Burger and a beer, tasty at almost any price

The pregame price tag for a burger and beer is now $21.31, according to Toast, the payment-device company.

Why it matters: Football season is less than seven weeks away, leaving LSU and Southern fans little time to start saving—or planning a few pregame meals at restaurants.

By the numbers: The good news for diners is that restaurant menu prices have remained mostly in check, even as grocery prices rise. That suggests restaurant owners are swallowing higher food costs to hold onto customers, particularly during the lackadaisical summer months.

• The median restaurant beer price was $6.60 in June, up from $6.46 a year earlier.
• The median burger price was $14.71, up from $14.39.
• Together, the burger and beer cost $21.31.
• The average tip held steady at 18.8%, adding about $4 and bringing the full tab to $25.31.

May we recommend: The Overpass Merchant, where the burger is consistently, dependably great.

Word in dining circles is that it stays faithful to the original Curbside truck burger, which was among the best anywhere. That lineage is no accident. Nick Hufft owns both Merchant and Curbside, so the burger didn't get reinvented on the way indoors.

The restaurant bills the burger as "a beacon of Louisiana, a shining example, a great burger."

The damage: $14 gets you a house mix of brisket, chuck and short rib. Cheese runs $2 more. And the umami-bomb onion jam—plus a choice of other fixings—adds another $2.50. Get the jam. An occasional burger is no place to practice restraint.

RedEye note: Former LSU basketball coach Dale Brown popularized "lackadaisical" describing his teams' play. The sing-song word came off the bench and into the vocabulary of local sports media and fans for a good long while.