Burger restaurant lease audit: where to start

A lease review identifies the rules for CAM and NNN expenses. An annual statement shows what was billed. Supporting records help establish whether a questioned charge was calculated and allocated as the lease requires.

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Start with one location

Gather the signed lease and amendments, the latest CAM or NNN reconciliation, and any invoices or allocation schedules already available. Review each store against its own documents before comparing locations. A term that applies at one restaurant may not appear in another lease.

What the review examines

The expense rules

Identify the lease's CAM and NNN definitions, exclusions, caps, fee bases, and amendments.

The store's share

Check the premises area, center area, allocation formula, and any separate pools for anchors or shared services.

Restaurant-specific services

Ask how parking, drive-through areas, trash, grease service, utilities, and exclusive-use facilities were allocated when they appear on the statement.

The annual true-up

Compare billed categories and visible arithmetic with estimated payments and credits already recorded.

The next action

Locate the records-request procedure and notice language before deciding whether to ask a billing question or challenge a charge.

Work through the restaurant CAM checklist for document-by-document questions.

How multi-unit operators can compare stores

Use one row per location with the statement year, premises area, billed share, CAM, taxes, insurance, estimated payments, and true-up.
Record the lease clause behind each cap, exclusion, or allocation rule. Do not assume a clause from another store applies.
Flag unusual differences for review, then request the underlying schedules or invoices. A difference between stores is a prompt to investigate, not a verified overcharge.
Track each lease's notice and records-review terms separately.

If you are comparing total occupancy cost with sales, use our restaurant rent calculation guide. That business metric does not establish whether CAM was billed correctly.

What a finding means

A lease-only finding identifies language to check. A lease and statement may reveal a visible calculation difference. Confirming the reason and any tenant-level dollar effect may require invoices, area schedules, payment records, or other backup. The report should label those limits rather than present a question as a recovered amount.

Review your own lease and statement

Start with a free lease preview. Add an annual statement and up to four supporting PDFs before checkout if available. The $49.99 report summarizes relevant terms, visible billing questions, records to request, and what remains unverified.

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