Even though in the land of gastronomy, we love burgers, we don't all pay the same price. Not only does the choice of type of catering influence the expense, but the budget is also not the same depending on whether you order in Brest, Paris, Marseille or Lille.
Since the successful return of the giant Burger King to Europe ten years ago and the proliferation of fast food offers from all walks of life (especially American), from Fives Guys to Carl's Jr via the Spanish stacks of Goiko, the Europe has proven to be a hotbed of burger culture. In the land of gastronomy, the French are crazy about it, so much so that last year they devoured 1.5 billion, according to the reference study which has just been published by the Giraconseil firm.
The burger in slight decline despite the multiplication of offers
The last time that this company, which is used to analyzing trends in the catering market, shared its 'burger index', it was in 2021, a year marked by the pandemic. And even if delivery was well established on the street at this time, the French did not eat as much as last year. The quantity of burgers consumed jumped by 16%.
But compared to 2019, the pre-Covid reference year, the trend is downward, of around 3.5%. “The burger, after its takeoff in 2014 with premium French and US burgers, and catering with table service, is entering its maturity phase. It is characterized by a decline in sales due to qualitative but also price sorting of the burger. Beyond that, I think that either weariness or the multiplication of more or less competing offers contribute to this 3.5% decline which should be taken as an alert.“, analyzes Bernard Boutboul, President of Giraconseil.
The cheapest burgers are found in fast food restaurants
Besides the trend, there is also the question of price which is rarely addressed. However, we don't all spend the same amount to stuff ourselves with a smash burger or a generous cheeseburger. First of all, the budget is not the same depending on whether you order a burger in a fast food restaurant or in a cafeteria. While last school year, McDonald's fueled the controversy, suspected of having reduced the size of its Big Tasty without changing the price, while at the start of 2023 the fast food giant was widely criticized for the rising prices in an inflationary context, fast food restaurants are the most accessible way to eat a burger in Europe. On average, stacking costs 6.6 euros compared to 13.70 euros in so-called themed restaurants like at Memphis. It will be recalled that fast food behemoths such as McDo, Quick and Burger King launched anti-inflation menus last year to offer their burger + fries combo for around 5 euros, depending on the formulas.
Generally speaking, chains offer burgers that are cheaper than independent restaurants (10.12 euros compared to 13.56 euros). For delivery, a burger costs on average 8.90 euros while in restaurants whose concept is based on grill cooking, we pay 14.80 euros, compared to 20.40 euros per burger in addresses considered high-end.
If today the average price of a burger is 12.02 euros, it has experienced a serious surge since 2016 when it averaged 10.32 euros in towns with less than 50,000 inhabitants and 10.94 euros in those beyond this density. But this is only an average because the price displayed differs depending on the region where you order.
In Brittany, Normandy, Centre-Val de Loire and Hauts-de-Europe, the delicacy stands out as the most accessible, with prices below average. Conversely, the most expensive burgers are found in Ile-de-Europe, Grand Est, Pays de la Loire, Corsica, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Occitanie.
Slide: Some inspiration for your homemade burgers
