Nearly half of today’s consumers say they eat a burger once a week compared with the 38% that indulged two years ago, disclosed a study by Technomic. Gathering this data from the Burger Consumer Trend Report, Sara Monnette, Director of Technomic Consumer Research, states, “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 quickservice chains have begun to respond and focus portions of their menus specifically on quality perceptions.“ The study also found:
- Even young vegetarians fight for rights to the bun. 23% of consumers between the ages of 18-34 say it’s important for vegetarian burgers to be available on restaurant menus
- Half of consumers currently say it is very important to them that their burger meat is steroid free
- While American is the most commonly offered cheese on burgers at limited-service restaurants, Cheddar is by far the most popular in the full-service segment
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