Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- The burger market is getting crowded
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- Figure 1: Burger consumption at segment in the past three months, by demographics, January 2016
- People are eating less beef
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- Figure 2: Total US beef consumption
- The opportunities
- A majority of consumers are burger lovers
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- Figure 3: Burger self-segmentation: Burger attitude, January 2016
- Give consumers choice
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- Figure 4: Burger innovation interest, January 2016
- Grass-fed beef is an especially appealing burger trend
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- Figure 5: Burger statement agreement, grass-fed beef is higher quality than regular beef, by demographics, January 2016
- Make your burger menu a story
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- Figure 6: Burger statement agreement, “I want to know the origin of beef in burgers,” by generation, January 2016
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Consumers are turning away from beef
- Beef gets cheaper
Market Perspective
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- Foodservice trend: Alternative proteins
- Trendy chicken and international dishes force burger innovation
Market Factors
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- Consumption of beef down year-over-year
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- Figure 7: Total US beef consumption
- After a period of record highs, beef prices finally fall
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Non-beef burgers receive attention from chefs and customers
- New burger chains enter the market
- No lack of innovation in the burger category
What’s Working?
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- Veggie burgers get a makeover
- Where’s the beef?
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- Figure 8: New releases of non-beef frozen burgers
- Figure 9: Non-beef frozen burgers released in 2015
- Protein packed burgers
Restaurant Profiles
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- QSR
- Fast casual
- Midscale/casual dining
- Fine dining
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- Figure 10: Fine dining burgers
What’s Next?
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- Mean green grass-fed beef
- Are butter burgers the next great LTO?
- Meet the Juicy Lucy
MMI Analysis
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- Overview
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- Figure 11: Top 10 menued burgers at restaurants, Q4 2012-Q4 2015
- Burger toppings: Vegetables/fruit
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- Figure 12: Burger toppings: Top 10 menued vegetables/fruits at restaurants, Q4 2012-Q4 2015
- Burger toppings: Cheeses
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- Figure 13: Burger toppings: Top 10 menued vegetables/fruits at restaurants, Q4 2012-Q4 2015
- Burger toppings: Sauces
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- Figure 14: Burger toppings: Top 10 menued vegetables/fruits at restaurants, Q4 2012-Q4 2015
- Burger buns
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- Figure 15: Top 10 burger buns menued at restaurants, Q4 2012-Q4 2015
- Burger ingredient claims
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- Figure 16: Top 10 menued burger ingredient claims at restaurants, Q4 2012-Q4 2015
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- A majority of diners identify as burger lovers
- Consumers are open to new and innovative burgers
- Non-beef burgers are an area of exploration
- Burgers garner few concerns
Restaurant Visitation
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- QSRs remain the most visited location for burgers by far
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- Figure 17: Burger consumption at segment in the past three months, by demographics, January 2016
Burger Segmentation
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- A majority of consumers identify as burger lovers
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- Figure 18: Burger self-segmentation: Burger attitude, January 2016
- Men, Millennials, and Hispanics are “lovers.” Women, Boomers, and suburbanites are “likers”
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- Figure 19: Burger self-segmentation: Burger attitude, by demographics, January 2016
- Provide a burger for every eater type
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- Figure 20: Burger self-segmentation: Burger eater type, January 2016
- Gender differences by eater type
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- Figure 21: Burger self-segmentation: Burger eater type, by gender and age, January 2016
Burger Opportunities
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- Consumers are open to a variety of burger innovations
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- Figure 22: Burger innovation interest, January 2016
- Beef opportunities
- Young women desire premium options while young men are all about protein
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- Figure 23: Burger innovation interest, by gender and age, January 2016
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- Figure 24: Burger innovation interest, thicker beef patties, by gender and age, January 2016
- Reach rural diners with beef; urbanites want unique choices
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- Figure 25: Burger innovation interest, thicker beef patties, by area, January 2016
CHAID Analysis – Ultra-Premium Beef Blends
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- Methodology
- Millennial fast casual and fine dining consumers are most interested in ultra-premium beef blends
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- Figure 26: Burger innovation interest, thicker beef patties, by area, January 2016
Non-beef Burgers
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- Understanding the different tiers of non-beef burgers
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- Figure 27: Interest in non-beef burger types, January 2016
- Interest in non-beef burgers driven by young consumers and urbanites
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- Figure 28: Interest in non-beef burger types, by generation, January 2016
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- Figure 29: Interest in non-beef burger types, by age and income, January 2016
- Men want meaty non-beef burgers
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- Figure 30: Interest in non-beef burger types, January 2016
- Non-beef burgers: In their own words
TURF Analysis – Non-beef Burgers
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- Methodology
- Reach a majority of consumers by offering a selection of non-beef burgers
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- Figure 31: TURF analysis – Non-beef burger interest, January 2016
Burger Perceptions
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- Consumers have positive perceptions of burgers
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- Figure 32: Burger statement agreement, January 2016
- Provide consumers with a premium burger
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- Figure 33: Burger statement agreement, “I would pay more for burger made with premium ingredients”, by demographics, January 2016
- Strong consumer interest in grass-fed beef
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- Figure 34: Burger statement agreement, “Grass-fed beef is higher quality than regular beef”, by demographics, January 2016
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- Figure 35: Burger statement agreement, “Grass-fed beef is higher quality than regular beef”, by gender and age, January 2016
- Grass-fed beef: In their own words
- Millennials want food with a story
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- Figure 36: Burger statement agreement, “I want to know the origin of beef in burgers”, by generation, January 2016
Burgers and Beverages
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- Burgers are often paired with CSDs
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- Figure 37: Burger beverage pairings, January 2016
- Men want beer with their burgers
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- Figure 38: Burger beverage pairings, by gender and age, January 2016
- Beverage pairing by income
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- Figure 39: Burger beverage pairings, by income, January 2016
Qualitative Analysis
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- Burger ingredient importance
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- Figure 40: Qualitative responses: Most important burger ingredients
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- Figure 41: Qualitative responses: Least important burger ingredients
- Burger delivery
Burger Eater Types
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- Reaching the different burger eater types
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- Figure 42: Burger innovation interest, by burger eater types, January 2016
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- Figure 43: Burger statement agreement, “I would pay more for burgers made with premium ingredients”, by burger eater types, January 2016
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Mintel Menu Insights
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – Consumer
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- CHAID
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- Figure 44: Burger attribute interest – CHAID – Table output, January 2016
- TURF
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- Figure 45: TURF analysis – Non-beef burger interest, January 2016
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