The business of "Bob's Burgers": From labor issues to the cost of meat, the offbeat family cartoon rings true

Jesse Huot, the co-owner of Grind Burger Kitchen in Louisville, Kentucky, says if he had a dollar for every time someone said to him “Oh my god, you guys are just like ‘Bob’s Burgers,’” he’d have enough money to buy a pack of plain white t-shirts and a mustache comb. But Huot says episodes of the show also mimic their lives in a different way, namely by showcasing various socioeconomic concerns that face real-life restaurant owners on a day-to-day basis — a topic that feels particularly resonant as industry uncertainty mounts in the days leading up to the beginning of President Donald Trump’s term in the White House. There are many animated shows that register as more consistently political than “Bob’s Burgers.” As opposed to long-standing series like “South Park” and even “The Simpsons,” this is a program that centers around the offbeat drama of the Belcher family — like in last week’s episode, which explored how eldest daughter Tina’s sprained ankle affects her teen-angst-ridden relationship with Jimmy Pesto Jr., the son of Bob’s longtime restaurant rival — rather than skewering political figures or current events. In a season three episode, “Bob Fires the Kids,” Bob makes the decision to let his three kids, Tina, Gene and Louise — who are essentially unpaid employees — go for the summer so they can enjoy the childhood that he, as a fellow restaurant-owner’s kid, never had.