Britain’s cheapest burger: How a Blackpool stand has sold the same £1 burger since 2006 — and what U.S. small‑town businesses can learn
In Blackpool, Chris Higgitt of Las Vegas Arcade has sold a £1 burger since 2006, using bulk buying, lean operations and viral social media to sustain a low price and turn a seaside stand into a tourist draw.
Key takeaways
- £1 burger since 2006: Simple ingredients—bun, English beef patty, onions and sauce—keeps prep and waste low.
- Volume and efficiency: Bulk buying, a narrow menu and seasonal focus let small margins add up.
- Social media power: TikTok and YouTube creators turned a local trickle into long queues and free publicity.
- U.S. lessons: Focus on a star item, negotiate bulk pricing, and welcome creators for low-cost marketing.
Key information
- Business: Higgitt’s Las Vegas Arcade Blackpool & £1 Burger Bar.
- Owner: Chris Higgitt, 58, who bought the arcade with his wife Karen in 2006.
- Price: £1 per burger since 2006 (about $1.34 USD at time of reporting).
- Burger: bun, English beef patty, onions and sauce.
- Cost: Higgitt estimates each burger costs roughly 50 pence (about 68 cents) including ingredients and electricity.
- Operation: Open seven days a week from March through November; the burger operation now makes about 90% of the couple’s revenue.
From arcade idea to viral attraction
Chris and Karen Higgitt bought the Las Vegas Arcade in Blackpool in 2006 when the business was underperforming. What began as an off‑the‑cuff idea to add a burger bar became a calculated decision after Chris said he “sat down and did the math” and realized a basic beef burger could be sold for £1 while covering costs.
Over time the burger bar evolved from a side business into the primary income source: about 90% of revenue comes from the burger operation, which runs during the busy tourist months from March to November. The simple product and concentrated season help keep overhead manageable and maximize sales during peak footfall.
What’s in the £1 burger
The signature burger is intentionally plain: a bun, an English beef patty, onions and sauce. There’s no cheese or deluxe toppings included in the base £1 price. The pared‑down product reduces preparation time, inventory complexity and waste — all key to keeping unit costs low.
How the economics add up
Higgitt estimates the true cost per burger is about 50 pence, including ingredients and electricity used to cook them. That leaves a gross margin of roughly 50 pence per burger before other overheads such as labor, rent, cleaning and equipment maintenance. To make that margin work, the business relies on volume; selling many burgers quickly spreads fixed costs across large sales and turns a low price into a viable model.
“I sat down and did the math,” Chris Higgitt said, describing the decision to set the burger price at £1.
Higgitt credits several strategies for keeping the price stable for nearly 20 years:
- Bulk purchasing: Buying beef, buns and other ingredients in large quantities lowers unit costs.
- Operational efficiency: A narrow menu and streamlined prep reduce labor time and waste.
- High volume: Long summer lines and steady tourist traffic in Blackpool drive the sales needed to make small margins profitable.
- Social media exposure: TikTok and YouTube creators regularly post about the £1 burger, bringing free publicity; Higgitt calls that content “free advertising.”
- Seasonal focus: Operating mainly during the tourist season concentrates costs and revenue in months with the highest demand.
Social media turned a local trickle into long queues
Short videos that show the line, the cooking and customers’ reactions have circulated widely. Many creators call it “Britain’s cheapest burger” and travel to Blackpool to try it. Higgitt says these posts regularly draw new visitors who want to see the place for themselves or watch him work the counter — a marketing effect that costs him nothing beyond being welcoming to cameras.
Menu variety and practical choices
While the £1 burger steals headlines, the stand also sells other budget items like hot dogs, Spam sandwiches and sausage sandwiches. The focus is quick, inexpensive food that appeals to families and day‑trippers. Keeping the menu limited helps control inventory and keeps prep fast when crowds form.
The wider economic context
Keeping a product price unchanged through years of rising food and energy costs is unusual. Many restaurants and chains have raised prices multiple times as meat, packaging and fuel costs climbed. Higgitt’s model has survived because of tight cost control, bulk buying and the ability to attract enough customers to make small profits add up. Still, a 50p cost per burger provides little room to absorb further price shocks without reducing portions, finding cheaper suppliers, or raising the price.
Owner perspective and community feel
Higgitt is proud of his ability to keep the price low. He enjoys the “buzz” around the stand and says people often come just to see him and soak up the atmosphere. The long lines during busy months are a point of pride for a business that began as a practical fix for a struggling arcade.
Human angle: a hands‑on owner turning a small idea into dependable family income — a story of thrift, hard work and local ingenuity.
Implications for the United States
Practical tactics U.S. small‑town operators can consider:
- Negotiate bulk pricing with local distributors to lower unit costs.
- Design a short menu centered on a single star item to speed prep and reduce waste.
- Focus on peak times or seasonal events to concentrate sales and manage staffing.
- Build relationships with local influencers or regional tourism boards to boost visibility at low cost.
- Track costs carefully before committing to a low‑price strategy — do the math as Higgitt did.
Limits: The model depends on location and volume; many rural U.S. towns lack Blackpool’s seasonal tourist flows. Labor costs, regulatory requirements and supply chains differ between the U.K. and U.S., so numbers won’t translate directly.
Sources and further reading
Reporting on Higgitt’s £1 burger and the owner’s comments appeared via the SWNS news agency and was summarized in U.S. media including Fox News. Additional reporting or direct interviews could provide more detail on volumes sold, staffing, supplier relationships and exact seasonal revenue figures.
