The Associated Press has an interesting article about the prevailing "better burger" trend. Burger joints are opening and growing around the country by following the exact opposite of the model that the fast food chains are working from. By offering a limited menu but giving customers higher quality beef and a choice of more unique ingredients, these burger joints are among the fastest niche of the food industry.
For a look at the burger trend Pacific Northwest style, the Portland Hamburger Blog has reviews of hundreds of dining establishment's burger choices.Ray's Hell Burger, also in Arlington, is not a chain, but the restaurant run by iconoclastic chef Michael Landrum earned a national profile with President Barack Obama taking Vice President Joe Biden and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev there last month. (Medvedev's review: "Not quite healthy, but it's very tasty.")
It's a market that has room to grow. Such chains represent only 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 at least the next few years.
