CHICAGO -- While consumption of beef is down over the past decade, burgers endure as a mainstay of the modern American diet. Restaurants continue to reimagine burgers in order to keep consumers interested in the menu staple; only 20% of burger eaters say that burgers are a boring choice when eating out, according to Mintel’s "The State of the Burger U.S. 2016."
The menu incidence of “cheeseburger” decreased by 15% and “burger” decreased by 6% from fourth-quarter 2012 to fourth-quarter 2015; however, more descriptive items such as “bacon burger” (85%) and “Southwest burger” (34%) saw significant growth on menus.
In line with the 47% of consumers who want more premium burger buns at restaurants, the survey revealed significant growth of pretzel (97%), kaiser (93%) and brioche (59%) buns on menus. Half (50%) of consumers want more variety of cheeses for burgers, and restaurants are calling out specific cheeses on menus more often. While unspecified “cheese” as a topping for burgers fell by 11%, mozzarella (29%) and pepper jack cheese (13%) have grown more popular on menus.
“Consumers are interested in new burger formulations, allowing restaurants to take chances with their menu. This gives restaurants the opportunity to branch out with multiple ingredient options and toppings to separate themselves from competitors, and can be accomplished by offering high-quality buns and cheeses, as consumers are willing to pay more for premium ingredients for a food they love,” said Caleb Bryant, foodservice analyst for Mintel, Chicago.
Not only do 82% of consumers agree that burgers are a good source of nutrients, but another 80% would also pay more for burgers made with premium ingredients. Three in five (62%) consumers say they love burgers; however, as beef faces negative health perceptions, consumers are showing interest in a variety of nonbeef burger alternatives.
Nearly half of consumers would like to see more chicken burgers (46%) on menus and two in five (42%) are interested in more turkey burgers. Another one-third (34%) of Americans are interested in seeing bison as a burger option on more menus. Overall, millennials are more interested than any other generation in every nonbeef burger Mintel asked about.
“While the majority of Americans view burgers as a good source of nutrients, this is more indicative of health concerns being a nonfactor as opposed to seeing burgers as a healthy choice. Further, we find that the decreasing consumption of beef is not affecting consumption of burgers, driven by Americans seeking more nonbeef burger options,” said Bryant.
“Beyond offering less fatty, more nutritious alternatives, nonbeef burgers tend to have a ‘wow’ factor as they are new and different to many consumers. Having a lineup of nonbeef burgers can help a restaurant’s menu stand out from other restaurants’ burger offerings,” he said.
Grass-fed-beef burgers are also piquing interest. Four in five (79%) burger eaters believe that grass-fed beef is higher quality than regular beef. This is motivating 43% of consumers to want more grass-fed-beef burgers on restaurant menus.
Knowing the origins of their food is increasingly important to consumers, and this is especially true among burger eaters. Three in five (59%) consumers agree that they want to know the origin of beef in burgers, including 68% of millennials.
“With its purported superior taste, healthfulness claims and ‘feel-good’ connotations, burgers made with grass-fed beef are an especially important foodservice trend right now. Diners today are interested not only in food that is good for them; they also want food that makes them feel good. This is magnified for food that comes with a ‘story,’ as consumers increasingly want to know where their food was made and how it was prepared and produced,” said Bryant.
Mintel surveyed 1,767 U.S. adults who ordered a burger from a restaurant in the three months preceding January 2016. It asked if they were interested in seeing more of the following burgers at restaurants: chicken, turkey, bison/buffalo, beef blends, salmon, game meat, lamb, black bean, nonsalmon seafood, nonbean veggies and tofu.
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