CHICAGO — While burgers have often been perceived as being more affordable than other menu items, gradual increases in price may sway this perception among consumers, according to a new report from Technomic, CSP's sister research firm.
The average price for a burger from a Top 500 restaurant chain in 2019 is $9.76—a $1.33 increase compared to four years ago, according to the 2019 Burger Consumer Trend Report. This applies to a variety of burger types, including traditional hamburgers (+20% price increase since 2015), bacon cheeseburgers (+20%), veggie burgers (+19%), specialty burgers (+18%) and turkey burgers (+17).
Technomic surveyed more than 1,600 consumers for the report, which aims to help foodservice operators and suppliers better understand consumers’ consumption, attitudes and preferences toward burgers and identify opportunity areas.
“Price increases are offering operators a form of relief as they struggle with rising labor and delivery costs, as well as limited growth through traffic,” said Charles Winship, manager of consumer insights for Technomic. “But continued price increases for burgers could ultimately cut into perceptions around their affordability and push consumers toward other options.”
Fifty-five percent of consumers said affordability is one of the most important factors when deciding where to order a burger, the report said. Beyond that, 46% of consumers who eat burgers strongly agree that they’ve noticed price increases for burgers at restaurants over the past year.
Burger prices at many convenience stores are cheaper than at some leading restaurants. Some include the Made-to-Order Burger from Sheetz, which is $4.29; the All American Burger from GetGo, which is $5.29; the Burger Sliders from Rutter’s, which are $1.49; and the Angus Cheeseburger from 7-Eleven, which is $2.49.
Chicago-based Technomic Inc. provides subscription data products, industry reports, research tools and programs. Its syndicated and custom studies are generated through extensive food and retail industry experience and proprietary data. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Winsight LLC, a business-to-business information, event and market intelligence company serving the restaurant and noncommercial foodservice, convenience and petroleum retailing and grocery industries.
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