Methodology ⚙️

The PBASO™ system has been developed as the de-facto methodology to objectively score each burger we devour.  We take a simple average across all five categories to arrive at the patent-pending Top-10 Rankings.  Here are the categories that make up PBASO™:
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• Patty: A high-quality beef is table-stakes to kick off the scoring. But what’s the fat content?  Was it ground to a pulp or too chunky?  Did the chef get some good char? And please, please, please, ensure it was cooked to order!  Too salty, not enough?  All of this and more is vehemently argued in the first category.   
• Bun: Perhaps the piéce de résistance of all burgers, the bun is critical to its success and can quite often be overlooked by burger amateurs.  Was the soakyupedness™ and holditogetherness™ driven by the toast, or was it the butter?  Who wins in a fight – brioche or ciabatta?  And to the restaurateurs, if you’re heading to the general store to buy your buns, please stock up on tissues as well – you may need them after you see the score.  
  Accoutrement: To bacon or not to bacon?  That is not a question.  But an egg?  To each his own.  Which lettuce delivers the best crunch and which season makes the tomato shine? Cheese?  Yes, please.  But in that light, might you ensure that it adds enough of a punch to be tasted?  Be thoughtful about the combination and the build and you stand a good chance for a solid score.  And let us not forget the age-old debate – to mayo or not to mayo – the knives routinely are out on this one.  
• Starch: There is but one accompaniment to a cheeseburger and that is obviously the beloved fry. Was it crispy, was it hot, and were all the little end bits actually required on the plate?  What would you like the fries to be dipped in and did it have to be requested or was it brought as part of service?  Salt.  Need we say more? Yep, we do – what type of fry makes the best companion for your burger – will you waffle or shoestring, wedge or curl?  So many options and so little time but one thing holds true regardless – make ‘em crispy and make ‘em hot.  Your score depends on it.  
  ​Overall Experience: Left to interpretation. A wise man once said, “There’s a lot you can tell about someone by the way they order a burger.” From the umami of the sauce, the ambiance of the restaurant, the attentiveness of the waitstaff, and the thoughtfulness of the beer selection, there’s not much that goes unnoticed or left unsaid when it’s time to score.  With so many variations, this category is the catch-all of the scoring methodology.  

** The rankings are based on the average of the 5 elements of PBASO