With 80% of consumers rating quality as the most influential factor when choosing where to go for an OOH gourmet burger, it pays to get it right.
Today’s out of home market is worth £9.1bn[1], but competition is increasing and growth is slowing. According to new insight from the experts at Americana, serving high quality and on trend gourmet burgers in a premium bun is a key tool for outlets looking to ensure they remain relevant and competitive within this challenging foodservice market.
That’s why Americana’s Burger Board has launched ‘Gourmet Burgers: It All Stacks Up.’ This suite of new materials is designed to offer operators expert advice, industry insights and on-trend recipes, enabling them to increase sales and exceed customer expectations, by premiumising their burger menus from the filling to the bun.
The ‘Gourmet Burgers: It All Stacks Up’ downloadable tool kit is bursting with Americana’s latest consumer and operator research. It highlights key consumer opportunities and how much more gourmet burgers served in premium buns can be worth if you get it right, as well as the pitfalls to watch out for with 62% of consumers avoiding outlets with a burger menu that have left them feeling disappointed.
All available to download here, the suite of material illustrates the growing trend for premiuimsation and shares insights into the demands, desires and turnoffs amongst consumers. Key highlights of the research include:
- Consumers are willing to pay £1.35 more for a gourmet bun, an increase of 10p vs 2 years ago
- Over 60% of consumers have higher burger expectations vs 2 years ago
- Consumers are willing to pay £4.72 more for Gourmet Burger in a premium bun compared to a standard fast food burger in a regular bun
- 74% of pubs and restaurants think that their increase in gourmet burger sales wouldn’t have happened without serving them in a premium bun
- Just 7% of consumers have their Gourmet Burger expectations met all the time
‘Gourmet Burgers: It All Stacks Up’ includes three brand new recipe cards which have been developed in collaboration with industry expert Burger Lad and Americana’s senior development chef, Alby Miller, to provide on-trend extensions to existing menus. Both contributors are a key part of the Americana Burger Board, whose members also include Neil Murray, Commercial Category Manager, and Charlotte Dixon, NPD Manager.
The advice guide taps into their insights on ‘what to watch for in 2020’, flavour pairings and food fusion, and what makes the ultimate Gourmet Burger. Key operator takeouts include:
- Focus on having three or four outstanding burgers instead of trying to clutter menus with endless options – Burger Lad
- Make sure quality of ingredients encompasses everything: filling, bun, toppings and sauces – Neil Murray
- Incorporate high quality ingredients, plant-based products and street food flavours into the final serve to keep burger menus fresh and interesting – Charlotte Dixon
- Go for big, bold, punchy flavours that work in harmony to provide a great eat and never overlook the bun in a gourmet burger dish – Alby Miller.
Kate Sykes, Marketing Manager at Lantmännen Unibake UK, says “Remaining relevant and competitive has never been more important for outlets looking to capitalise on today’s challenging foodservice market. Our waves of research over the past two years show that the trend for premiumisation is only getting bigger and with it demand for highly quality, on trend gourmet burgers and premium buns is increasing. ‘Gourmet Burgers: It All Stacks up’ is our way of equipping operators with the tools needed to capitalise on these opportunities with quality burger menus designed to deliver bottom line benefits.”
Simon Dukes, aka Burger Lad and part of the Americana Burger Board, comments: “’Gourmet Burgers: It All Stacks Up’ does just that – it stacks up the sales opportunities with the know-how to achieve it. With the UK’s burger market booming, and consumer expectations at an all-time high, it makes absolute sense to elevate a burger menu from a traditional patty in a seeded bun to a more premium offering.”
The new toolkit is the latest milestone in Americana’s Trade Up To Gourmet campaign and is available to download at www.americana.co.uk
[1] MCA UK Eating Out Market Report 2019
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