Burger Trend Continues to Sizzle, Finds Technomic

Good news for burger producers: Burger consumption is up considerably since 2009, with nearly half of consumers claiming to eat a burger at least once a week compared with 38 percent two years ago. The new findings come from a recent study by market researcher Technomic.

One reason for the increase is the continued prominence of burgers on quick-service value menus, according to Chicago-based Technomic.

"The value menu is certainly a big part of this increase in burger consumption," said Sara Monnette, director of consumer research at 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."

More information is available in Technomic's Burger Consumer Trend Report, which includes the following findings:

• Younger consumers are highly interested in vegetarian burger options, with 23 percent of consumers between the ages of 18-34 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 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.