Sales sizzling for 'better burgers'
Restaurant chains spring up touting bigger, fresher, quality concoctions

With a drive-through seemingly on every corner, you might think the market for burgers long ago reached saturation. But the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America last year was Five Guys, which specializes in double-pattied behemoths the size of a softball and has seven locations in Metro Detroit.

And that's just the tip of the arugula. "Better burger" joints are one of the fastest-growing parts of the restaurant industry. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay launched Bobby's Burger Palace in the Northeast. Elevation Burger is expanding into Kuwait. Mooyah Burgers & Fries, Meatheads and the Shake Shack are looking to expand.

Higher-grade beef, fresher or more creative toppings and better buns are bringing customers in the door.

It's a market that has room to grow. Such chains represent about 2 percent of the $65 billion burger market, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Chicago-based restaurant consultant Technomic.

"The traditional players -- McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's -- have really shifted their focus away from burgers to breakfast, chicken and beverages," said Tristano.

He predicts better burger chains will continue to have double-digit sales growth for the next few years.

Farmington Hills retail analyst Ken Dalto agreed. Nostalgia and a tough economy are helping drive the trend, he said.

Americans' love for good, old-fashioned hamburgers was quashed in the 1990s when eating meat became politically incorrect and new fad diets continually were introduced, he said.

But now that baby boomers, who grew up on burgers, are older and less concerned about their weight and being fashionable, their craving for burgers is back with a vengeance, he said.

Hamburgers are considered a comfort food for many consumers, Dalto noted. When faced with economic and personal difficulties, consumers tend to eat foods they ate in their childhood. Plus, many families can't afford to go to an upscale restaurant anymore, but they can afford a fancy hamburger, he said.

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Better Burgers