus on pre-tax figures.
For Bob’s Burgers:
30% of total revenue for cost of goods = $21,304
8% of total revenue for restaurant rent = $5,681
Subtracting these costs from total revenue gives us a profit of $44,029.
It’s a Hard Knock Life for Bob and His Family
If Bob’s Burgers were a real establishment, with a total annual revenue of $71,014 and an annual profit of $44,029, making ends meet in New Jersey would still be a struggle. With an estimated $20,000 spent on rent and $23,000 left for living expenses, supporting a family of five—even in a fictional realm—would be challenging.
In closing, Bob, while you’ve made commendable efforts to follow your dream of serving burgers to the wonderful people of New Jersey, it may be time to explore alternative career paths for the sake of your family’s financial health.
Author
A graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Earned a BFA majoring in Creative Writing and a minor in English.
