Better Burgers Still Thriving

CHICAGOAs part of its research into the limited-service restaurant (LSR) burger market, Technomic has found that while McDonalds drives roughly half of activity, upscale, fast-casual better burger concepts are quickly moving in. In fact, fast-casual burger chains grew sales by 20.8% last year, while all limited-service burger chains grew 3.7%. And Technomic reports that it sees plenty of room for continued growth, as fast-casual sales currently only represent 3.2% of LSR burger-segment sales. Its findings have been compiled into the recent release, Market Intelligence Report: Better Burgers.

Better-burger concepts have a lot going for them, says Darren Tristano, executive vice president, Technomic. First, they have the benefit of a basic and beloved menu focus. Raising the quality of the protein, bun, toppings and sides has been a winning formula. And a number of celebrity chefs have opened concepts that focus on burgers made with premium ingredients, helping to raise their profile. Plus, the segment includes some of the rising stars of the industry overall. For example, Smashburger grew sales by more than 71% in 2011, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries increased sales by 24%.

Noteworthy findings in Technomics report include:

For further insight into the better burger trend, review the Better Burgers Image Gallery, Burger Wars, Part 1: Game Changers and Burger Wars, Part 2: Ethical & Transparent, all on the Food Product Design website.