Burger Trend Continues to Sizzle
28 July 2011
Technomic identifies what consumers find most appealing about burgers offered at more than 40 leading limited- and full-service chains.
A new study released by trend-tracker Technomic finds burger consumption up considerably since 2009, with nearly half of today’s consumers saying they eat a burger at least once a week compared with 38% two years ago. One reason for the increase is the continued prominence of burgers on quick-service value menus.
“The value menu is certainly a big part of this increase in burger consumption,” says Sara Monnette, director of consumer research at Chicago-based Technomic. “There are other factors at work, however, as the specialty-burger craze has driven growth in a way that is almost defiantly separate from pricing. The better burger restaurants in the fast-casual segment have put the burger top of mind for consumers, and even the quick-service chains have begun to respond and focus portions of their menus specifically on quality perceptions.”
To help food-industry professionals stay abreast of how current issues and evolving consumer needs impact burger consumption, Technomic developed the “Burger Consumer Trend Report.” Findings include:
- Younger consumers are highly interested in vegetarian burger options, with 23% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 saying it is important for vegetarian burgers to be available on restaurant menus.
- The importance of health-halo attributes such as all natural, hormone free, steroid free and antibiotic free has grown since 2009. Half of consumers currently say it is very important to them that the meat used to make their burger is steroid free.
- The most commonly offered cheese on burgers at limited-service restaurants is American, but cheddar is by far the most popular in the full-service segment.
Photo caption: These Mediterranean sliders created by Alison Awerbuch of Abigail Kirsch Culinary Productions in New York City feature three BelGioioso cheeses: grated Parmesan, CreamyGorg and mild provolone—for a unique take on the all-American classic