# How do restaurants keep the burgers warm when it contains cold ingredients



## kevin bertram (Apr 19, 2021)

Hey everyone!
I’m trying to solve an issue at my restaurant. Basically, our main items are different kinds of burgers. The patties are all cooked to order, and the buns are toasted. Everything else though, is kept cold in a line fridge. Depending on the burger, this could be up to 7 ingredients (sauces included). After assembly, the burgers are wrapped and then placed in a takeout box. Since our restaurant is based off of delivery and takeout, most burgers don’t get eaten for around 20 min after we’ve cooked it. 

We’re having an issue with keeping the assembled burgers hot enough. For certain wet ingredients (like a coleslaw or tzatziki), it seems that the cold of these ingredients cool off the burger too much by the time it is eaten. Since all cold food is supposed to be maintained between 1-4C in the restaurant, how can we avoid this issue? Is there some other trick that burger restaurants are using that I’m missing?

Thanks in advance for any tips you have...


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## Cief Lonwind of the North (Jun 7, 2021)

Many burger place the veggies, and condiments into a divided area in the container, with the hot burger sitting between tasted bun halves. The toasted bun resists getting soggy, and the veggies remain chilled until placed onto the burger by the customer. Then again, I have had pre-assembled burgers that were ok. The trick was to assemble so that the lettuce is first on the bun, after the condiments, Then come pickles, followed by tomato slices. This layering keeps the cold lettuce, and hot burger away from each other. The cheese on top keeps the top bun from getting soggy. If there is bacon, it sits on top of the burger.

Others may be able to give better advise,

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Great concept. Now place yourself behind the line of a busy burger place. You just finished making the burger with all the cold fixins. You put it in the window and plead, beg, and pester until it gets picked up.
I'm not sure there is an answer for your problem, especially with delivery.
The separation of cold from hot may be your only option.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

I think you're being generous by thinking 20 minutes. The food being delivered has to be rethought. There is no way to think the burger will be delivered having the same quality as what comes off of the front line and delivered within minutes to the customer at the table. That process that needs to be addressed is how to accomplish this for off-sight eating because what S/B cold is cold and what S/B hot is hot. 
Delivery is here to stay and will be a much higher percentage of your sales than pre-pandemic. This means you also have to change how things are done. Cold items will have to stay cold in separate containers while the hot burger, melted cheese, bacon will have to be kept in another container. The cold liquid condiments could be in small solo cups. 

All this being said, I would set up a delivery menu that would help you control whats ordered and delivered to insure the best quality. The Lettuce, Tomato, onion and pickle aren't the problem, they could be wrapped and kept separate ready to put on the burger. 
The only problem I see with doing this is, you lose the eye appeal of the build burger your used to at the restaurant. The customer will have to understand you can't put cold items on hot items and expect a good quality meal 20 to 40 minutes later.


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## redbeerd cantu (Aug 7, 2013)

The only way to ensure warm/cold delivery is to deliver yourself and use igloos and cambros.


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## Mischief (Dec 13, 2018)

I believe the 20 minutes+ delivery time is more responsible for your loss of temperature than the fixings. Your cold ingredients will wilt/diminish faster than your burger cools. Either way....toasted buns get soggy and ingredients get luke warm with delivery. Burgers and fries are possibly the worst things to deliver. They just don't hold up at all quality wise.


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## retiredbaker (Dec 29, 2019)

kevin bertram said:


> Hey everyone!
> I'm trying to solve an issue at my restaurant. Basically, our main items are different kinds of burgers. The patties are all cooked to order, and the buns are toasted. Everything else though, is kept cold in a line fridge. Depending on the burger, this could be up to 7 ingredients (sauces included). After assembly, the burgers are wrapped and then placed in a takeout box. Since our restaurant is based off of delivery and takeout, most burgers don't get eaten for around 20 min after we've cooked it.
> 
> We're having an issue with keeping the assembled burgers hot enough. For certain wet ingredients (like a coleslaw or tzatziki), it seems that the cold of these ingredients cool off the burger too much by the time it is eaten. Since all cold food is supposed to be maintained between 1-4C in the restaurant, how can we avoid this issue? Is there some other trick that burger restaurants are using that I'm missing?
> ...


Its not your problem.

I go buy a pizza, the guy selling it doesn't worry if I can keep it warm, did I warm up the plates for the pizza, its not his problem.

I go buy ice cream, no-one worries if I have it in my car fir 45 minutes, its not their problem.

You are confusing drop off with catering.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

retiredbaker said:


> Its not your problem.
> 
> I go buy a pizza, the guy selling it doesn't worry if I can keep it warm, did I warm up the plates for the pizza, its not his problem.
> 
> ...


Don't agree....Quality and reputation doesn't go away after the cooked item leaves the stove.
A place's reputation goes home with that food, just the same as a caterers reputation doesn't end with the food drop off.


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## retiredbaker (Dec 29, 2019)

chefross said:


> Don't agree....Quality and reputation doesn't go away after the cooked item leaves the stove.
> A place's reputation goes home with that food, just the same as a caterers reputation doesn't end with the food drop off.


I once had a customer complain the quiche he froze was crumbly, I said thats because you froze it.
He said no-one told him not to freeze it. I asked if anyone had to tell him not to freeze beer.

I don't give the people who are that stupid a second thought, they can't be fixed, those are the same as the ones expecting fresh cold crispy lettuce on a burger thats been wrapped for 20 minutes.
Worrying about a problem that doesn't exist until you create it is like paying interest on borrowed problems.


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